The term “Mhiship” refers both to the people and their language. The Mhiship language is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken primarily in Plateau State, Nigeria. The Afro-Asiatic language family comprises around 375 living languages with over 350 million speakers, stretching across North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, and parts of Southwest Asia. Notably, this family includes widely spoken languages such as Arabic, as well as ancient languages like Ancient Egyptian, Biblical Hebrew, and Akkadian.
Historically, the classification of these languages has evolved. The term "Afro-Asiatic" was popularized by Joseph Greenberg in the 1950s, replacing the older term “Hamito-Semitic.” While some European scholars still use “Hamito-Semitic,” others have proposed alternatives such as “Afrasian”, “Afrasan”, “Erythraen” (Tucker, 1966), and “Lisramic” (Hoadge, 1972).
Within the Afro-Asiatic family, the Chadic branch is one of the five major subgroups (alongside Berber, Cushitic, Semitic, and Ancient Egyptian). The Chadic branch itself is divided into four sub-families:
West Chadic
Central Chadic (Biu-Mandara)
East Chadic
Masa
The Mhiship language belongs to the West Chadic group, specifically the “A” subgroup, which includes languages like Hausa, Bole, Ngas (Angas), Mupun, and Kanakuru. This linguistic classification highlights Mhiship’s connection with other indigenous languages spoken across northern Nigeria and the wider Sahel region.
Population
According to the 1991/1992 Nigerian census, the population of the Mhiship people was estimated at 17,000, not including other ethnic groups such as the Hausa-Fulani who live within the same geographical area.
Since then, the Mhiship population has experienced significant growth, largely due to:
Improved healthcare services
Establishment of secondary schools
Access to higher education institutions such as colleges of education
These developments have contributed to a decline in rural-to-urban migration, as more people choose to remain within their communities to pursue education and sustainable livelihoods.
