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).Blažek, Václav. 2007. On application of glottochronology for Saharan languages.
Internal classification
Saharan Eastern Berti † ( Sagato;Blench, Roger. m.s. Saharan and Songhay form a branch of Nilo-Saharan. extinct) Zaghawa ( Beria) Western Kanuri Kanuri (Bilma, Manga, Tumari, Central) Kanembu (Tarjumo) Tebu Daza Teda
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.
Reconstruction Cyffer (2020:385) gives the following Proto-Saharan reconstructions:Cyffer, Norbert. 2020. Saharan. In: Rainer Vossen and Gerrit J. Dimmendaal (eds). The Oxford Handbook of African languages, 383-391. Oxford University Press.
Gloss Proto-Saharan Kanuri Teda-Daza Beria mouth *kai cî kai āā tongue *tiram tə́lam tirmẽ́su tàmsī ear *simo sə́mo šímo liver *masin kəmáttən maasen màī knee *kurum ngurumngurum kórú person *am âm (pl.) amo ɔ̄ɔ̄ leaf *kur kálú kólú ɔ́gʊ́r big *kut kúra kɔra ʊ́gʊ́rī that *tu túdu te̥ye tɔ̄ to die *nu nú nus nʊ́í to come *it ís ri tíí to see *tu rú ru ír̥ì to drink *sa yá, sá ya yá to say *n n n n
Comparative vocabulary Sample basic vocabulary of Saharan languages from Blažek (2007):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. .
Language eye ear nose tooth tongue mouth blood bone tree water eat name KanuriDoris 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. shîm sə́mò kə́nzà tímì; shélì tə́làm cî bû shíllà kə̀ská njî bù cû Tubu *samo > sómo > sao / sā /sa súmo/šímo > sĩ/šiĩ /si/ši kya / ca tomai / tẽ̱ < *temi, pl. toa / tī́ tirmḗsu > tirišī́ / tərše > tərhi kai > kī > ci gẹrε súru / súrki akkέ, pl. akká / εkέ iyī́ / yi bo / bu súro / súru Daza sama, sa, pl. saã ši, pl. šiĩ ca tei, pl. teẽ / tiĩ teleši / East terihi ci, pl. ka gəre sọr(o) ekke, pl. akka yi / ii bọr / owe / bọdər sorọ, pl. sora Teda samo, saõ, pl. sama šimi, šiĩ, pl. šima ca tome, pl. toma termeso koe, pl. ka gɔrε, gəre sọr(o), sọrce ekke, pl. akka yi bọr / cọbo / bọdər cεr / cero / curo Zaghawa í kέbέ síná màrgi: tàmsi: áá ógú úrú bɛ̀gìdi: bí sε:gì tír Beria íī: kέbέ sɪ́na: màrgi: tàm(ì)si: áá ógu: úrú bɛ̀gìdi: bíi: sέ- tɪ́r Bideyat ’é kèmé šéna margé tamišé a uru ʔèbè bi šé Berti / Sagato ke(i)ng sano / sāno tam(ī)si a / á / ā àkú shuru / shírung mi / mī /mī́ tir(r)
Numerals Comparison of numerals in individual languages:
Classification Language 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Eastern Zaghawa nɔ́kkɔ súyi wɛɛ ístîː hóíyi dɛ́stɛ́ dístiː ɔ́ttɛ́ dístî sóɡódí Western, Kanuri Kanembu tūló yìndí yàkú dīyə̄u úù àràkú túlùr ùskú lár mìyò̬u Western, Kanuri Central Kanuri (1) tiló, fál indí yakkə́ déɣə́ úwu arakkə́ túlur wuskú ləɣár mewú Western, Kanuri Central Kanuri (2) tìlo / fal / lasku ìndi yàkkə deɡə uwù àràkkə tulùr wùskú lə̀ɡar / làar mèwu Western, Kanuri Manga Kanuri tìló, fál yìndí yàkkú déwú úwù àràkkú túlùr wùskú ləɡár mèwú Western, Kanuri Tumari Kanuri tìló jìndí jàkú dʲíjó úù àɾàkú túúlù ùskú lááɽú mèʲó Western, Tebu Dazaga (Tubu) tə̀ɾɔ̌n tʃúú àɡʊ̀zʊ́ʊ́ tʊ̀zɔ́ɔ́ fòú dìsí túɾùsù wʊ́ssʊ̀ jìsìí mʊ́rdə̀m Western, Tebu Tedaga (Tebu) (1) tɾɔ̀ɔ́ cúː òɡòzú tʊ̀zɔ́ː fɔ́ː dɪ̀sɪ́ː túɾùsù jʊ́sʊ̀ jìsíː mʊ́rdɔ̀m Western, Tebu Tedaga (Tebu) (2) tʊrɔ cu oɡuzuu tʊzɔɔ hɔɔ diʃee tuduʃu yʊsʊ yisii mʊrdɔm
See Also
Kanem-Bornu Empire
References