Edekiri languages

Edekiri
Edekiri
Geographic; distribution	Togo, Benin and Nigeria
Linguistic classification	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Volta–Niger yeai Yoruboid Edekiri; ; ; ; ;
Subdivisions	Ede; Itsekiri; Mokole; Ulukwumi; Yoruba;
Language codes
Glottolog	edek1238

The Edekiri is a group of languages in the Volta-Niger branch of the Niger-Congo family.^[1] The Niger-Congo language family, and by extension the Edekiri languages, formed a cohesive linguistic unit as far back as the end of the Upper Paleolithic 11,000 years ago.^{[citation needed]}

The group includes:

the Ede dialect cluster, including Ife^[2]^[3]
Itsekiri^[2]
Lucumi language, which is spoken in Cuba^[2]
the Nago languages^[2]
the Yoruboid languages Ulukwumi and Mokole^[2]
Yoruba, with approximately 40 million speakers in Nigeria and several million more in the diaspora.^[4]

References

↑ Bamidele, Oluwabukola Omolara (2019). The /h/ Phenomenon: Over Generalised or Confused? The Nigerian Yoruba-English Speakers as a Case Study (PhD thesis). University of West Virginia.
1 2 3 4 5 "Edekiri". Ethnologue. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
↑ Frawley, William (2003). International Encyclopedia of Linguistics. Oxford University Press. p. 422.
↑ "Yoruba people | Ethnic and Cultural Studies | Research Starters | EBSCO Research". EBSCO. Retrieved 2026-08-05.

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[1] Bamidele, Oluwabukola Omolara (2019). The /h/ Phenomenon: Over Generalised or Confused? The Nigerian Yoruba-English Speakers as a Case Study (PhD thesis). University of West Virginia.

[Ethnologue-2] 1 2 3 4 5 "Edekiri". Ethnologue. Retrieved March 10, 2026.

[3] Frawley, William (2003). International Encyclopedia of Linguistics. Oxford University Press. p. 422.

[4] "Yoruba people | Ethnic and Cultural Studies | Research Starters | EBSCO Research". EBSCO. Retrieved 2026-08-05.

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See also

References