Miship language

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(Redirected from Chip language)
Miship
Chip
Native toNigeria
RegionPlateau State
Native speakers
(6,000 cited 1976)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3mjs
Glottologmish1244

Miship, or Chip, is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Plateau State, Nigeria. Doka is a dialect.[1] Blench lists the two dialects Longmaar and Jiɓaam.[2]

The Chip people are found in Pankshin LGA.[3]

People[edit]

The traditional occupation of Chip people is farming. The people worship Na'an (God). Oral tradition states that they migrated from Kanem-Bornu to their present homeland with other tribes, Ngas, Mupun, and Mwaghavul.[4]

Most Chip names are unisex, so in order to differentiate a man from a woman, the prefix Na is added to the woman's name and Da is added to the man's. For example, for a man and a woman both sharing Nandi, the man would be Danan, and the woman Nanan.

Words[edit]

  • God - Na'an / Nan
  • Father - Nda
  • Child - La
  • Girl - Larep
  • Wash - Vang
  • Person - Gurum
  • Rain - Fuan/Fwan
  • Children - Jep
  • Food - Sehh/ Gwom/Mun
  • Rice - Kapa
  • Acha - Kuzuk
  • Soup - Tok
  • Chicken - Co
  • Dog - As
  • Goat - Irr
  • Meat - Lu

Lu ('meat') is used to specifically refer to meat from animals. For example, 'chicken' would be Lu Co.

Phrases[edit]

  • What is your name - Sim yi awe? (girl); Sim gih awe? (boy)
  • Good night - Nan yakal kih mun
  • Bye - Sai dih darr
  • Good morning - Tehra

Numbers[edit]

  • One - Kihme
  • Two - Vul
  • Three - Kun
  • Four - Ferre
  • Five - Pa'ad

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b Miship at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Blench, Roger. 2017. Current research on the A3 West Chadic languages.
  3. ^ "Official Website of Plateau State". www.plateaustate.gov.ng. Retrieved 2016-12-26.
  4. ^ Mohammed, Aminu Muazu; Katwal, Permark Isah (2010). "The Miship: People, language, and dialects" (PDF). California Linguistic Notes.