Editing Niger–Congo languages (section)

=== Niger–Congo and Nilo-Saharan{{anchor|Kongo–Saharan}} ===
{{see also|Nilo-Saharan languages#Blench 2006}}
Over the years, several linguists have suggested a link between Niger–Congo and [[Nilo-Saharan languages|Nilo-Saharan]], probably starting with Westermann's comparative work on the "[[Sudanic languages|Sudanic]]" family in which '[[Eastern Sudanic languages|Eastern Sudanic]]' (now classified as Nilo-Saharan) and '[[Western Sudanic languages|Western Sudanic]]' (now classified as Niger–Congo) were united. Gregersen (1972) proposed that Niger–Congo and Nilo-Saharan be united into a larger phylum, which he termed ''Kongo-Saharan''. His evidence was mainly based on the uncertainty in the classification of [[Songhay languages|Songhay]], morphological resemblances, and lexical similarities. A more recent proponent was [[Roger Blench]] (1995), who puts forward phonological, morphological and lexical evidence for uniting Niger–Congo and Nilo-Saharan in a ''Niger–Saharan'' phylum, with special affinity between Niger–Congo and [[Central Sudanic languages|Central Sudanic]]. However, fifteen years later his views had changed, with Blench (2011) proposing instead that the [[noun-classifier]] system of Central Sudanic, commonly reflected in a tripartite [[general number|general]]-[[singulative]]-[[plurative]] number system, triggered the development or elaboration of the [[noun-class]] system of the [[Atlantic–Congo languages]], with tripartite number marking surviving in the [[Plateau languages|Plateau]] and [[Gur languages]] of Niger–Congo, and the lexical similarities being due to loans.