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The Chadic languages form a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken in parts of the Sahel. They include 196 languages spoken across northern Nigeria, southern Niger, southern Chad, and northern Cameroon. By far the most widely spoken Chadic language is Hausa, a lingua franca of much of inland Eastern West Africa, particularly Niger and the northern half of Nigeria.
There are over 525 native languages spoken in Nigeria. The official language and most widely spoken lingua franca is English, which was the language of Colonial Nigeria. Nigerian Pidgin – an English-based creole – is spoken by over 60 million people.
The West Chadic languages of the Afro-Asiatic family are spoken principally in Niger and Nigeria. They include Hausa, the most populous Chadic language and a major language of West Africa.
Guruntum is a Chadic language spoken in Bauchi and Alkaleri LGAs, Bauchi State, Nigeria. In 1993 it was spoken by about 15,000 people.
Chakato is a West Chadic language spoken in Plateau State, Nigeria. It was identified by Roger Blench in 2016. It is spoken by about 500 people in one village, Dokan Tofa, which is located on the Jos-Shendam road in Plateau State. Blench (2017) suggests that Chakato may be related to spurious records of the Jorto language. Chakato speakers claim that their language is closely related to Goemai.
Ngas, or Angas, is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Plateau State, Nigeria. The language has two dialects: Hill Angas and Plain Angas. Ngas language is one of the major languages in Plateau State, the 1952 census puts it as the largest ethnic group in Plateau State. Retired General Yakubu Gowon is a prominent Nigerian who is of Ngas extraction.
Tal is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Plateau State, Nigeria. Tal is spoken in a cluster of 53 villages located east of the Panyam-Shendam road. There are 6 dialects of Tal, namely Bongmuut, Buzuk, Nbaal, Muɗak, Muɗong, and Takong.
The Angas, Angas–Sura, or Central West Chadic languages are a branch of West Chadic languages spoken in Plateau State, north-central Nigeria.
Mburku or Burku is an Afro-Asiatic language belonging to the West-Chadic subgroup of the Chadic languages. It is estimated to be spoken by 7,000-10,000 people in Miya District of Ganjuwa LGA, Bauchi State, Nigeria. Although it is still referred to as Mburku in academic sources such as Glottolog, the speakers prefer their language be called Burku. Ethnologue classifies Burku as a stable language not in danger of extinction.
Warji (Warjawa) or Sirzakwai is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Speakers are shifting to Hausa.
The North Bauchi languages are a branch of West Chadic languages that are spoken in Bauchi State, northern Nigeria.
Karai-karai is a language spoken in West Africa, most prominently North eastern Nigeria. The number of speakers of Karai-karai is estimated between 1,500,000 to 1,800,000 million, primarily spoken by the ethnic Karai-Karai people. It is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken principally in Nigeria with communities in Bauchi State, Yobe State, Gombe State and other parts of Nigeria. Many Karai-karai words share a common origin with the Northwest Semitic languages of Hebrew and Arabic. The Karai-karai language is most closely related to the Ngamo and Bole languages which are both considered derivatives of the Karai-karai language.
The South Bauchi languages are a branch of West Chadic languages that are spoken in Bauchi State and Plateau State, Nigeria.
Mantsi is an endangered Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Mangas town in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Blench (2020) reports that it is also called Mantsi. According to Blench, the structure of Mantsi differs significantly from the other South Bauchi languages.
Daza or Dazawa is listed by Blench (2006) as a Chadic language within the Bole group, spoken in a few villages of Darazo LGA, Bauchi State, Nigeria. It was confirmed to exist in 2021. The language is nearly extinct with only elderly speakers speaking the language. Native speakers have shifted to Hausa.
Zeem, or Chaari, is an endangered Chadic dialect cluster of Nigeria, whose speakers are shifting to Hausa. Dyarim is closely related.
Jarawan is a group of languages spoken mostly in Bauchi State, Nigeria, with some also scattered in Plateau State, Taraba State, and Adamawa State in the same country. Two related languages formerly spoken in Cameroon are now extinct but are believed to have belonged to the group. This connection between Nigerian and Cameroonian Jarawan is attributed to Thomas (1925). Whether Jarawan languages are best classified alongside other Bantu languages or among non-Bantu Bantoid languages is a matter of ongoing debate. A number of descriptions and classifications in the early 20th century suggest that they may be historically related to Bantu languages but not necessarily Bantu themselves. Other perspectives based on lexicostatistic modeling and other phylogenetic techniques for language comparison argue instead that Jarawan languages are properly classified alongside Zone A Bantu languages (A31-A40-A60). For classifications based on these more recent studies, see for example Blench (2006), Piron (1997), and Grollemund (2012).
Polci is an Afro-Asiatic language of Bauchi State, Nigeria. It is part of the Barawa cluster, which is in turn part of the West Chadic language family.
Geji (Gezawa) is a minor Chadic dialect cluster of Bauchi State, Nigeria. The three varieties are Buu, Gyaazi and Mәgang. The latter two are quite similar or alike.
Ju is a language from the West Chadian branch of the Chadic language family. The language is spoken solely in Nigeria, and had approximately 900 native speakers in 1993. The language is unwritten.
References
- 1 2 3 4 Tala at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ↑ Blench, Robert (2006). "The Afro-Asiatic Languages. Classification and Reference List" (PDF). Roger Blench Website. Publications. pp. 4–6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-07.Retrieved2016-11-30.
- ↑ Blench, Robert (2012). "An Atlas of Nigerian Langages" (PDF) (3rd ed.). Roger Blench Website. Publications. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-08-06.Retrieved2016-11-30.
- ↑ Blench, Roger (2021-01-01). "West Chadic classification 2021". Academia.
