Harsunan Volta-Congo: Dangin harsuna

Ya haɗa da duk harsunan Nijar-Congo da ƙauyuka in ban da iyalan tsohon reshen Atlantic da Kordofania, Mande, Dogon, da Ijo . Don haka kawai ya bambanta da Atlantic – Kongo saboda ya keɓanta harsunan Atlantika kuma, a wasu ra'ayoyi, Kru da Senufo .

A cikin akwatin info da ke hannun dama, harsunan da suka bayyana sun fi bambanta (ciki har da Senufo da Kru masu ban mamaki, waɗanda ba za su iya zama Volta-Congo ba kwata-kwata) ana sanya su a saman, yayin da waɗanda ke kusa da ainihin (irin wannan " Benue – Kwa” reshen Kwa, Volta – Niger da Benue – Kongo ) suna kusa da kasa. Idan rassan Kwa ko Savannas sun tabbata ba su da inganci, bishiyar za ta fi cunkoso.

Binciken kwatankwacin harshe na John M. Stewart a cikin shekaru sittin da saba'in ya taimaka wajen kafa haɗin kan halittar Volta-Congo kuma ya ba da haske kan tsarinsa na ciki, amma sakamakon ya kasance mai ƙima. Williamson and Blench (2000) lura cewa a lokuta da yawa yana da wahala a zana filla-filla a tsakanin rassan Volta – Kongo kuma suna ba da shawarar cewa wannan na iya nuna bambance-bambancen ci gaba da yare maimakon bayyana rabe-raben iyalai. Bennet ne ya gabatar da wannan shawara a baya (1983 kamar yadda aka kawo a Williamson and Blench 2000:17) game da harsunan Gur da Adamawa–Ubangi, wanda baya ga Ubangian yanzu an haɗa su a matsayin Savannas . Sauran rassan sune Kru, Senufo, Kwa, da Benue – Kongo, wanda ya haɗa da sanannun kuma musamman ƙungiyar Bantu . Dangantakar Kwa da Benue – Kongo (mai suna Benue–Kwa ), da kuma reshen gabas da yamma na Benue–Congo da juna, ya kasance a cikin duhu.

Tsarin wasali na harsunan Volta-Congo sun kasance batun muhawarar harshe na kwatankwacin tarihi. Casali (1995) ya kare hasashe cewa Proto-Volta–Congo yana da tsarin wasali tara ko goma wanda ke amfani da jituwar wasali kuma an rage wannan saitin zuwa tsarin wasali bakwai a yawancin harsunan Volta-Congo. Harsunan Dutsen Ghana-Togo misalai ne na harsunan da ake samun tsarin wasali tara ko goma.