Bagirmi languages
Encyclopedia
The Bagirmi languages comprise half a dozen languages spoken in southern Chad
. They are members of the Central Sudanic
language family.
The most populous Bagirmi language is Naba
, spoken by the Bilala
, Kuka, and Medogo, who together number a quarter million. The languages are:
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
. They are members of the Central Sudanic
Central Sudanic languages
Starostin notes that the poorly attested language Mimi of Decorse is suggestive of Central Sudanic, though he provisionally treats it as an isolate.-References:...
language family.
The most populous Bagirmi language is Naba
Naba language
Naba is a Nilo-Saharan language spoken by 232,000 people in Chad. Those who speak this language are called Lisi, a collective name for three closely associated ethnic groups, the Bilala, the Kuka and the Medogo, that represent the three dialects in which Naba is subdivided. They live mainly in the...
, spoken by the Bilala
Bilala
The Bilala, or Bulala, are a Muslim people that live around Lake Fitri, in the Batha Prefecture, in central Chad. The last Chadian census in 1993 stated that they numbered 136.629 persons. Their language, Naba, is divided in four dialects and is in the Nilo-Saharan group; it is shared by two of...
, Kuka, and Medogo, who together number a quarter million. The languages are:
- Barma (Bagirmi proper), NabaNaba languageNaba is a Nilo-Saharan language spoken by 232,000 people in Chad. Those who speak this language are called Lisi, a collective name for three closely associated ethnic groups, the Bilala, the Kuka and the Medogo, that represent the three dialects in which Naba is subdivided. They live mainly in the...
, Kenga, FerFer languageThe Fer language, also Dam Fer or Fertit, one of several languages called Kara , is a Central Sudanic language spoken by some five thousand people in the northern Central African Republic near the Sudanese and Chadian borders, in the region known as Dar Runga.While the Ethnologue lists it as...
, Beraku, Disa, and Goulai.