Chadic languages

The Chadic languages form a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. They are spoken in parts of the Sahel. They include 196 languages spoken across northern Nigeria, southern Niger, southern Chad, and northern Cameroon. By far the most widely spoken Chadic language is Hausa, a lingua franca of much of inland Eastern West Africa, particularly Niger and the northern half of Nigeria. Hausa is the only Chadic language with more than 1 million speakers.

Composition

Paul Newman classified the languages into the four groups which have been accepted in all subsequent literature. Further subbranching, however, has not been as robust; Roger Blench, for example, only accepts the A/B bifurcation of East Chadic. Subsequent work by Joseph Lovestrand argues strongly that Kujarge is a valid member of East Chadic. The placing of Luri as a primary split of West Chadic is erroneous. Bernard Caron shows that this language is South Bauchi and part of the Polci cluster. A suggestion for including the language isolate Kujargé as an early-diverged member, which subsequently became influenced by East Chadic, has been made by Blench.Chadic

* West Chadic
** the Hausa, Ron, Bole, and Angas languages
** the Bade, Warji, and Zaar languages
* Biu–Mandara
** the Bura, Kamwe, and Bata languages, among other groups
** the Buduma and Musgu languages
** Gidar
* East Chadic
** the Tumak, Nancere, and Kera languages
** the Dangaléat, Mukulu, and Sokoro languages
* '''Masa'''

Loanwords

Chadic languages contain many Nilo-Saharan loanwords from either the Songhay or Maban branches, pointing to early contact between Chadic and Nilo-Saharan speakers as Chadic was migrating west.
Although Adamawa languages are spoken adjacently to Chadic languages, interaction between Chadic and Adamawa is limited.

Pronouns

Pronouns in Proto-Chadic, as compared to pronouns in Proto-Afroasiatic :

Pronoun	Proto-Chadic	Proto-Afroasiatic
1	ní	i ~ yi
2M	ka	ku, ka
2F	ki	kim
3M	nì	si, isi
3F	ta
1PL	mun, na	?
2PL	kun	kuuna
3PL	sun	su ~ usu

Comparative vocabulary

Sample basic vocabulary in different Chadic branches listed in order from west to east, with reconstructions of other Afroasiatic branches also given for comparison:

Language

eye

ear

nose

tooth

tongue

mouth

blood

bone

tree

water

eat

name

Proto-Chadic

ydn

km/ɬm

ntn

s₃n; ƙ-d

ls₃-

ƙs₃

ymn

hrɗ ; twy

s₃m

Hausa

ido

kunne

hanci

haƙori

harshe

baki

jini

ƙashi

itaci; bishiya

ruwa

suna

Proto-Ron

kumu

*atin

haŋgor

liʃ

ɟɑ̄lɑ̄, tɾɔ̃̄

kaʃ

sum

Proto-South [Bauchi languages|South Bauchi]

yìr

kə̂m

bʸak

bìràm

guul

pit-ə̀

sûm

Polci

yiir

kəəm

cin

haƙori

shen

bii

buran; bəran

gooloo

pət

maa

suŋ

Proto-Central Chadic

hadaj; tsɨʸ

ɬɨmɨɗʸ

hʷɨtsɨnʸ

ɬɨɗɨnʸ

ɗɨrɨnɨhʸ; ɣanaɗʸ; naɬɨj

maj

ɗiɬ; kɨrakaɬʸ

hʷɨp

ɗɨjɨm

zɨm

ɬɨmɨɗʸ

Proto-Masa

hum

cin

vun

vuzur

sok

mb-

sem

Kujarge

kunɟu

kumayo ~ kime

kaata

kiya

aliŋati

apa

ɪbɪrí

, kàyɛ́ya

kaʃíè

ʃia

, tuye ; tuwona

rúwà

Other Afroasiatic branches

Proto-Cushitic

ʔil-

ʔisŋʷ-

ʔiɬkʷ-

caanrab-

ʔaf-/yaf-

mikʷ’-; moc’-

-aħm-/-uħm-; ɬaam-

sim-/sum-

Proto-Maji

ʔaːb

háːy

aːç’u

eːdu

uːs

inču

haːy

Tarifiyt Berber

ŧit’t’

aməžžun, aməz’z’uɣ

ŧinzā

ŧiɣməsŧ

iřəs

aqəmmum

iđammən

iɣəss

aman

šš

isəm

Coptic

ma'aje

ša

šol, najhe

las

snof

kas

šēn

mou

wōm

ran

Proto-Semitic

ʕayn-

ʔuḏn-

ʔanp-

šinn-

lišān-

dam-

ʕaṯ̣m-

ʕiṣ̂-

mā̆y-

ʔ-k-l

Proto-Afroasiatic

ʔǐl-

-ʔânxʷ-

sǐn-/sǎn- 'tip, point'

-lis’- 'to lick'

âf-

dîm-/dâm-

k’os-

ɣǎ

âm-; akʷ’-

-mǎaʕ-; -iit-; -kʷ’-̌

sǔm-/sǐm-