Editing Saharan languages

{{Short description|Small language family in the East Sahara desert}}
{{Infobox language family
  |name=Saharan
  |region=[[Chad]], [[Nigeria]], [[Niger]], [[Sudan]], [[Cameroon]]
  |familycolor=Nilo-Saharan
  |child1=Eastern Saharan
  |child2=Western Saharan
  |glotto=saha1256
  |glottorefname=Saharan
  |map=Saharan languages.png
  |mapcaption=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 language|Kanuri]] (9.5 million speakers, around [[Lake Chad]] in Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and [[Cameroon]]), [[Daza language|Daza]] (700,000 speakers, Chad), [[Teda language|Teda]] (60,000 speakers, northern Chad), and [[Zaghawa language|Zaghawa]] (350,000 speakers, eastern Chad and [[Sudan]]). They have been classified as part of the hypothetical but controversial [[Nilo-Saharan languages|Nilo-Saharan]] family.

A comparative word list of the Saharan languages has been compiled by [[Václav Blažek]] (2007).<ref>Blažek, Václav. 2007. ''On application of glottochronology for Saharan languages''.</ref>

==Internal classification==
[[File:Сахарские-языки.png|thumb|350px|[[Václav Blažek]]'s 2007 classification of the Saharan languages]]

{{tree list}}
* '''Saharan'''
** Eastern
*** [[Berti language|Berti]] † ({{aka}} Sagato;<ref name="Blench">Blench, Roger. m.s. ''[http://www.rogerblench.info/Language/Nilo-Saharan/General/Saharan%20Songhay%20branch.pdf Saharan and Songhay form a branch of Nilo-Saharan]''.</ref> extinct)
*** [[Zaghawa language|Zaghawa]] ({{aka}} Beria<ref name="Blench"/>)
** Western
*** Kanuri
**** [[Kanuri language|Kanuri]] ([[Bilma]], Manga, Tumari, Central)
**** [[Kanembu language|Kanembu]] ([[Tarjumo language|Tarjumo]])
*** [[Tebu languages|Tebu]]
**** [[Daza language|Daza]]
**** [[Teda language|Teda]]
{{tree list/end}}

==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.<ref name="Blench"/>

==Reconstruction==
Cyffer (2020:385) gives the following Proto-Saharan reconstructions:<ref>Cyffer, Norbert. 2020. Saharan. In: Rainer Vossen and Gerrit J. Dimmendaal (eds). ''The Oxford Handbook of African languages'', 383-391. Oxford University Press.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! 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):<ref>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}}.</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" | style="font-size: 90%;" | 
! Language !! eye !! ear !! nose !! tooth !! tongue !! mouth !! blood !! bone !! tree !! water !! eat !! name
|-
| [[Kanuri language|Kanuri]]<ref>Doris Löhr, H. Ekkehard Wolff (with Ari Awagana). 2009. [https://wold.clld.org/vocabulary/5 Kanuri vocabulary]. In: Haspelmath, Martin & Tadmor, Uri (eds.) ''World Loanword Database''. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 1591 entries. </ref> || shîm || sə́mò || kə́nzà || tímì; shélì || tə́làm || cî || bû || shíllà || kə̀ská || njî || bù || cû
|-
| [[Tubu language|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 language|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 language|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 language|Zaghawa]] || í || kέbέ || síná || màrgi: || tàmsi: || áá || ógú || úrú || bɛ̀gìdi: || bí || sε:gì || tír
|-
| [[Beria language|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 language|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:<ref name="ChanNumeralsNS">{{Cite web|url=https://lingweb.eva.mpg.de/channumerals/Nilo-Saharan.htm|title=The Nilo-Saharan Language Phylum|last=Chan|first=Eugene|publisher=Numeral Systems of the World's Languages|date=2019}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Classification !! Language !! 1 !! 2 !! 3 !! 4 !! 5 !! 6 !! 7 !! 8 !! 9 !! 10
|-
| Eastern || [[ISO 639:zag|Zaghawa]] || nɔ́kkɔ || súyi || wɛɛ || ístîː || hóíyi || dɛ́stɛ́ || dístiː || ɔ́ttɛ́ || dístî || sóɡódí
|-
| Western, Kanuri || [[ISO 639:kbl|Kanembu]] || tūló || yìndí || yàkú || dīyə̄u || úù || àràkú || túlùr || ùskú || lár || mìyò̬u
|-
| Western, Kanuri || [[ISO 639:knc|Central Kanuri]] (1) || fál, tiló || indí || yakkə́ || déɣə́ || úwu || arakkə́ || túlur || wuskú || ləɣár || mewú
|-
| Western, Kanuri || [[ISO 639:knc|Central Kanuri]] (2) || tìlo / fal / lasku || ìndi || yàkkə || deɡə || uwù || àràkkə || tulùr || wùskú || lə̀ɡar / làar || mèwu
|-
| Western, Kanuri || [[ISO 639:kby|Manga Kanuri]] || fál, tìló || yìndí || yàkkú || déwú || úwù || àràkkú || túlùr || wùskú || ləɡár || mèwú
|-
| Western, Kanuri || [[ISO 639:krt|Tumari Kanuri]] || tìló || jìndí || jàkú || dʲíjó || úù || àɾàkú || túúlù || ùskú || lááɽú || mèʲó
|-
| Western, Tebu || [[ISO 639:dzg|Dazaga (Tubu)]] || tə̀ɾɔ̌n || tʃúú || àɡʊ̀zʊ́ʊ́ || tʊ̀zɔ́ɔ́ || fòú || dìsí || túɾùsù || wʊ́ssʊ̀ || jìsìí || mʊ́rdə̀m
|-
| Western, Tebu || [[ISO 639:tuq|Tedaga (Tebu)]] (1) || tɾɔ̀ɔ́ || cúː || òɡòzú || tʊ̀zɔ́ː || fɔ́ː || dɪ̀sɪ́ː || túɾùsù || jʊ́sʊ̀ || jìsíː || mʊ́rdɔ̀m
|-
| Western, Tebu || [[ISO 639:tuq|Tedaga (Tebu)]] (2) || tʊrɔ || cu || oɡuzuu || tʊzɔɔ || hɔɔ || diʃee || tuduʃu || yʊsʊ || yisii || mʊrdɔm
|}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Saharan languages}}
{{Nilo-Saharan families}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saharan Languages}}
[[Category:Saharan languages| ]]
[[Category:Language families]]