The Jos Plateau is one of Africa's densest concentrations of indigenous languages — at least 40 distinct languages in the state, mostly Plateau-branch of Niger-Congo.
Major languages#
- Berom — Plateau branch; ~one million speakers; Jos North/South.
- Hausa — universal lingua franca.
- Mwaghavul — Mangu.
- Ngas (Angas) — Pankshin.
- Tarok — Langtang.
- Goemai — Shendam.
- Mupun — Pankshin/Mangu.
Minor and endangered languages#
- Anaguta, Afizere (Jarawa), Rukuba, Irigwe, Pyem, Mernyang, Chip — small Plateau languages, many UNESCO-endangered.
Lingua francas#
Hausa across all LGAs (the only universal language); Pidgin in Jos city; English in schools.
Notable literary and political moments#
- Plateau languages have been the focus of more linguistic field documentation than any other Nigerian language family — beginning with Joseph Greenberg (1948) and continuing through SIL and the Jos Linguistic Circle.
Sources & further reading#
- Ethnologue: Languages of Nigeria (SIL).
- Roger Blench, *An Atlas of Nigerian Languages* (3rd ed., 2019).
- Ayo Bamgbose, *Language and the Nation* (1991).
- UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger.