An important unresolved issue in determining the time and place where the Niger–Congo languages originated and their range prior to recorded history is this language family's relationship to the Kordofanian languages, now spoken in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan, which is not contiguous with the remainder of the Niger–Congo-language-speaking region and is at the northeasternmost extent of the current Niger–Congo linguistic region. The current prevailing linguistic view is that Kordofanian languages are part of the Niger–Congo language family and that these may be the first of the many languages still spoken in that region to have been spoken in the region.Herman Bell. 1995. The Nuba Mountains: Who Spoke What in 1976? (the published results from a major project of the Institute of African and Asian Studies: the Language Survey of the Nuba Mountains.) The evidence is insufficient to determine if this outlier group of Niger–Congo language speakers represents a prehistoric range of a Niger–Congo linguistic region that has since contracted as other languages have intruded, or if instead, this represents a group of Niger–Congo language speakers who migrated to the area at some point in prehistory where they were an isolated linguistic community from the beginning.
an imPOrtant unResoLvED issuE in dEterMining the TiMe and plACe wHeRe tHE nigEr–congo languagES ORiGInated aND Their raNgE PriOR to RecordED HistorY Is THIs LanGuage famIlY's reLATIonsHiP To the kordoFanIan laNguagEs, now SPokEN iN thE nUba mOUnTains of sudaN, whICh is Not CONtIGuous with THe remainDer oF the niGer–conGo-LAnguAgE-speaKing region and IS At thE nOrthEAsternMost ExTent Of the current NiGEr–COngo LINGUiStiC rEgion. the CUrRent prevaILiNg linguiStIc vIew is thaT kordofanian LanguAGes aRE part of thE niger–Congo LANGuAge fAmilY anD that thEse may Be the First of the many languages stiLl spoken in That regiON tO Have BEeN sPoKen iN the reGION.heRmaN bEll. 1995. tHe nuBa mouNTaIns: who spOKe WHat in 1976? (thE PuBliSHed ResUlTS from a maJOR ProjeCT of ThE instiTutE of AfriCan anD AsiAN stUdIeS: the lANGUagE survey oF tHe nuba moUntains.) thE EVIdence is iNsuFFiCiEnT To DetermiNe iF thIs ouTlier grouP oF nigEr–conGo lANguage Speakers repreSents A PreHiStoRic rAnge of a nigeR–congo LInguistic reGIoN That Has since ContRaCted As oTheR languageS HAvE iNTrudeD, or iF instead, this rEpreseNts a grOUp OF niger–COngo lAnguage SpeaKErs who Migrated To the areA aT SOmE poINT in prehiStoRY wheRe theY were an isolaTed linguisTic COmmuNity fROm tHe BEgInning.