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Hyam language

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Hyam
Jabba
Native toNigeria
RegionKaduna State
Native speakers
300,000 (2014)[1]
Dialects
  • Hyam of Nok
  • Sait
  • Dzar
  • Yaat
  • Ankum
Language codes
ISO 639-3jab
Glottologhyam1245

Hyam is a regionally important linguistic cluster of Plateau languages in Nigeria. Hyam of Nok is the prestige dialect (Blench 2008). Writing the sociolinguistics of Hyam, Blench treats Sait, and Dzar as distinct varieties, and notes that Yat and Ankung may be viewed as separate languages, however, Hayab (2016) presents a differing opinion arguing that it is Ankung, a language called Iduya, that is not mutually intelligible to Hyam. Meanwhile, Hyam, which is spoken by the Ham people of Nigeria, popularly known as 'Jaba' in a recent study by Philip Hayab, a native of the area and a linguist who carried out in-depth research into the language, reveals that 'Jaba' has a Hausa etymology and is derogatory and should be discarded (John 2017).

Distribution

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Native Hyam speakers are found mainly in Jaba, Kachia and Kagarko. They are also found in Jema'a Local Government Areas of southern Kaduna State and in Keffi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State of Nigeria.

Dialects

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James (1998) classified the Hyam dialects according to the following sub-groups he placed under the Ham or Northern Group of the Proto-Plateau Ethno-Linguistic Cluster:

  • Ham Kpop (Jaban Kwoi)
  • Ham Ngat Ham (Jaban Katari)
  • Ham Shambang (Samban)
  • Ham Duhyah (or Idun) (Jaban Lungu)
  • Ham Kworri (Chori)
  • Ham Det (Faik/Kenyi)
  • Ham Netkun/Netwho (Gbaham)
  • Ham Nyakpah (or Nyankpa) (Yeskwa)
  • Ham Kong/Rhuini (Kamantan)

According to Hayab (2016:5-11), however, the Ham people, aside migratory past, a subject requiring keen study, could be said to speak the following:

  • Hyam Taa Ham - 'Hyam spread in Ham area' including Nok, Ghikyaar, Kuscum, Har Dzyee, Shong, etc.
  • Kwyeny - same as James's Hyam Kpop (spoken in Har Kwain or Kwoi)
  • Kyoli - the dialect of the Kworri/Kwori (also known as Chori)
  • Saik
  • Shamang - same as Shambang

Hayab (2016:6) added that other varieties may also include:

  • Dùya/Idúyà - same as Idun
  • Gwora - Gora
  • Yat
  • Zhire - Kenyi.

Further more, Hayab (2016:8) classified these dialects into four clusters, A-D, according to their levels of intelligibility.

  • Cluster A. Hyam Taa, Kwyeny, and Saik (all have not less than 90% phonological homogeneity in vocabulary
  • Cluster B. Kyoli and Shamang (have about 50% intelligibility)
  • Cluster C. Yat and Zhire (may be coherent with A and B. More studies needed)
  • Cluster D. Idúyà [or Idun ] and Gwora (stand in an independent category)

Again note that Hyam is the language spoken by the Ham people.

Blench (2019) lists:[2]

  • Kwyeny
  • Yaat
  • Saik
  • Dzar
  • Hyam of Nok

Phonology

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The Hyam Literacy Committee identifies the following 41/42 basic symbols in its orthography.

a a̱ b c d dz e e̱ f g gb gh h hw hyw i i̱ j k kh kp l m n ng ny o p r s sh t th thn ts u v w y yw z zh

Vowels (Vawel)

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  • Monophthongs

Short Vowels (Vawella̱ Sha̱kuup)

a a̱ e e̱ i i̱ o u

Long Vowels (Vawella̱ Sha̱ceri)

aa ee ii oo uu

  • Diphthongs (Khwikhwir Vawel)
ai au a̱u ou

Consonants (Konsonan)

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b c d dh dz f g gy gb gh ghy h hw hwy hyw j k ky kh khy kp l m n nh ng ny p r s sh t th thn ts v w y yw z zh

Numerals

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Hayab (2016:66) pinpoints, stating that "available data in Hyam by Koelle (1854: appendix, 2-188) and Meek (1931:120) reveals that the Ham contest in virtually a dissimilar way from what is obtained today." He added that it is apparent that the old counting system has been replaced with a Hausa styled one, and again states that "at present, the old style with ten (which was kop) now as ' shwak '. A case points is kop (ten) shows to be an incomplete number observing the evidence that ' mbwan shwak ' (11) suggests that we were a number away from shwak (twelve)." He then added that "this is because the word ' mbwan ' actually denotes bwat - short of or 'remaining'.

