Aspects Of The Phonology Of Kofyar Language
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Aspects Of The Phonology Of Kofyar Language
Chapter one
GENERAL INTRODUCTIONS
1.0 Introduction.
This research focusses on the phonology of the Kofyar language. The Kofyar language is spoken in Plateau State, Nigeria. It is spoken in a sizable portion of the Qua’an pan-local government region in plateau state. In this chapter, we will look at the history, socio-cultural profile, socio-linguistic profile, and genetic categorisation of the Kofyar language.
We will also examine the scope and organisation of the study, the study’s goals and objectives, the theoretical framework we want to utilise, and the data collection and analysis methods.
1.1 Historical background of the Kofyar people.
Kofyar is an Afro Asiatic language spoken in the Qua’an pan-local government region of Plateau State, Nigeria. The estimated number of Kofyar speakers is approximately 109,943 (Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia, p. 3).
Kofyar is an excellent example of how colonial authorities became unwittingly involved in local politics, sustainable subsistence agricultural production in congested areas, successful self-directed development of market-oriented agriculture, and the use of “traditional” cultural resources to prosper modern Nigeria.
The movement of a big number of individuals thought to be of the same stock has been attributed to oral tradition, with roots in the North East at or near Kanem Borno. Dafyar, from whom the Kofyar and other clans sprang, is claimed to have procreated with his sister Nade because they were the sole survivors of a calamity they saw as the collapse of the sky, complete with fire and brimstone.
It is thought that all of people died as a result of transgressions that incurred God’s wrath. Dafyar and Nade wandered for years until hiding themselves in a cave on a promontory known as Chor in Kofubum, near present-day Kofyar.
A cursory examination reveals that one of the numerous volcano chains in the Kanem Borno area may have erupted, resulting in the devastation described as the sky collapsing with fire and brimstone.
Dafyar’s offspring had dispersed into numerous other sub-groups and intermarried, resulting in a much broader cultural mix. The colonial expedition visit to Latok following the death of Her Majesty’s Administration officer Mr. Christopher Matthew Barlow in the early 1930s drove many Dafyar ancestors away from their homes and into settlements, significantly broadening the cultural mix within the subregion and surrounding areas.
1.1.1 Colonial history
According to British colonial officers, the Kofyar people are divided into three distinct “tribes”: the Doemak [or Dimmuk], the Kwallas, and the Mernyang. The three communities have a same language, economic system, and founding myth. In the 1940s, they formed a union called the “Koffyer Federation”. Anthropologists view them as a single group or groupings.
When early British colonial officials first encountered them, they lived in the rocky highlands in the south-east corner of the Jos Plateau, as well as towns along the Plateau’s base.
Their subjugation by the British was mostly nonviolent until 1930, when a young Assistant District officer called Barlow was slain in the hill village of Latok by a boulder hurled at his head.
Following this, people of Latok and neighbouring villages were compelled to leave the hills and dwell for nine years on the lowlands below. In an award-winning research, anthropologist Robert Netting described how Barlow was unintentionally utilised in a local political struggle.
1.2 Sociocultural profile.
1.2.1 Religion.
The majority of Kofyar speakers are Christians, with a few Muslims and traditionalists. Christianity is the predominant religion of the Kofyar people, with approximately 50% of the population being Christians
the majority of whom are Catholic, because Catholic missionaries were the first to visit the Kofyar area with the goal of Christianizing the people in the early twentieth century.
Thirty percent are traditional worshippers, whereas twenty percent are Ahamadiya Muslims. The existence of Islam among the people was due to Uthman Dan Fodio’s jihad crusade.
1.2.2 occupation
Except for educated Kofyars who work in administration, politics, and education, as well as academic intellectuals employed by multinational corporations and other organisations, the majority of Kofyars are farmers and local hunters. You can hardly look around without seeing millet, guinea corn, yam and cassava, which are the principal crops on the area.
1.2.3 Cultural Festivals:
The Kofyar people celebrate two important festivals: the Shikaam and the Kwa Kwa festivals. The annual celebration, traditionally known as the “SHIKAAM” festival, includes all of Kofyar’s speakers from home and abroad, far and near, who attend the ceremony. These festivals are held once a year, typically in the first quarter of the year.
A variety of activities are typically planned for this event. The Kofyar people, as well as their allies and neighbours, engage in the planned festivities. “Sual” is a social dance in which males participate while ladies dance around them chanting melodies. “Koem” is a social dance with music made from dry maize stalks and many other activities.
The second holiday, traditionally known as the “KWA KWA” festival, is commemorated by districts, with each district having its own unique style of conducting its festival ceremony. A variety of activities are also typically demonstrated for the amusement of the audience who attend the event.
1.2.4 Food Item:
Aside from animal fat-derived oils, the Kofyar people consume a variety of other dietary oils. They include muorbang [palm oil], muorkom [groundnut oil], muorpaat [oil from pie], muorteem [oil from mahogany], muorlem [oil from benni seed], muorseer [melon oil], and others.
1.2.5 Tourist attraction.
The Kofyar Federation can be described as a tourism centre because people from all over the country visit Kofyar to see the steep highlands and many ancient sites of interest.
1.3 Sociolinguistic Profile:
The Kofyar speakers, commonly known as the Kofyar people, speak a particularly unique and active indigenous Nigerian language in Plateau State’s North Central, with the tagline “Home of peace and tourism”. Even people in the neighbouring settlements of Doemak, Kwalla, and Mernyang recognise Kofyar speakers as such.
Kofyars are usually bilingual, speaking Kofyar as their native language and Hausa as their target language. The Hausa language is commonly used for communication when trading with other towns; in other words, the Hausa language is the language of commerce.
In addition to Hausa, the Kofyar language is used in kindergarten, pre-nursery, nursery, and primary school. While Hausa and English are used at the secondary level.
The Kofyar language is used for religious purposes, as well as for communication in homes and public spaces. The elder generations are less fluent in English than the younger generations, who can speak it better because to western education.
The Kofyar people dwell in rocky hills in the south-east corner of the Jos Plateau, as well as in villages along the plateau’s foot. Kofyar literally means “the settlement is big.”
Although the majority of Kofyars now live in the Benue Valley [or towns], the Jos Plateau homeland is still inhabited, thanks to the Kofyars’ attempts to preserve it as a cultural and economic resource. Many Kofyar who live elsewhere maintain secondary homes in their hometown.
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