Plateau languages - wikipedia Plateau languages Plateau Platoid Geographic distribution Nigeria Linguistic classification Niger -- Congo Atlantic -- Congo Benue -- Congo Central Nigerian ( Platoid ) Plateau Glottolog benu1248 The Plateau languages shown within Nigeria The forty or so Plateau languages are a tentative group of Benue -- Congo languages spoken by 3.5 million people on the Jos Plateau and in adjacent areas in central Nigeria. The original formulation included the Jukunoid and Kainji languages, and later the Dakoid languages ; Jukunoid and Kainji now form a parent branch of Plateau called Central Nigerian ( Platoid ). ( See Benue -- Congo. ) Defining features of the Plateau family have only been published in manuscript form ( Blench 2008 ). Many of the languages have `` fearsomely complex '' phonologies that make comparison with poor data difficult. Contents 1 Classification 2 Characteristics 3 See also 4 Footnotes 5 References 6 External links Classification Little work has been done on the Plateau languages, and the results to date are tentative. The following classification is taken from Blench ( 2008 ). Most of the branches are discrete constituents, though Central is a residual grouping and there are doubts about some of the purported Ninzic languages. Plateau languages as a whole share a number of isoglosses, as do all branches apart from Tarokoid. Plateau Tarokoid ( 5 ) Eloyi South Eggonic ( 2 ) Jilic ( 2 -- 4 ) Ndunic ( Ahwai ) ( 1 -- 3 ) Alumic ( 4 ) Ninzic ( 13 -- 14 ) East ( 2 -- 3 ) ? Central ( 20 ) Beromic ( 4 ) Glottolog adds the Yukubenic languages. Ethnologue, however, places Yukubenic in the Jukunoid family, based on Shimizu ( 1980 ), and Blench also follows this classification. Characteristics Only some of the languages have nominal classes, as the Bantu languages have, where in others these have eroded. The large numbers of consonants in many languages is due to the erosion of noun - class prefixes. Adjectives and possessive forms generally follow the noun. See also Systematic graphic of the Niger -- Congo language family Footnotes Jump up ^ Hammarström, Harald ; Forkel, Robert ; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. ( 2017 ). `` Benue -- Congo Plateau ''. Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany : Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History. Jump up ^ Blench, Roger ( April 2008 ). `` Prospecting Proto - Plateau '' ( PDF ). p. 2. Jump up ^ `` Glottolog 3.0 - Yukubenic ''. glottolog.org. Retrieved 2017 - 08 - 14. Jump up ^ `` Jukunoid ''. Ethnologue. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 26. Jump up ^ Roger Blench ( 15 November 2005 ). `` Is there a boundary between Plateau and Jukunoid ? ( PDF Download Available ) ''. ResearchGate. p. 3, 5. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 26. References Blench ( 2008 ) Prospecting proto - Plateau. Manuscript. External links Plateau materials from Roger Blench Platoid languages Jukunoid Como Karim Etkywan Hõne Jan Awei Jiba Jibu Jiru Jukun Kpan Kuteb Shoo - Minda - Nye Mbembe Wannu Wapan Wãpha Kainji Kambari Baangi Gaushi Kimba Shingini Vadi Wenci Yumu Basa Basa - Benue Basa - Gumna Basa - Gurara Basa - Kontagora Basa - Kwali Basa - Makurdi Koromba Kamuku Eastern Acipa Hungworo Kamuku Rogo Shama Shiroro Baushi Fungwa Gurmana Pongu Northwest Damakawa Gwamhi - Wuri Hun - Saare Lela ut - Ma'in East Jera Gamo - Ningi Gyem Iguta Izora Janji Jere Kudu - Camo Lemoro Lere Sanga Shau Tunzuii Ziriya Kauru Bina Dungu Gbiri - Niragu Kaivi Kinuku Kono Kurama Mala Ruma Shuwa - Zamani Vori Old / Surubu Tumi Vono Other Amo Atsam Piti Plateau Tarokoid Kwang Pe Sur Tarok Yankam South Ake Eggon Jijili Jili Alumic Alumu Toro Sambe Hasha Ninzic Bu - Ninkada Ce Gbətsu Gwantu Kanufi Mada Ningye Ninka Ninkyop Ninzo Nkɔ Nungu East Barkul Fyam Horom Central Koro Cori Dangana Doka Fəràn Gyong Hyam Idon Idun Iku Izere Jju Kadara Kamanton Kulu Kuturmi Rigwe Shamang Tyap Yeskwa Zhire Beromic Berom Cara Iten Shall - Zwall Yukubenic Akum Beezen Bete Kapya Lufu Yukuben Other Ahwai Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plateau_languages&oldid=795517183 '' Categories : Plateau languages Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Hrvatski Polski Українська Edit links This page was last edited on 14 August 2017, at 18 : 59. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: how many languages do we have in plateau state
Answer: forty or so