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{{Short description|Nubian language spoken in Sudan}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Midob
|states=[[Sudan]]
|altname=Meidob
|nativename={{lang|mei-Latn|tìdn-áal}} / {{lang|mei-Arab|تِدْن آل}}
|ethnicity= [[Midob people|Midob]]
|region=[[North Darfur]]
|speakers=93,000
|date=2022
|ref=e27
|dia1=Uurti 
|dia2=Shalkota
|dia3=Kaageddi 
|familycolor=Nilo-Saharan
|fam2=[[Eastern Sudanic languages|Eastern Sudanic]]
|fam3=[[Northern Eastern Sudanic languages|Northern Eastern]]
|fam4=[[Nubian languages|Nubian]]
|fam5=[[Nubian languages|Western]]
|iso3=mei
|glotto=mido1240
|glottorefname=Midob
}}

'''Midob''' (also spelt Meidob) is a [[Nubian languages|Nubian language]] spoken by the [[Midob people]] of [[North Darfur]] region of [[Sudan]]. As a Nubian language, it is part of the wider [[Nilo-Saharan languages|Nilo-Saharan]] [[language family]].

Apart from in their homeland of Malha, North Darfur, Midob speakers also live in the [[Khartoum]] area (primarily in [[Omdurman]] and the [[Gezira (state)|Gezira]] region) and Jezirat Aba.<ref>Rilly, Claude. 2010. ''Le méroïtique et sa famille linguistique''. Leuven: Peeters Publishers. {{ISBN|978-9042922372}}</ref> The Midob people call their language ''tìd-n-áal'', literally "mouth of the Midob", and themselves ''tìddí'' (singular), ''tìd'' (plural). There are an estimated 50,000 Midob speakers in two main dialects, Urrti and Kaageddi. Rilly (2010:162) lists the dialects of Urrti, Shalkota, and  Torti. Only Uurti has been described in detail.

Recent research on Midob has been done by Thelwall (1983) and Werner (1993). Both studies concerned the Urrti dialect.

==Phonology==
The following tables show the phonological consonants and vowels without phonetic variations and without more recent [[Arabic]] loans.

===Vowels===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; width: 250px;"
|-
| [[Close front unrounded vowel|i]], ii
| &nbsp;
| [[Close back rounded vowel|u]], uu
|-
| [[Close-mid front unrounded vowel|e]], ee
| [[Mid central vowel|ə]], əə
| [[Close-mid back rounded vowel|o]], oo
|-
| &nbsp;
| [[Open front unrounded vowel|a]], aa
| &nbsp;
|}

Note: All vowels occur long and short. The [[mid central vowel]] ''ə'' only appears in Midob, not in other Nubian languages.

===Consonants===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; width: 300px;"
! colspan="2" |
![[Bilabial consonant|Bilabial]]
![[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
![[Postalveolar consonant|Postalveolar]]
![[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Stop consonant|Stop]]
!{{Small|voiceless}}
| [[voiceless bilabial plosive|p]]
| [[voiceless alveolar plosive|t]]
|
| [[voiceless palatal plosive|c]]
| [[voiceless velar plosive|k]]
| 
|-
!{{Small|[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]}}
|[[voiced bilabial plosive|b]]
|[[voiced alveolar plosive|d]]
|
|[[voiced palatal plosive|ɟ]]
|[[voiced velar plosive|g]]
| &nbsp;
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Fricative]]
|[[voiceless labiodental fricative|f]]
|[[voiceless alveolar fricative|s]]
|[[voiceless postalveolar fricative|ʃ]]
|
| &nbsp;
| [[voiceless glottal fricative|h]]
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| [[bilabial nasal|m]]
| [[alveolar nasal|n]]
|
| [[palatal nasal|ɲ]]
| [[velar nasal|ŋ]]
| &nbsp;
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Approximant]]
| [[labial-velar approximant|w]]
| [[lateral alveolar approximant|l]]
|
| [[palatal approximant|j]]
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
|[[Dental, alveolar and postalveolar trills|r]]
|
|
|
|
|}

===Tone===

Midob is a [[Tone (linguistics)|tonal]] language with two registers: High and Low. Tone is both lexical and grammatical. 

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left; width: 200px;"
|+ Lexical tone
|-
| àadí  || we (exclusive)
|-
| áadí  || stick
|-
| àadì  || light
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: left; width: 200px;"
|+ Grammatical tone
|-
| ná || you (sgl obj)
|-
| nà || him, her
|}

==Grammar==
Midob is an [[agglutinative language]], like the other Nubian languages. The default word order is [[subject–object–verb|SOV]].

===Verb===
The verbs consist of: 
:verbal stem ( + extension ) + tense/aspect.
The stem is not altered. Extensions modify or add meaning to the verb like [[Negation (linguistics)|negation]], intention, [[Affirmative mood|affirmation]], completed action, [[Grammatical number|plurality]] of subject–object or action, [[durative]], [[Habitual aspect|habitual]] and sometimes can be combined (especially negation).

=== Tense and aspect ===
Midob has two basic tenses (Perfect and Continuous) plus Intentional. There are sets of suffixes for [[indicative]], [[Subjunctive mood|subjunctive]] and two question forms (to ask for a fact, i.e. "When/Why..." and to verify a fact, i.e. "Did you...").

Sets of personal endings:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! &nbsp; !! Indicative !! Subjunctive !! Question1 !! Question2
|-
| Perfect || x || x || x || x
|-
| Continuous &nbsp; || x || x || x || x
|- 
| Intentional || x || – || – || –
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

*Werner, Roland (1993) 'Tìdn-áal: A Study of Midob (Darfur-Nubian)' Berlin: Dietrich Reimer.
*Thelwall, Robin (1983) 'Meidob Nubian: Phonology, Grammatical Notes and Basic Vocabulary' in Bender, M. L. (Ed), ''Nilo-Saharan Language Studies'', V.13, East Lansing

== External links==
* [http://elflisan.blogspot.com/2007/12/midob.html Midob] from mille langues blog
* [http://midob-language.blogspot.com Midob Material] from the Research of Roland Werner

{{Eastern Sudanic languages}}
[[Category:Nubian languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Sudan]]