Tso language

Savanna language spoken in Nigeria

Tso (Tsóbó, Lotsu, Cibbo) is one of the Savanna languages of eastern Nigeria.

Dialects

The language is known as nyi tsó, while the people are known as Tsobo [tsó-bó]. The ethnic subgroups are,^[2]

• Bərbou
• Swaabou
• Gusobu

A subsection of the Gusobu may also live in Luzoo settlement.

Each ethnic subgroup speaks a different Tso dialect. The Swaabou and Gusobu reportedly have trouble understanding each other. Tso lexical diversity is partly due to the tradition of word tabooing.^[2]

References

1. Tso at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. Kleinewillinghöfer, Ulrich. 2014. The languages of the Tula – Waja Group. Adamawa Languages Project.