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Zarma (Zarma Ciine/Sanni; Ajami: زَرْمَ ݘِينٜ / زَرْمَ سَنِّ) is one of the Songhay languages. It is the leading indigenous language of the southwestern lobe of the West African nation of Niger, where the Niger River flows and the capital city, Niamey, is located. Zarma is the second-most common language in the country, after Hausa, which is spoken in south-central Niger. With over 6 million speakers, Zarma is easily the most widely spoken Songhay language.[1]
In earlier decades, Zarma was rendered Djerma, using French orthography, but it is usually now 'Zarma', the form that the Zarma people use in their language.
Alternative names for Zarma are Djerma, Jerma, Dyabarma, Dyarma, Dyerma, Adzerma, Zabarma, Zarbarma, Zarmaci or Zerma.
^ abZarma at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)
^This map is based on classification from Glottolog and data from Ethnologue.
Zarma (Zarma Ciine/Sanni; Ajami: زَرْمَ ݘِينٜ / زَرْمَ سَنِّ) is one of the Songhay languages. It is the leading indigenous language of the southwestern...
The Zarma people are an ethnic group predominantly found in westernmost Niger. They are also found in significant numbers in the adjacent areas of Nigeria...
Look up Zarma or Zerma in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Zarma оr Zerma may refer to: Zarma people, an ethnic group of West Africa Zarmalanguage, a Songhai...
Gao, is unintelligible to speakers of Zarma in Niger, according to Ethnologue. However, Songhoyboro Ciine, Zarma, and Dendi have high mutual intelligibility...
known as wagasi in the Zarma-Songhai and Dendi languages, amo in the Fon language, wara in Nagot language and gasaru in Bariba language. The French also call...
of Sahel States Hadin gwiwar jihohin Sahel (Hausa) Sahel La’abai Ku’nda (Zarma) Sahel jamanaw ka jɛɲɔgɔnya (Bambara) Alliance des États du Sahel (French)...
missionaries and colonial administrators West Africa Zarmalanguage of the Songhay family. It is the language of the southwestern lobe of the West African nation...
as Zarma (or Djerma, the largest subgroup) or Isawaghen. The dialect of Koyraboro Senni spoken in Gao is unintelligible to speakers of the Zarma dialect...
Gao; and the tonal southern Zarma dialect, spoken from western Niger to northern Ghana), and within the Soninke language (between the non-tonal northernmost...
million Zarma people of western Niger, who predate the Moroccan invasion and speak the Zarmalanguage, also a member of the Songhay languages. As of 1986...
The number of languages natively spoken in Africa is variously estimated (depending on the delineation of language vs. dialect) at between 1,250 and 2...
Dendi is a Songhay language used as a trade language across northern Benin (along the Niger River. It forms a dialect cluster with Zarma and Koyraboro Senni...
parts of Jigawa, and Bauchi states Teda in northern Nigeria Songhai languages: Zarma (Zabarma) and Dendi in Kebbi State, Zamfara State, Sokoto State, Niger...
Tamasheq, the official language is French) Buduma: Niger (with French, Arabic, Fula, Gourmanché, Hausa, Kanuri, Songhay-Zarma, Tamasheq, Tasawaq, Tebu)...
romanized: al-Balbaliyyah) is a Northern Songhay language which is by far the most northerly of the Songhay languages. It is spoken around the Algerian oasis of...
Endurance, Partnership, Assurance, Reformation, Enthusiasm and Devotion. Many languages have masculine and feminine forms of words – where gender changes the...
name: Tesăwăq), sometimes also called Ingelshi, is a Northern Songhay language spoken by the Issawaghan or Ingalkoyyu, a community surrounding the town...
or that have status as a national language, regional language, or minority language. Official language A language designated as having a unique legal...
Tagdalt) is a mixed Northern Songhay language of central Niger. Ethnologue considers it a "mixed Berber–Songhay language", while other researchers consider...
DNAFLA, 1993 Chtatou, M. (1992). Using Arabic script in writing the languages of the peoples of Muslim africa. Institute of African Studies. [1] Kew...
national languages, namely Arabic, Buduma, Fulfulde, Gourmanchéma, Hausa, Kanuri, Zarma & Songhai, Tamasheq, Tassawaq, Tebu. These ten national languages, their...
either Arabic, French, Zaghawa, Hausa, Zarma, Kanuri or Tuareg. There are thus many borrowings from other languages such as Arabic, Hausa or French. For...
spellings, after the Tuareg name for its speakers, Dăwsăhak) is a Songhay language spoken by the pastoralist Idaksahak of the Ménaka Region and Gao Region...
"ruler", "lord", or "king" in Zarma (or Djerma) language. See Peace Corps/Niger, "An Introduction to the ZarmaLanguage". Christopher Wise. Yambo Ouologuem:...
Chiini ([kojra tʃiːni], figuratively "town language"), or Western Songhay, is a member of the Songhay languages spoken in Mali by about 200,000 people (in...
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