The above can be said to be true, considering the case of Tyap, a related language, where the present word for ten is swak, while the word "kop/kwop" is almost extinct, just as in Hyam, and only used for counting in thousands. The word "thousand" in Tyap is cyi kop/kwop, meaning (considering the old usage of the word kop/kwop), "a hundred - ten times" or "100 X 10".

These, according to Hayab (2016:66-67) are the numbers used at least 200 years ago for counting in Hyam.

Hyam English
0 npiit zero/nothing
1 zhinni one
2 feli two
3 taat three
4 naang four
5 twoo five
6 twani six
7 twarfo seven
8 naarang eight
9 mbwan-kop nine
10 kop ten
11 mbwan-shwak eleven
12 shwak twelve/dozen/complete
24 shwak i'feri two dozens
36 shwak i'tat three dozens
48 shwak i'nang four dozens
60 shwak i'twoo five dozens
72 shwak i'twani six dozens
84 shwak i'twarfo seven dozens
96 shwak i'naarang eight dozens
108 shwak i'mbwan-kop nine dozens
144/infinity sok-sok-gha twelve dozens/uncountable

Lexicon

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The following is an abridged lexicon via the Hyam wordlist by Roger Blench.[3]

Hyam English
bes hot temper
bok doctor, healer
bongyeng toad
cheb egg
chi death
chin bravery, courage
chirchi morning
choing reddish
chu soul, spirit
chuur spring of water
chuwo penis
chyen guest, stranger
dung depth
dwai world, bush
dzaar marry
dzam young person
dzet temptation
dzo goat
dzom elephant
dzut mist, fog
dzye power
fai sky
fang oath
fe Moon
fet kill
furi burst out
fyen flower
fyep thief
fyet shooting star
gaar/gyaar place(s)
gab divide
gam level
gan surpass
gang open
gbyo witchcraft
gom song
guguk tree bark
gwang large
gyugyuthi owl
ham suck, roll
has resemblance
hwom horn
hyong fear, fright
jaki donkey
jang leaf
jip whirlwind
jo/wejo mountain, hill
kab large river
kate road
kike/ke father
kikera ancestors
kom corpse
kon knife
koop inheritance
kpoduma cat
kpop king, chief
kpyob mushroom
kuko firewood
kushat ghost
kwai female clan leader
kyaam teach
kyang farm
kyar stone
kyat'pyo divination
mat birth
mek year
mimyet lie down
mogbam granaries
monet people
mowe/we children
muri hyena
myen wisdom
na'hywes/ryat witch
na'kyat'kpyo sorcerer
nam body
nanaa blacksmith
ndwak friend
net person
ngan proverb
ngot rain
njaa anger
nkuun evil spirit
nom Sun
ntato hunter
nyak cow
nyam meat
nyo/monyo daughter-in-law
nyang scorpion
ran lake, pond
re today
reng yesterday
ribi land, country
rituk night
ruing greet
run dust
ruth tired
ryetuk evening
saar story, news
shabur white
sham lightning
shang seed, grain
shantan spider
shashat dawn
shen sex, intercourse
sheshit/sesit black
shirshing shadow
shisheng wind
shozhi woman
shushuni breath
shuu charcoal, soot
shwok awaken
shwom judge
sim love
sung snake
swat dance
tamtori crazy person
tirda sister
titaan water
tset strength
tseyang fireplace
tyeng set on fire
wegyo dog
wera brother
wop torrential rain
wok get
yak voice
yang fire
yeer meeting place
yeng sheep
yet star(s)
yosir wrestling
zaam laughter
zang roam
zaki lion
zhazhaku butterfly
zheng blow, flute
zhi wife
zhii blood
zhir'nkum widow
zho mother
zhu room

References

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  1. ^ Hyam at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Blench, Roger (2019). An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (4th ed.). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.
  3. ^ "Hyam Wordlist"

Further reading

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  • Blench (2008) Prospecting proto-Plateau. Manuscript.
  • Hayab, P. J. (2016). Basic Hyam Grammar with Ethnographic Notes. Abuja: Beltina Digital Press.
  • James, I. (1998). The Settler Phenomenon in the Middle Belt and the Problem of National Integration in Nigeria. Jos, Nigeria: Midland Press. ISBN 9783481169.
  • John, P. H. (2017). Narratives of identity and sociocultural worldview in song texts of the Ham of Nigeria: a discourse analysis investigation. PhD Dissertation submitted to the University of Stellenbosch, Unpublished
  • Kambai A̱ka̱u T. L. (2014). The Tyap-English Dictionary. Benin City: Divine Press. ISBN 978-978-0272-15-9.
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