| Kir-Abbaian
Southern Eastern Sudanic
|
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|---|---|
| Geographic distribution: |
Sudan, Eritrea, Chad, Nubia |
| Genetic classification: |
Nilo-Saharan Eastern Sudanic Kir-Abbaian |
| Subdivisions: |
Temein (Nuba Hills)
|
The Kir-Abbaian (per Ehret), Southern Eastern Sudanic, or Eastern n Sudanic languages form one of two primary divisions of the Eastern Sudanic languages. They are characterized by having a /n/ in the pronoun "I/me", as opposed to the Astaboran (Northern) languages, which have an /k/. The most famous Kir-Abbaian language group, as well as the largest, is Nilotic, which includes such languages as Maasai.
Ehret controversially includes the divergent Berta language in Kir-Abbaian, alongside (Eastern) Jebel in a branch he calls Jebel; the name Kir is Ehret's term for the languages other than Jebel. He posits that Surma and Nilotic are particularly close. However, Ehret's methodology and classification are rejected by other historical linguists, and Berta is best considered an isolate within Nilo-Saharan pending further research.
References
- M. L. Bender, 2000. "Nilo-Saharan". In Bernd Heine and Derek Nurse, eds., African Languages: An Introduction. Cambridge University Press.
- Christopher Ehret, 2001. A historical-comparative reconstruction of Nilo-Saharan. Köln: Rudiger Köppe.
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