Ijoid languages
Ijoid is a proposed but undemonstrated group of languages linking the Ijaw languages with the endangered Defaka language. The similarities, however, may be due to Ijaw influence on Defaka.
The Ijoid languages, or perhaps just Ijaw, are proposed to form a divergent branch of the hypothetical Niger–Congo family and are noted for their subject–object–verb basic word order, which is otherwise an unusual feature in Niger–Congo, shared only by such distant branches as Mande and Dogon. Like Mande and Dogon, Ijoid lacks even traces of the noun class system considered characteristic of Niger–Congo, and so might have split early from that family. Linguists Gerrit Dimmendaal and Tom Güldemann doubt its inclusion in Niger–Congo altogether and consider the Ijaw/Ijoid languages to be an independent family.
Comparative vocabulary
Sample basic vocabulary for Proto-Ijaw, Kalabari, and Defaka:| Language | eye | ear | nose | tooth | tongue | mouth | blood | bone | tree | water | eat | name |
| Proto-Ijaw | *tÉ”rɪ³ | *É“eri¹ | *ná¸ná¸Â³ | *aka² | *ɪ̰ɓɛ̰lɛʊ² | *ɓɪpɪ² | *asɪ̰ɪ̰¹ | *á¹µgbÉ™u² | *tɛ̰ɪ̰² | *É“edÌ°i¹ | *fɪɪ² | *ɪrɛ² |
| Kalabari | tÉ”ÌrÊŠÌ„ | É“eri | nÃnÄ« | áká | É“É›ÌlÉ›Ì | ɓɪÌÉ“ÉªÌ | Ãmgbe | É”mbɪ-yé, pulo | sɪÌn | minji | fÉªÌ | É›ÌrÉ›Ì |
| Defaka | É”ÌyÉ” | É“asi | nÃni | nɪan | mÉ›ndÊŠÉ” | ɓɪÌÉªÌ | ḿbua | asi | ibo tiin | mbɪÌá | éé | ɪÌtá |
Numerals
Comparison of numerals in individual languages:| Classification | Language | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Defaka | Defaka | É¡bérà | mà à mà | táátó | nÉ›Ìì | túúnɔ̀ | mà à nɡò | túà à mà | túà tùà | túùnèì | wóì |
| Ijo, East, Northeastern | Nkoroo | É¡bÉ”Ìrà | mà mì | tárú | nɛ̃ÌÄ©Ì | sÉ”ÌnÉ”Ì | sónÃá | sÉ”ÌnÉ”Ìmà | nÃnì | ÃsÃénà | ójà |
| Ijo, East, Northeastern, Eastern | Ibani | Å‹Ì€É¡ÉªÌ€É›Ì | mÌ€mÉ›Ì€É›Ì | tÉ›ÌrÉ›Ì | Ãnà | sÉ”ÌnÉ”Ì | sónÃÉ›Ì | sÉ”ÌnÉ”Ìmà | ÃnÃnè | ésénÃé | à tìé / ójà |
| Ijo, East, Northeastern, Eastern | Okrika (Kalabari) | ŋ̀ɡèi | mà ɪ̃ | tɛrɛ | ineĩ | sɔnɔ | sonio | sɔnɔmɛ̀ | ninè | esenie | oji, à tèi |
| Ijo, West Ijo | Izon (Ijaw/Ijo) | kẹná»‹Ì | mamá»¥Ì | tÇŽrụ | nóÃn | sá»Ìnrá»Ìn =sɔ̃ÌrÉ”ÌƒÌ ? | sÇ’ndie | sá»Ìná»Ìma | nÃnÉ¡Ãni | isé | óà |
| Ijo, West Ijo | Izon (Ijaw/Ijo) | kẹná»‹Ì | mamá»¥Ì | tÇŽrụ | nóÃn | sá»Ìnrá»Ìn =sɔ̃ÌrÉ”ÌƒÌ ? | sÇ’ndie | sá»Ìná»Ìma | nÃnÉ¡Ãni | isé | óà |
| Ijo, West Ijo | Izon (Ijaw/Ijo) | kẹná»‹Ì | maamá»¥Ì | tÇŽarụ | nóÃn | sá»Ìnrá»Ìn =sɔ̃ÌrÉ”ÌƒÌ ? | sÇ’ndie | sá»Ìná»Ìma | nÃnÃni or nÃnÉ¡Ãni | isé | oyi/ óà |
| Ijo, West, Inland Ijo | Okordia | kɛ̀nɪ | maamʊ | taarʊ | nii | sɔ̃ɔ̃rɔ̃ | sɔ̃zie / sɔ̃zɪ | sɔnɔmà | mà à fùi | sioni, eji karama | eji |