Oko language

Oko
Ogori-Magongo
Native to	Nigeria
Region	Kogi State
Native speakers	40,000 (2006)
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Volta–Niger noi Oko
Dialects	Oko Eni Osayen
Language codes
ISO 639-3	oks
Glottolog	okoe1238

Oko (ɔ̀kɔ́), also known as Ogori-Magongo and Oko-Eni-Osayin, is a dialect cluster spoken in Nigeria. It appears to form a branch of the "Nupe–Oko–Idoma" (noi) group of Niger–Congo languages. Most Oko speakers also speak Yoruba as a second language. The language is spoken in and around the towns of Ogori and Magongo in southwestern Kogi State, close to the Ondo and Edo state borders.

Distribution

According to Ethnologue, Oko is spoken in:

• Edo State: Akoko-Edo LGA
• Kogi State: Okene LGA, Magongo, and Ogori towns

Varieties

Oko is a dialect cluster consisting of (Ethnologue):

• Oko (Ogori, Uku)
• Osayin(Magongo, Osanyin)
• Eni

Below is a list of Ọkọ–Eni–Ọsayin language cluster names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019).

Language	Alternate spellings	Other names (location-based)	Speakers
Ọkọ	Uku, Oko	Ogori (town name), Gori	4,000 (1970??)
Ọsayin	Osayin, Ọsayin	Magongo (town name)	3,000 (1970??)
Eni			3,000 (1970??)

Phonology

Consonants

	Bilabial	Labiodental	Alveolar	Palato-alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Labio-velar	Glottal
Nasal	m		n
Voiceless plosive	p		t			k	k͡p
Voiced plosive	b		d			g	ɡ͡b
Voiceless fricative		f	s					h
Voiced fricative			z
Voiceless affricate				t͡ʃ
Voiced affricate				d͡ʒ
Trill			r
Approximant			l		j		w

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i		u
Close-mid	e		o
Open-mid	ɛ		ɔ
Low		a

Each vowel also has a nasal equivalent.

See also

• Oko word list (Wiktionary)