INTRODUCTION
Introducing the Gyong language and its speakers will go a long way in preparing the mind of the reader for a discussion and analysis of the language since the concentration on the linguistic forms and forgetting the people who use the forms in ordinary communication will distort the reality of the language in use. It is therefore important to provide information on the historical background and geographical setting of the people.
The people (and their language) are known as Gwong while their Hausa neighbors call them Kagoma/Yeskwa. The origin of these names has been a subject of great debate.
A powerful source has it that when the first Hausa traders visited Gwong/Nyakpa-land, they asked our people what they call themselves. It is said that they were told that we call ourselves Gwong (meaning a multitude) while Khi-Gong means our land and our territory. The Hausa people are said to have found it very difficult to pronounce the words Gwong or Khi-Gong and therefore coined the term KAGOMA.