Damakawa language
Encyclopedia
Damakawa is a moribund Benue–Congo language of northwest Nigeria
. There are no longer any speakers of the language, although the oldest people can remember a few words. Approximately 80 or so words and phrases were collected, with difficulty, in April 2008 (the language seems to have been unknown to linguists until then).
The Damakawa have shifted to the nearby larger language C'Lela, and it is likely that all, or almost all of them, also speak the lingua franca
Hausa
. The Hausa name for the ethnic group is also Damakawa.
, and it may be that the Kambari words are loans or mis-rememberings.
speakers call the Damakawa language 'Tidama'un'. In the trade language Hausa
the expected name for the language would be Damakanci, given the people are called Damakawa. However Damakawa seems to be preferred by the Damakawa themselves, as far as can be ascertained.
.
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. There are no longer any speakers of the language, although the oldest people can remember a few words. Approximately 80 or so words and phrases were collected, with difficulty, in April 2008 (the language seems to have been unknown to linguists until then).
The Damakawa have shifted to the nearby larger language C'Lela, and it is likely that all, or almost all of them, also speak the lingua franca
Lingua franca
A lingua franca is a language systematically used to make communication possible between people not sharing a mother tongue, in particular when it is a third language, distinct from both mother tongues.-Characteristics:"Lingua franca" is a functionally defined term, independent of the linguistic...
Hausa
Hausa language
Hausa is the Chadic language with the largest number of speakers, spoken as a first language by about 25 million people, and as a second language by about 18 million more, an approximate total of 43 million people...
. The Hausa name for the ethnic group is also Damakawa.
Classification
Based on such a small amount of data of uncertain reliability, it is hard to classify Damakawa precisely. It is probably best placed in the Northwest branch of the West Kainji subgroup of Benue–Congo (which is in turn part of the Niger–Congo language family). The words that have been collected show similarities with both C'Lela and Kambari languagesKambari languages
The Kambari languages of the Nigerian plateau are:*Cipu *Vadi*Shingini*Baangi*Kakihum*Kimba...
, and it may be that the Kambari words are loans or mis-rememberings.
Alternative names
The nearby CicipuCicipu
Cipu , or Western Acipa, is a Benue–Congo language spoken by about 20,000 people in northwest Nigeria. The people call themselves Acipu.Like most Benue–Congo languages, Cipu has a complex noun class system...
speakers call the Damakawa language 'Tidama'un'. In the trade language Hausa
Hausa language
Hausa is the Chadic language with the largest number of speakers, spoken as a first language by about 25 million people, and as a second language by about 18 million more, an approximate total of 43 million people...
the expected name for the language would be Damakanci, given the people are called Damakawa. However Damakawa seems to be preferred by the Damakawa themselves, as far as can be ascertained.
Geographic distribution
The Damakawa people probably number about 500-1000, and live in three villages near Maganda in Sakaba Local Government Area, Kebbi StateKebbi State
Kebbi State is a state in north-western Nigeria with its capital at Birnin Kebbi. The state was formed from part of Sokoto State in 1991. Kebbi State is bordered by Sokoto State, Niger State, Dosso Region in the Republic of Niger and the nation of Benin. It has a total area of...
.