Tso language

Tso
nyi tsó
Native toeastern Nigeria
Native speakers
(16,000 cited 1992)
Language codes
ISO 639-3ldp
Glottologtsoo1241
Tsó
Peopletsó-bó
Languagenyi tsó

Tso (Tsóbó, Lotsu, Cibbo) is one of the Savanna languages of eastern Nigeria.

Dialects

The language is known as nyi tsó, while the people are known as Tsobo [tsó-bó]. They are called Pire by their neighbors. The ethnic subgroups are,

A subsection of the Gusobu may also live in Luzoo settlement.

Each ethnic subgroup speaks a different Tso dialect. The Swaabou and Gusobu reportedly have trouble understanding each other. Tso lexical diversity is partly due to the tradition of word tabooing.

References

  1. ↑ Tso at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ↑ Adelberger, Jörg; Blench, Roger (2026). "The peopling of the Muri Mountains, Northern Nigeria: evidence from linguistics and ethnography". AAeO - Afrikanistik-Aegyptologie-Online. doi:10.18716/OJS/AAEO/2026_12031.
  3. 1 2 Kleinewillinghöfer, Ulrich. 2014. The languages of the Tula – Waja Group. Adamawa Languages Project.