View source for Koman languages

{{distinguish|Koma language}}
{{short description|Family of languages used along the Sudan–Ethiopia border}}
{{Infobox language family
| name          = Koman
| region        = [[Ethiopia–Sudan border]] region
| map           = Komuz.png
| familycolor   = Nilo-Saharan
| fam2          = [[Komuz languages|Komuz]]?
| glotto        = koma1264
| glottorefname = Koman
| speakers      = 50,000
| child1        = [[Uduk language|Uduk]]
| child2        = [[Kwama language|Kwama]]
| child3        = [[Komo language|Komo]]
| child4        = [[Opuuo language|Opo]]
| child5        = [[Dana language|Dana]]
| child6        = [[Gule language|Gule]]?
| protoname     = [[Wiktionary:Appendix:Proto-Koman reconstructions|Proto-Koman]]
| date          = no date
}}

The '''Koman languages''' are a small, close-knit family of languages located along the [[Ethiopia–Sudan border]] with about 50,000 speakers. They are conventionally classified as part of the [[Nilo-Saharan languages|Nilo-Saharan family]]. However, due to the paucity of evidence, many scholars treat it as an independent language family. Among scholars who do accept its inclusion within Nilo-Saharan, opinions vary as to their position within it.

Koman languages in Ethiopia are in close contact with the [[Omotic languages|Omotic]] [[Mao languages]]. In Ethiopia, some Koman-speaking groups also consider themselves to be ethnically Mao.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://journals.dartmouth.edu/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Journals.woa/1/xmlpage/1/article/447|doi=10.1349/PS1.1537-0852.A.447|title=The Mao and Komo Languages in the Begi–Tongo area in Western Ethiopia: Classification, Designations, Distribution|first=Klaus-Christian|last=Küspert|work=Linguistic Discovery|volume=13|issue=1|date=2015|doi-access=free}}</ref>

==Internal classification==
The Koman languages are:
*Koman
** [[Uduk language|Uduk]], or T’wampa, (formerly in [[South Sudan]]) — about 20,000 speakers, most at a large [[refugee camp]] at [[Bonga]], near [[Gambela, Ethiopia|Gambela]]
** [[Kwama language|Kwama]] ([[Ethiopia]]) — about 15,000 speakers, mainly in [[Benishangul-Gumuz]]
** [[Komo language|Komo]] ([[Sudan]]) — about 12,000 speakers mainly in [[An Nil al Azraq]]
** [[Opuuo language|Opuuo]] (Opo), or Shita ([[Ethiopia]]) — spoken in 5 villages north of the [[Nuer people|Nuer]] by about 5,000 people
** [[Dana language|Dana]], a newly discovered language located near Opo
** ?[[Gule language|Gule]] ([[Sudan]]) — extinct

The poorly known [[Shabo language]] (600 speakers) shows strong Koman influence, and it has been suggested (on little evidence) that it may be a Koman language. Gule is generally classified as Koman, but the evidence is as yet insufficient.

===Otero (2019)===
Otero's (2019: 28) internal classification of Koman:<ref name="Otero"/>

{{Tree list}}
* Koman
** [[Kwama language|Gwama]]
*** Highland Gwama
*** Lowland Gwama
** Central
*** Komo–Uduk
**** [[Komo language|Komo]]
**** [[Uduk language|Uduk]]
***** Chali
***** Yabus
*** Dana–Opo
**** [[Dana language|Dana]]
**** [[Opuuo language|Opo]]
***** [clade]
****** Bilugu
****** Modin
***** [clade]
****** Pame
****** Kigile
{{Tree list/end}}

==External classification==
Dimmendaal (2008) notes that mounting grammatical evidence has made the Nilo-Saharan proposal as a whole more sound since Greenberg proposed it in 1963 but that such evidence has not been forthcoming for [[Songhay languages|Songhay]], [[Gumuz language|Gumuz]], and Koman: "very few of the more widespread nominal and verbal morphological markers of Nilo-Saharan are attested in the Coman languages plus Gumuz ... Their genetic status remains debatable, mainly due to lack of more extensive data." (2008:843) And later, "In summarizing the current state of knowledge, ... the following language families or phyla can be identified: ... Mande, Songhai, Ubangian, Kadu, and the Coman languages plus Gumuz." (2008:844) However, Ahland (2010) reports that with better attestation, both Koman and Gumuz do appear to be Nilo-Saharan, and perhaps closest to each other.

