Aiki language

Aiki
Aiki
Runga, Kibet
Native to	Chad, Central African Republic
Region	Salamat, Vakaga
Native speakers	(19,000 Kibet cited 1983); 43,000 Runga (1993–1996)
Language family	Nilo-Saharan? Maban Aiki; ;
Dialects	Runga; Kibet; ? Dagal; ? Muru;
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Either:; kie – Kibet; rou – Runga
Glottolog	rung1257
	Locations of Runga and Kibet

Last updated May 22, 2025

Aiki is a Maban language of Chad. It consists of two dialects, Runga and Kibet, which are divergent enough to be considered separate languages. Kibet (Kibeit, Kibeet, Kabentang) is spoken in Chad, while Runga (Roungo) is split between Chad and the CAR. Ayki (Aykindang) is a name used in CAR.

Possible dialects of Kibet are Dagal (Dagel, Daggal) and Muru (Murru, Muro, Mourro);^[2] however, they are poorly known, and Blench (2012)^{[ failed verification ]} lists them separately.

The Aiki area is flooded half the year.

Phonology

Consonants^[2]
	Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar
Plosive	p b	t d	c ɟ	k g
Implosive	ɓ	ɗ
Prenasalized	ᵐb	ⁿd	ᶮɟ	ᵑg
Fricative		s z	( ʃ )
Nasal	m	n	ɲ	ŋ
Approximant	w	r , l	j

/p/ can be realized as [f].
/ʃ/ is only found in Arabic loanwords.

Vowels^[2]
	Front	Central	Back
High	i i		u uː
Mid-high	e eː	( ə )	o oː
Mid-low	ɛ ɛː		ɔ ɔː
Low		a aː

[ə] only exists as an epenthetic vowel.

Additionally, the following diphthongs can be found: /ei/, /ɛi/, /ai/, /eu/, /əu/, /au/, /ou/.

There are two tones: high and low.^[2]

References

1 2 Kibet at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
Runga at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
1 2 3 4 Nougayrol, Pierre (1989). "La langue des Aiki dits Rounga (Tchad et République Centrafricaine): esquisse descriptive et lexique". Publications du Département Langues et parole en Afrique centrale. Paris: Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner pour la Laboratoire de Langues et Civilisations à Tradition Orale (LACITO).

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[e25-1] 1 2 Kibet at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
Runga at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)

[:0-2] 1 2 3 4 Nougayrol, Pierre (1989). "La langue des Aiki dits Rounga (Tchad et République Centrafricaine): esquisse descriptive et lexique". Publications du Département Langues et parole en Afrique centrale. Paris: Librairie Orientaliste Paul Geuthner pour la Laboratoire de Langues et Civilisations à Tradition Orale (LACITO).

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