Saharan
Geographic
distribution		Chad, Nigeria, Niger, Sudan, Cameroon
Linguistic classificationNilo-Saharan?
  • Songhay-Saharan?
    • Saharan
Subdivisions
  • Eastern Saharan
  • Western Saharan
Glottologsaha1256
Range of the Saharan languages (in orange)

The Saharan languages are a small family of languages across parts of the eastern Sahara, extending from northwestern Sudan to southern Libya, north and central Chad, eastern Niger and northeastern Nigeria. Noted Saharan languages include Kanuri (9.5 million speakers, around Lake Chad in Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon), Daza (700,000 speakers, Chad), Teda (60,000 speakers, northern Chad), and Zaghawa (350,000 speakers, eastern Chad and Sudan). They have been classified as part of the hypothetical but controversial Nilo-Saharan family.

A comparative word list of the Saharan languages has been compiled by Václav Blažek (2007).[1]

Internal classification

Václav Blažek's 2007 classification of the Saharan languages

External classification

Roger Blench argues that the Saharan and Songhay languages form a Songhay-Saharan branch with each other within the wider Nilo-Saharan linguistic phylum.[2]

Reconstruction

Cyffer (2020:385) gives the following Proto-Saharan reconstructions:[3]

GlossProto-SaharanKanuriTeda-DazaBeria
mouth*kaicîkaiāā
tongue*tiramtə́lamtirmẽ́sutàmsī
ear*simosə́mošímo
liver*masinkəmáttənmaasenmàī
knee*kurumngurumngurumkórú
person*amâm (pl.)amoɔ̄ɔ̄
leaf*kurkálúkólúɔ́gʊ́r
big*kutkúrakɔraʊ́gʊ́rī
that*tutúdute̥yetɔ̄
to die*nunúnusnʊ́í
to come*itísritíí
to see*turúruír̥ì
to drink*sayá, sáyayá
to say*nnnn

Comparative vocabulary

Sample basic vocabulary of Saharan languages from Blažek (2007):[4]

Languageeyeearnosetoothtonguemouthbloodbonetreewatereatname
Kanuri[5]shîmsə́mòkə́nzàtímì; shélìtə́làmcîbûshíllàkə̀skánjîbùcû
Tubu*samo > sómo > sao / sā /sasúmo/šímo > sĩ/šiĩ /si/šikya / catomai / tẽ̱ < *temi, pl. toa / tī́tirmḗsu > tirišī́ / tərše > tərhikai > kī > cigẹrεsúru / súrkiakkέ, pl. akká / εkέiyī́ / yibo / busúro / súru
Dazasama, sa, pl. saãši, pl. šiĩcatei, pl. teẽ / tiĩteleši / East terihici, pl. kagəresọr(o)ekke, pl. akkayi / iibọr / owe / bọdərsorọ, pl. sora
Tedasamo, saõ, pl. samašimi, šiĩ, pl. šimacatome, pl. tomatermesokoe, pl. kagɔrε, gəresọr(o), sọrceekke, pl. akkayibọr / cọbo / bọdərcεr / cero / curo
Zaghawaíkέbέsínámàrgi:tàmsi:ááógúúrúbɛ̀gìdi:bísε:gìtír
Beriaíī:kέbέsɪ́na:màrgi:tàm(ì)si:ááógu:úrúbɛ̀gìdi:bíi:sέ-tɪ́r
Bideyat’ékèméšénamargétamišéauruʔèbèbišé
Berti / Sagatoke(i)ngsano / sānotam(ī)sia / á / āàkúshuru / shírungmi / mī /mī́tir(r)

Numerals

Comparison of numerals in individual languages:[6]

ClassificationLanguage12345678910
EasternZaghawanɔ́kkɔsúyiwɛɛístîːhóíyidɛ́stɛ́dístiːɔ́ttɛ́dístîsóɡódí
Western, KanuriKanembutūlóyìndíyàkúdīyə̄uúùàràkútúlùrùskúlármìyò̬u
Western, KanuriCentral Kanuri (1)fál, tilóindíyakkə́déɣə́úwuarakkə́túlurwuskúləɣármewú
Western, KanuriCentral Kanuri (2)tìlo / fal / laskuìndiyàkkədeɡəuwùàràkkətulùrwùskúlə̀ɡar / làarmèwu
Western, KanuriManga Kanurifál, tìlóyìndíyàkkúdéwúúwùàràkkútúlùrwùskúləɡármèwú
Western, KanuriTumari Kanuritìlójìndíjàkúdʲíjóúùàɾàkútúúlùùskúlááɽúmèʲó
Western, TebuDazaga (Tubu)tə̀ɾɔ̌ntʃúúàɡʊ̀zʊ́ʊ́tʊ̀zɔ́ɔ́fòúdìsítúɾùsùwʊ́ssʊ̀jìsìímʊ́rdə̀m
Western, TebuTedaga (Tebu) (1)tɾɔ̀ɔ́cúːòɡòzútʊ̀zɔ́ːfɔ́ːdɪ̀sɪ́ːtúɾùsùjʊ́sʊ̀jìsíːmʊ́rdɔ̀m
Western, TebuTedaga (Tebu) (2)tʊrɔcuoɡuzuutʊzɔɔhɔɔdiʃeetuduʃuyʊsʊyisiimʊrdɔm

References

  1. ↑ Blažek, Václav. 2007. On application of glottochronology for Saharan languages.
  2. 1 2 3 Blench, Roger. m.s. Saharan and Songhay form a branch of Nilo-Saharan.
  3. ↑ Cyffer, Norbert. 2020. Saharan. In: Rainer Vossen and Gerrit J. Dimmendaal (eds). The Oxford Handbook of African languages, 383-391. Oxford University Press.
  4. ↑ Blažek, Václav. 2007. ]https://www.muni.cz/en/research/publications/763232 On application of Glottochronology for Saharan Languages]. In Viva Africa 2007. Proceedings of the IInd International Conference on African Studies (April 2007). Plzeň: Dryáda, 2007. p. 19-38, 19 pp. ISBN 978-80-87025-17-8.
  5. ↑ Doris Löhr, H. Ekkehard Wolff (with Ari Awagana). 2009. Kanuri vocabulary. In: Haspelmath, Martin & Tadmor, Uri (eds.) World Loanword Database. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 1591 entries.
  6. ↑ Chan, Eugene (2019). "The Nilo-Saharan Language Phylum". Numeral Systems of the World's Languages.
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