==Reconstruction==
Proto-Koman has been reconstructed by [[Lionel Bender]] (1983)<ref>Bender, Lionel. 1983. "Proto-Koman Phonology and Lexicon." ''Afrika und Übersee'' 66: 259–298.</ref> and Otero (2019).<ref name="Otero">Otero, Manuel Alejandro. 2019. ''A Historical Reconstruction of the Koman Language Family''. Doctoral thesis. Department of Linguistics, University of Oregon.</ref>

==Numerals==
Comparison of numerals in individual languages:<ref name="ChanNumeralsNS">{{Cite web|url=https://lingweb.eva.mpg.de/channumerals/Nilo-Saharan.htm|title=The Nilo-Saharan Language Phylum|last=Chan|first=Eugene|publisher=Numeral Systems of the World's Languages|date=2019}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Language !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 7 !! 8 !! 9 !! 10
|-
| [[ISO 639:xom|Komo]] (1) || ɗɛ́ || sʊ || dìʃ || dɔɡɔ̀n || bùsʼ || káná ɡɪ ɗɛ́     (? + 1) || káná á sʊ    (? + 2) || káná á dìʃ  (? + 3) || káná á dɔɡɔ̀n (? + 4) || kʼɔ́ʃ kʼɔ̀lɔ̀
|-
| [[ISO 639:xom|Komo]] (2) || ɗe(d) / ɗɛʔ (SIL) || suʔin  /  sʊʔ (SIL) || dícin / dǐʃǐn  (SIL) || dōɡɔne(n) / dɔ̄ɣɔ́n  (SIL) || busín  / bʊ̀sʼín  (SIL) || kɛnɡɪɗe  / kàːnaɡǐɗɛ́ (SIL) || kɛnnɛsɔ / kàːnàsʊʔ (SIL) || kɛnnɛdiʃ / kàːnàdɪʃ (SIL) || kɛnnɛdɔɡɔn / káːndɔ̀ɡɔ̀n (SIL) || kɔʃinkwolo / kʼɔ́ʃkʼɔ̀lɔ̀ (SIL)
|-
| [[ISO 639:kmq|Gwama (Kwama)]] (1) || sóndò /sɛ́ːnɛ́ /sɛ́ːsʼkìn || sùjá || twásɛ̀n || béːsʼìn || kúːmùtʼ || kúbà-sèːn ('takes/lends/brings one') || kúbá-sùjá ('takes/lends/brings two') || kúbà-twásɛ̄n ('takes/lends/br. three') || kúb-béːsʼín ('takes/lends/brings four') || kʼúːzí (lit: 'fingers')
|-
| [[ISO 639:kmq|Gwama (Kwama)]] (2) || sɛ́ɛ́kʼín || swíjá || twàsɛ́n || béésʼín || kómòtʼ || kúpà-sɛ́n    (litː ? + 1) || kúpà-swíjá   (litː ? + 2) || kúpà-twàsɛ̄n (litː ? + 3) || kúpà-béésʼín (litː ? + 4) || kʼoosʼi
|-
| [[ISO 639:kmq|Kwama (Asosa)]] (3) || seːko ~ se:ndo / ʔāˈsɛ́n~ ʔāsɛ́l (SIL) || siːya  / ˈsíjá  (SIL) || twazan ~ twasan / ˈtʷāsán (SIL) || mbisiːna  ~ beːsen / bēːsīn (SIL) || kʷʊmbut  ~ kombɔt / ˈkʰūːmùt (SIL) || kʊmpasɛnde / ˈkōbāsín (SIL) || kʊmpa-siːya / kōbə̄ˈsìa (SIL) || kʊmpa-twasən / kōbə̄ˈtʷàsɪn (SIL) || kʊmpa-n-beːsina / kōˈbeːéːsīn (SIL) || kʊʃʊmbiːt ~kwuːzia / ˈkūːzi (SIL)
