| Tarok | |
| Nativename: | Yergam |
| States: | Nigeria |
| Region: | Plateau State, Taraba State |
| Ethnicity: | Tarok |
| Speakers: | 300,000 |
| Date: | 1998 |
| Ref: | e18 |
| Familycolor: | Niger-Congo |
| Fam2: | Atlantic–Congo |
| Fam3: | Benue–Congo |
| Fam4: | Plateau |
| Fam5: | Tarokoid |
| Fam6: | Tarok–Pai |
| Iso3: | yer |
| Glotto: | taro1263 |
| Glottorefname: | Tarok |
Tarok is a regionally important Plateau language in the Langtang area of southeast Plateau State, Nigeria, where it serves as a local lingua franca. Blench (2004) estimates around 150,000 speakers.[1]
As the local lingua franca, the Tarok feature prominently in the local ethnic composition of southeast Plateau State. Many Tarok clans can also trace their ancestries back to Chadic-speaking peoples, pointing to a long history of Chadic peoples assimilating into Tarok society. Some Tarok names for neighbouring languages according to Longtau (2004):[2]
| Language | Classification | Tarok name | |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Chadic A.3 | Dúk | ||
| West Chadic B.3 | Burom | ||
| Jarawan | Duguri | ||
| West Chadic A.3 | Lar | ||
| Jukunoid | Jor | ||
| West Chadic B.3 ? | (not known by Tarok) | ||
| Jarawan | Kantana | ||
| West Chadic A.3 | Dwal | ||
| Tarokoid | Pe | ||
| West Chadic A.3 | Tal | ||
| Tarokoid | (not known by Tarok) | ||
| Tarokoid | Yangkam | ||
| West Chadic A.3 | Zhan | ||
| West Chadic B.3 | Zhim |
| a̲ | b | ɓ | c | d | ɗ | e | ǝ | f | gb | ||
| gh | i | j | k | kp | l | m | n | ny | ŋ | o | |
| p | r | s | sh | t | u | v | w | y | z | zh |