Central Sudanic is a family of about sixty languages that have been included in the proposed Nilo-Saharan language family. Central Sudanic languages are spoken in the Central African Republic, Chad, Sudan, South Sudan, Uganda, and Congo (DRC). They include the pygmy languages Efé and Asoa.
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👉 Central Sudanic languages in the context of Eastern Sudanic
In most classifications, the Eastern Sudanic languages are a group of nine families of languages that may constitute a branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family. Eastern Sudanic languages are spoken from southern Egypt to northern Tanzania.
Nubian (and possibly Meroitic) gives Eastern Sudanic some of the earliest written attestations of African languages. However, the largest branch by far is Nilotic, spread by extensive and comparatively recent conquests throughout East Africa. Before the spread of Nilotic, Eastern Sudanic was centered in present-day Sudan. The name "East Sudanic" refers to the eastern part of the region of Sudan where the country of Sudan is located, and contrasts with Central Sudanic and Western Sudanic (modern Mande, in the Niger–Congo family).
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Central Sudanic languages
- 👉 Central Sudanic languages in the context of Eastern Sudanic
- Central Sudanic languages in the context of Languages of Africa
- Central Sudanic languages in the context of Bambuti
- Central Sudanic languages in the context of Asoa language
- Central Sudanic languages in the context of Lendu
- Central Sudanic languages in the context of Lugbara people
Central Sudanic languages in the context of Languages of Africa
The number of languages natively spoken in Africa is variously estimated (depending on the delineation of language vs. dialect) at between 1,250 and 2,100, and by some counts at over 3,000. Nigeria alone has over 500 languages (according to SIL Ethnologue), one of the greatest concentrations of linguistic diversity in the world. The languages of Africa belong to many distinct language families, among which the largest are:
- Niger–Congo, which include the large Atlantic-Congo and Bantu branches in West, Central, Southeast and Southern Africa.
- Afroasiatic languages are spread throughout Western Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa and parts of the Sahel.
- Saharan, Nilotic and Central Sudanic languages (grouped under the hypothetical Nilo-Saharan macro-family), are present in East Africa and Sahel.
- Austronesian languages are spoken in Madagascar and parts of the Comoros.
- Khoe–Kwadi languages are spoken mostly in Namibia and Botswana.
- Indo-European languages, while not indigenous to Africa, are spoken in South Africa and Namibia (Afrikaans, English, German) and are used as lingua francas in Liberia and the former colonies of the United Kingdom (English), former colonies of France and of Belgium (French), former colonies of Portugal (Portuguese), former colonies of Italy (Italian), former colonies of Spain (Spanish) and the current Spanish territories of Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands and the current French territories of Mayotte and La Réunion.
There are several other small families and language isolates, as well as creoles and languages that have yet to be classified. In addition, Africa has a wide variety of sign languages, many of which are language isolates.
Central Sudanic languages in the context of Bambuti
The Mbuti people, or Bambuti, are one of several indigenous groups in the Congo region of Africa. Their languages are Central Sudanic languages and Bantu languages.
Central Sudanic languages in the context of Asoa language
Asoa, also known as Asua, Asuae, Asuati, or Aka, is a Central Sudanic language spoken by the Mbuti Pygmies known as the Asua. It is closely related to the Mangbetu language, and the Asua live in association with the Mangbetu people, among others. It is the only distinctive Pygmy language in the east.
Asua is spoken in the forests to the north of the Aruwimi River, between the Nepoko River and the headwaters of the Rubi River.
Central Sudanic languages in the context of Lendu
The Lendu language is a Central Sudanic language spoken by the Balendru, an ethno-linguistic agriculturalist group residing in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in the area west and northwest of Lake Albert, specifically the Ituri Province. It is one of the most populous of the Central Sudanic languages. There are three-quarters of a million Lendu speakers in the DRC. A conflict between the Lendu and the Hema was the basis of the Ituri conflict.
Besides the Balendru, Lendu is spoken as a native language by a portion of the Hema, Alur, and Okebu. In Uganda, the Lendu tribe live in the districts of Nebbi and Zombo districts, northwest of Lake Albert.
Central Sudanic languages in the context of Lugbara people
The Lugbara are a Central Sudanic ethnic group who live primarily in the West Nile region of Uganda, in the adjoining area of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with a few living in South Sudan. They speak the Lugbara language, a Central Sudanic language similar to the language spoken by the Madi, with whom they also share many cultural similarities.