{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.niger-congo","code":"thing-q33838","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q33838/","name":"Niger–Congo","alternateNames":["Kadu","Kordofanian","Kipanawa","Lengue","Boro","Benue–Congo","Gur","Mande","Rashad","Tiv","Mbili-Mbui","Bandi"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.1","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Information and virtual systems","entryKind":"thing","plane":"INF","domain":["INF.MED"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A proposed language family of sub-Saharan Africa, the largest in the world by number of languages, with well over a thousand languages including the Bantu languages such as Swahili and Zulu, and languages such as Yoruba, Igbo, Fula and Wolof; the inclusion of some branches such as Mande, Dogon, Ijoid and Kordofanian remains debated.","purpose":"Let an agent handle Niger-Congo by branches, member languages, classification debates, speaker figures and resources, with attributed views and self-designations.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Very many languages","Widespread noun classes","Mostly tonal","Some branches disputed"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"classification","name":"Classification","description":"Family tree.","layers":[{"id":"branch","name":"Branch","description":"Which branch.","findings":[{"id":"branch-finding","name":"Branch","description":"Branch.","questions":[{"text":"Which branch does this language belong to, according to Glottolog or other references?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Do references disagree?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"debate","name":"Debate","description":"Contested groupings.","findings":[{"id":"debate-finding","name":"Debate","description":"Classification debate.","questions":[{"text":"Why do linguists debate the inclusion of Mande or Kordofanian?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Who holds which view?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"features","name":"Features","description":"Shared traits.","layers":[{"id":"noun","name":"Noun classes","description":"Noun class systems.","findings":[{"id":"noun-finding","name":"Noun classes","description":"Noun classes.","questions":[{"text":"How do noun class systems work in this language?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"How many classes are there?","kind":"measurement"}]}]},{"id":"tone","name":"Tone","description":"Tonal systems.","findings":[{"id":"tone-finding","name":"Tone","description":"Tone.","questions":[{"text":"How is tone used in this language?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"How is it written?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"speakers","name":"Speakers","description":"Communities.","layers":[{"id":"numbers","name":"Numbers","description":"Speaker figures.","findings":[{"id":"numbers-finding","name":"Numbers","description":"Speaker numbers.","questions":[{"text":"How many speakers does this language have, according to recent sources?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"First or second language?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"names","name":"Names","description":"Self-designations.","findings":[{"id":"names-finding","name":"Names","description":"Self-designations.","questions":[{"text":"What do speakers call their language?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which names are exonyms?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"resources","name":"Resources","description":"Learning and technology.","layers":[{"id":"learning","name":"Learning","description":"Courses.","findings":[{"id":"learning-finding","name":"Learning","description":"Learning resources.","questions":[{"text":"Which grammars, dictionaries or courses exist?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Who publishes them?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"technology","name":"Technology","description":"Language technology.","findings":[{"id":"technology-finding","name":"Technology","description":"Language technology.","questions":[{"text":"Which keyboards, fonts or translation tools support this language?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"How good is their quality?","kind":"boundary"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Describe the Niger-Congo family, its branches and major languages with sources.","State which branch memberships are debated and by whom."],"mustNot":["Present the grouping or a debated branch as settled.","Give speaker numbers without sources and dates.","Use exonyms or offensive names where speakers use their own names.","Rank languages as more or less developed."],"requiresHuman":["Publishing classifications used in language policy or education."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Language classification has been used to rank peoples; speakers are owed respect for their own names and languages.","Many Niger-Congo languages are under-resourced and endangered."],"affectedParties":["Speakers and communities","Linguists","Learners"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns a language family; speakers hold their languages and linguists study the grouping.","roles":[],"masterSystems":["Language catalogues and code registries"]},"relations":[{"target":"Q20162172","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"language family","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"Bantu languages","type":"related","note":"branch"},{"target":"sub-Saharan Africa","type":"related","note":"region"},{"target":"Glottolog and Ethnologue","type":"related","note":"references"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.niger-congo","Wikidata: Q33838 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q33838)","ISO 639-5: nic Niger-Kordofanian languages (collective code)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Noun class systems in many branches","Tone in most languages","Afroasiatic and Nilo-Saharan are other proposed families","Not physical; shown in family trees, maps and grammars."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["identify the branch of a language","summarise classification debates with sources","find resources and speaker figures","explain shared features such as noun classes"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Presenting a debated grouping as settled","Unsourced speaker numbers","Exonyms instead of self-designations"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["National language policies","African Union language charters"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Linguistics, education and language resources for African languages.","Atlantic-Congo","Benue-Congo including Bantu","Volta-Niger","Kwa and Gur","disputed branches such as Mande, Dogon and Kordofanian"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q33838: Niger–Congo","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q33838","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Niger–Congo languages","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niger%E2%80%93Congo_languages","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should branches be separate entries?","How should classification debates be recorded?","How should resources for each language be linked?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q33838/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q33838/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-11T12:27:07Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:51:59+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane INF: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}