Sara languages
Encyclopedia
The Sara languages comprise half a dozen Bongo–Bagirmi languages spoken mainly in southern Chad
; a few are also spoken in the north of the Central African Republic
. They are members of the Central Sudanic
language family. Greenberg (1966) treats all varieties as dialects of a Sara language, whereas Tucker and Bryan (1966) consider the Sara to be a dialect cluster
of several languages.
The most populous variety of Sara proper is Ngambay
(Sara Ngambay), a major trade language of southern Chad, with about a million speakers, though Sar
(Madjingay) is the lingua franca
of Sarh
. The Sara languages are:
Laka and Dagba may be additional languages, or dialects of Ngambay and Kabba, respectively.
The terms "Sara", "Kaba", and "Kaba Sara" are generic and often interchangeable, and do not always correspond to the Sara and Kaba languages
. For example, Kabba and Laka Kabba (Laka) are Sara languages, whereas Sara Dunjo and Ta Sara
are Kaba (Sara Kaba) languages.
Ethnologue 16 lists Bedjond, Mango, Gor, and Gulay
as Sara, but the first three are varieties of the Doba language
, a separate branch of Bongo–Bagirmi, and the last is a Bagirmi language (Blench ms).
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...
; a few are also spoken in the north of 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 ,...
. 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. Greenberg (1966) treats all varieties as dialects of a Sara language, whereas Tucker and Bryan (1966) consider the Sara to be a dialect cluster
Dialect continuum
A dialect continuum, or dialect area, was defined by Leonard Bloomfield as a range of dialects spoken across some geographical area that differ only slightly between neighboring areas, but as one travels in any direction, these differences accumulate such that speakers from opposite ends of the...
of several languages.
The most populous variety of Sara proper is Ngambay
Ngambay language
Ngambay is one of the major languages spoken by Sara people in southwestern Chad, northeastern Cameroon and eastern Nigeria, with about a million native speakers. Ngambay is the most widely-spoken of the Sara languages, and is used as a trade language between speakers of other dialects...
(Sara Ngambay), a major trade language of southern Chad, with about a million speakers, though Sar
Sar language
Sar or Sara, also known as Madjingay and Sara Madjingay is a Bongo–Bagirmi language of southern Chad, and the lingua franca of regional capital of Sarh....
(Madjingay) is the 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...
of Sarh
Sarh
Sarh is the third largest city in Chad, after N'Djamena and Moundou. It is the capital of Moyen-Chari region and the department of Barh Köh. It lies 350 miles south-east of the capital Ndjamena on the Chari River...
. The Sara languages are:
- NgambayNgambay languageNgambay is one of the major languages spoken by Sara people in southwestern Chad, northeastern Cameroon and eastern Nigeria, with about a million native speakers. Ngambay is the most widely-spoken of the Sara languages, and is used as a trade language between speakers of other dialects...
, SarSar languageSar or Sara, also known as Madjingay and Sara Madjingay is a Bongo–Bagirmi language of southern Chad, and the lingua franca of regional capital of Sarh....
, Sara Mbay, Sara Ngam, Kabba of GoreKabba languageKaba , or Kabba of Goré, is a language of the Sara people in Central African Republic and Chad, with something over 100,000 speakers. Dagba is mutually intelligible and sometimes considered a dialect....
.
Laka and Dagba may be additional languages, or dialects of Ngambay and Kabba, respectively.
The terms "Sara", "Kaba", and "Kaba Sara" are generic and often interchangeable, and do not always correspond to the Sara and Kaba languages
Kaba languages
The Kaba languages, also called Sara Kaba but not to be confused with the Sara languages, comprise three to five languages of Chad and the Central African Republic. They are Bongo–Bagirmi languages of the Central Sudanic language family....
. For example, Kabba and Laka Kabba (Laka) are Sara languages, whereas Sara Dunjo and Ta Sara
Kaba language
Kaba proper is a Bongo–Bagirmi language of Chad and the Central African Republic. It is one of several local languages that go by the names Kaba and Sara....
are Kaba (Sara Kaba) languages.
Ethnologue 16 lists Bedjond, Mango, Gor, and Gulay
Gulay language
Gulay is a Bongo–Bagirmi language of Chad. An eighth of speakers are Pen , and do not like to be called Gulay.Ethnologue 16 lists it as a Sara language, but according to Roger Blench it is Bagirmi.-References:*...
as Sara, but the first three are varieties of the Doba language
Doba language
Doba is a Central Sudanic language of Chad. It is traditionally considered three languages, as it is spoken by three ethnicities with separate identities, the Bedjond, the Mango, and the Gor...
, a separate branch of Bongo–Bagirmi, and the last is a Bagirmi language (Blench ms).