Chadian Arabic
Encyclopedia
Chadian Arabic is one of the regional colloquial Arabic languages. "Shuwa Arabic" properly refers only to its Nigerian dialects, and even then, it is a term not used by the speakers themselves. Its territory, which touches Lake Chad
, is an east-to-west oval in the Sahel
, about 1400 miles long (12 to 20 degrees east latitude) by 300 miles north-to-south (between 10 and 14 degrees north latitude). It is the first language
for over one million people in Chad
, Sudan
, Cameroon
, Nigeria
, the Central African Republic
, and Niger
and serves as a lingua franca
in much of the region. It is spoken both by town dwellers and by cattle herding nomads. In most of its range, it is not the only local language and often not among the major local languages.
to describe their Arabic speaking neighbors. The term "Western Sudanic Arabic" was proposed by a specialist in the language, Jonathan Owens. By "Sudanic", Owens does not mean the modern country of Sudan, but the Sahel in general, which Arabs in the medieval era dubbed bilad al-sudan, 'the land of the blacks'.
How this Arabic language arose is unknown. In 1994, Braukämper proposed that it arose in Chad from 1635 on by the fusion of a population of Arabic speakers with a population of Fulani nomads. (The Fulani are a people, or group of peoples, who originate at or near the Atlantic coast but have expanded into most of the Sahel over centuries.)
, and its range encompasses such other major cities as Abéché
, Am Timan
, and Mao
. It is the mother tongue of 12% of Chadians. Chadian Arabic's associated lingua franca
is widely spoken in Chad, so that Chadian Arabic and its lingua franca combined are spoken by somewhere between 40% and 60% of the Chadian population.
In Sudan, it is spoken in southern Kordofan and southern Darfur
, excluding the cities of El Obeid
and El Fasher. Its other regions are the northeastern corner of Nigeria (Borno State
), Cameroon's Far North Region, the northern tip of the Central African Republic (in the northern half of its Vakaga
Prefecture), and in Niger by an estimated 150,000 people near Lake Chad.
In Nigeria, it spoken by 10% of the population of Maiduguri
, the capital of Borno, and by at least 100,000 villagers elsewhere in Borno.
, a region of eastern Chad on the border with Sudan. In 1920, a British colonial administrator in Nigeria, Gordon James Lethem
, wrote a grammar of the Borno dialect, in which he noted that the same language was spoken in Kanem
and Waddai (regions of Chad on opposite sides of that French colony).
s [ħ] and [ʕ], the interdental fricatives [ð], [θ] and [ðˤ], and diphthongs. But it also has /lˤ/, /rˤ/ and /mˤ/ as extra phonemic emphatics. Some examples of minimal pairs for such emphatics are /ɡallab/ "he galloped", /ɡalˤlˤab/ "he got angry"; /karra/ "he tore", /karˤrˤa/ "he dragged"; /amm/ "uncle", /amˤmˤ/ "mother". In addition, Nigerian Arabic has the feature of inserting an /a/ after gutturals (ʔ,h,x,q). Another notable feature is the change of Standard Arabic Form V from tafaʕal(a) to alfaʕal; for example, the word taʔallam(a) becomes alʔallam.
The first person singular of verbs is different from its formation in other Arabic dialects in that it does not have a final t. Thus, the first person singular of the verb katab is katáb, with stress on the second syllable of the word, whereas the third-person singular is kátab, with stress on the first syllable.
The following is a sample vocabulary:
Lake Chad
Lake Chad is a historically large, shallow, endorheic lake in Africa, whose size has varied over the centuries. According to the Global Resource Information Database of the United Nations Environment Programme, it shrank as much as 95% from about 1963 to 1998; yet it also states that "the 2007 ...
, is an east-to-west oval in the Sahel
Sahel
The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian Savannas in the south.It stretches across the North African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea....
, about 1400 miles long (12 to 20 degrees east latitude) by 300 miles north-to-south (between 10 and 14 degrees north latitude). It is the first language
First language
A first language is the language a person has learned from birth or within the critical period, or that a person speaks the best and so is often the basis for sociolinguistic identity...
for over one million people in Chad
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...
, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
, Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, the Central African Republic
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
, and Niger
Niger
Niger , officially named the Republic of Niger, is a landlocked country in Western Africa, named after the Niger River. It borders Nigeria and Benin to the south, Burkina Faso and Mali to the west, Algeria and Libya to the north and Chad to the east...
and serves as a lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
in much of the region. It is spoken both by town dwellers and by cattle herding nomads. In most of its range, it is not the only local language and often not among the major local languages.
Name and origin
This language does not have a native name shared by all its speakers, beyond "Arabic". It arose as the native language of nomadic cattle herders (baggāra, Standard Arabic baqqāra, means 'cattlemen', from baqar). Since the publication of a grammar of a Nigerian dialect in 1920, this language has become widely cited academically as "Shuwa Arabic"; however, the term "Shuwa" is used only among non-Arabic speakers in Borno StateBorno State
Borno State is a state in north-eastern Nigeria. Its capital is Maiduguri. The state was formed in 1976 from the split of the North-Eastern State...
to describe their Arabic speaking neighbors. The term "Western Sudanic Arabic" was proposed by a specialist in the language, Jonathan Owens. By "Sudanic", Owens does not mean the modern country of Sudan, but the Sahel in general, which Arabs in the medieval era dubbed bilad al-sudan, 'the land of the blacks'.
How this Arabic language arose is unknown. In 1994, Braukämper proposed that it arose in Chad from 1635 on by the fusion of a population of Arabic speakers with a population of Fulani nomads. (The Fulani are a people, or group of peoples, who originate at or near the Atlantic coast but have expanded into most of the Sahel over centuries.)
Distribution
The great majority of speakers live in southern Chad (excluding the portion south of about 10 degrees north latitude). In Chad, it is the local language of the capital, N'DjamenaN'Djamena
N'Djamena is the capital and largest city of Chad. A port on the Chari River, near the confluence with the Logone River, it directly faces the Cameroonian town of Kousséri, to which the city is connected by a bridge. It is also a special statute region, divided in 10 arrondissements. It is a...
, and its range encompasses such other major cities as Abéché
Abéché
-Demographics:Demographic evolution:-References:...
, Am Timan
Am Timan
Am Timan is a city in Chad and is the capital of the region of Salamat. Am Timan means "mother of twins," although the reason for the name is not known...
, and Mao
Mao, Chad
Mao is a city in Chad, the capital of the Kanem Region and of the department also named Kanem.As in other Chadian regions, Mao is ruled by both a traditional Sultan and by central government officials...
. It is the mother tongue of 12% of Chadians. Chadian Arabic's associated lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
is widely spoken in Chad, so that Chadian Arabic and its lingua franca combined are spoken by somewhere between 40% and 60% of the Chadian population.
In Sudan, it is spoken in southern Kordofan and southern Darfur
Darfur
Darfur is a region in western Sudan. An independent sultanate for several hundred years, it was incorporated into Sudan by Anglo-Egyptian forces in 1916. The region is divided into three federal states: West Darfur, South Darfur, and North Darfur...
, excluding the cities of El Obeid
El Obeid
is the capital of the state of North Kurdufan in central Sudan. In 2008, its population was 340,940. It is an important transportation hub: the terminus of a rail line, the junction of various roads and camel caravan routes, and the end of a pilgrim route from Nigeria. It was founded by the pashas...
and El Fasher. Its other regions are the northeastern corner of Nigeria (Borno State
Borno State
Borno State is a state in north-eastern Nigeria. Its capital is Maiduguri. The state was formed in 1976 from the split of the North-Eastern State...
), Cameroon's Far North Region, the northern tip of the Central African Republic (in the northern half of its Vakaga
Vakaga
Vakaga is one of the 14 prefectures of the Central African Republic. It covers an area of 46,500 km² and has a population of 37,595 . The extremely low population density, less than 1 person/km², is a result of the capture of the majority of the region's inhabitants by slave-traders from the...
