ASPECT OF THE PHONOLOGY OF YUKUBEN
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 GENERAL BACKGROUND
This research focuses on the phonology of Yukuben, a language spoken by about 25,000 speakers in Sabongida Yukuben of Takum Local Government Area in the east of Taraba State in Nigeria, and North West Province, Menchum division, west of Furu-Awa,
near Nigeria border in Cameroon. In the absence of a population census, a rough estimate would put their population at over 500,000.
Yukuben is however a generally accepted term (oxonomy) for an area, an ethnic group and a language located mainly at the eastern edge of Nigeria (but also in the neighbouring part of Cameroon). The name Yukuben was derived from Jukun (the language of
Takum) which serves as lingua franca in Taraba. The speakers call themselves Yukuben, and the language is locally called Uhumkiji.
Today, the Yukuben is widely spread across such states as Kaduna, Yola etc. in Nigeria and also in North West regions in Cameroon. The speakers are also found in every part of the country, and in many African countries such as Niger, Cameroon, to
mention a few. (Source: Lewis M. Paul (ed) 2009, “Yukuben a language of Nigeria”)
