NigerKongo

NigerKongo is a term occasionally used in linguistic literature to denote a proposed macro-branch within the Niger-Congo language family of Africa. The exact scope of NigerKongo varies by author, and there is no consensus on its definition, status, or internal structure. In some classifications, NigerKongo is used as an umbrella for languages spoken in the central and western regions of Africa, notably in and around the Congo Basin, including the Kongo languages and related groups. In others, the label is applied more narrowly to a subset within Niger-Congo and is treated as synonymous with a particular subbranch, but without robust methodological justification.

Because the Niger-Congo family itself is broad and highly diverse, many linguists prefer to refer to established subfamilies and branches, such as Benue-Congo, Bantu, and others, rather than using NigerKongo as a formal node. The lack of stable criteria for what constitutes NigerKongo means that proposed definitions differ in the number and identity of languages included, as well as in proposed sound changes or lexical innovations.

History and usage: The term appears in older and some contemporary works but has not achieved widespread acceptance in major reference grammars and databases, where Niger-Congo is treated as the broader, more widely recognized family. Current scholarly emphasis tends to focus on well-defined subgroups rather than on contested macro-hypotheses like NigerKongo.

See also: Niger-Congo language family; Kongo languages; Benue-Congo; Bantu languages.