Prefecture), and in Niger by an estimated 150,000 people near Lake Chad.
In Nigeria, it spoken by 10% of the population of Maiduguri
Maiduguri
Maiduguri, also fondly called Yerwa by its locals, is the capital and the largest city of Borno State in north-eastern Nigeria. The city sits along the seasonal Ngadda River which disappears into the Firki swamps in the areas around Lake Chad...
, the capital of Borno, and by at least 100,000 villagers elsewhere in Borno.
Early 20th century scholarship
In 1913, a French colonial administrator in Chad, Henri Carbou, wrote a grammar of the local dialect of WaddaiOuaddaï
Ouaddaï may refer to:* Ouaddaï Prefecture* Ouaddaï Region* Ouaddai Empire* Ouaddai plateau*Ouaddaï highlands...
, a region of eastern Chad on the border with Sudan. In 1920, a British colonial administrator in Nigeria, Gordon James Lethem
Gordon James Lethem
Sir Gordon James Lethem was a British Civil Servant.He was Governor of British Guiana from 7 November 1941 to 1946. He was acting Governor from 1946 to 12 April 1947.The city of Lethem, Guyana is named after him....
, wrote a grammar of the Borno dialect, in which he noted that the same language was spoken in Kanem
Kanem
Kanem may refer to:* Kanem Empire* Kanem Prefecture* Kanem Region* Kanem Department...
and Waddai (regions of Chad on opposite sides of that French colony).
Grammar
It is characterized by the loss of the pharyngealPharyngeal consonant
A pharyngeal consonant is a type of consonant which is articulated with the root of the tongue against the pharynx.-Pharyngeal consonants in the IPA:Pharyngeal consonants in the International Phonetic Alphabet :...
s [ħ] and [ʕ], the interdental fricatives [ð], [θ] and [ðˤ], and diphthongs. But it also has /lˤ/, /rˤ/ and /mˤ/ as extra phonemic emphatics. Some examples of minimal pairs for such emphatics are /ɡallab/ "he galloped", /ɡalˤlˤab/ "he got angry"; /karra/ "he tore", /karˤrˤa/ "he dragged"; /amm/ "uncle", /amˤmˤ/ "mother". In addition, Nigerian Arabic has the feature of inserting an /a/ after gutturals (ʔ,h,x,q). Another notable feature is the change of Standard Arabic Form V from tafaʕal(a) to alfaʕal; for example, the word taʔallam(a) becomes alʔallam.
The first person singular of verbs is different from its formation in other Arabic dialects in that it does not have a final t. Thus, the first person singular of the verb katab is katáb, with stress on the second syllable of the word, whereas the third-person singular is kátab, with stress on the first syllable.
The following is a sample vocabulary:
| word | meaning | notes |
|---|---|---|
| anīna | we | |
| 'alme | water | frozen definite article 'al |
| īd | hand | |
| īd | festival | |
| jidãda, jidãd | chicken, (collective)chicken | |
| šumāl | north |
Further reading
- Kaye, Alan S. 1982. Dictionary of Nigerian Arabic. Malibu: Undena. Series: Bibliotheca Afroasiatica; 1. This volume is English-Arabic. 90 pp.
- Kaye, Alan S. 1987. Nigerian Arabic-English dictionary. Malibu: Undena. Series: Bibliotheca Afroasiatica; 2. 90 pp.
- Owens, Jonathan. 1993. A grammar of Nigerian Arabic. Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz.
- Owens, Jonathan, ed. 1994. Arabs and Arabic in the Lake Chad Region. Rüdiger Köppe Verlag. Series: SUGIA (Sprache und Geschichte in Afrika); 14.
- Pommerol, Patrice Jullien de. 1999. J'apprends l'arabe tchadien. Karthala. 328 pp. N'Djamena dialect.
- Woidich, Manfred. 1988. [Review of Kaye 1987] . Journal of the American Oriental Society, Oct. - Dec. 1988, 108(4): 663-665