|-
| [[ISO 639:lgn|Opuuo (Tʼapo)]] (3) || ɗɛ̄n~dɛ̄ (contraction) || sʊ̄kʼá || tùsù || ʍàn || mùtá-kʼʊ̄j  (litː 'be.full-hand') || kān-ɪ́-ɗɛ̄, contraction, (lit: five-ASC-one / five-ASC-one) || kān-ɪ́-sʊ̄kʼá (litː' five-ASC-two') || kān-ɪ́-tùsù (litː' five-ASC-three') || kān-ɪ́-ʍàn (litː' five-ASC-four') || kʼʊ̄j-ā-sʊ̄kʼ-ɛ́n (litː 'hand-LOC-two-     3N.POSS')
|-
| [[ISO 639:lgn|Opuuo (Shita)]] (4) || ɗán / ɗíán || sùkʼá || tùsú || hwán || mùtá-kʼʷèj  (litː 'one hand') || kánè-ɗéé || kánè-sùkʼá || kánè-tùsú || kánè-hʷán || mútá-kʼʷùjá-sùkʼén ('two hands')
|-
| [[ISO 639:lgn|Opuuo (Shita)]] (5) || diʃeɗe || ʃuka / cuka || tuʃu  / tusu || hwan / ŋwan || mutaːkwei  (one hand) ? || kane-ɗe || kane-ʃuka || kane-tūʃū || kane-hwān || muta-kweya-ʃuka-yen (two hands) ?
|-
| [[ISO 639:udu|Uduk (Twampa)]] (1) || ɗéʔ || súʔ || kʷārā || dòŋ(ɡ)òn || múd̻èɗ (lit: 'hand closed') || múd̻èɗ pé ɗéʔ (5+ 1) || múd̻èɗ pé súʔ (5+ 2) || múd̻èɗ pé(ŋ) kʷārā  (5+ 3) || múd̻èɗ pé dòŋ(ɡ)òn (5+ 4) || ʼkúmèɗ
|-
| [[ISO 639:udu|Uduk]] (2) || ɗe || suʔ || kwara || doŋon || mudheɗ (lit: hand closed) || (mudheɗ) peɗe  (5+ 1) || (mudheɗ) pesuʔ (5+ 2) || (mudheɗ) pekwara (5+ 3) || (mudheɗ) pedoŋon (5+ 4) || kumeɗ
|}

==See also==
*[[Wiktionary:Appendix:List of Proto-Koman reconstructions|List of Proto-Koman reconstructions]] (Wiktionary)

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{refbegin}}
* Colleen Ahland, 2010. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20120316221945/http://25images.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr/player/player.php?id=72&id_sequence=433&quality=hd The Classification of Gumuz and Koman Languages]" presented at the ''Language Isolates in Africa'' workshop, Lyons, December 4, 2010
* [[Lionel Bender (linguist)|Lionel Bender]], 2000. "Nilo-Saharan". In Bernd Heine and Derek Nurse, eds., ''African Languages: An Introduction.'' Cambridge University Press.
* Gerrit Dimmendaal, 2008. "Language Ecology and Linguistic Diversity on the African Continent", ''Language and Linguistics Compass'' 2/5:842.
{{refend}}

{{Koman languages}}
{{Nilo-Saharan families}}

[[Category:Koman languages| ]]
[[Category:Language families]]
[[Category:Komuz languages]]