Kujargé language
Encyclopedia
The Kujargé language is spoken in seven villages in Chad
near Jebel Mirra (11°45′N 22°15′E) and in Sudan
in villages scattered along the lower Wadi Salih
and Wadi Azum. It is estimated to have about 1000 speakers . The name is derived from Sudanese Arabic
kujur "sorcerer", because of their reputation for witchcraft
. The speakers mainly live by hunting and gathering
.
words, but low numerals and pronouns look very un-Chadic. Blench (2008) notes that much of the basic vocabulary looks Cushitic
, and speculates that Kujarge could even be a conservative language transitional between Chadic and Cushitic.
The language had been classified as a member of the Mubi subgroup of Chadic
by Paul Newman; however, Lionel Bender
argued that its classification remained uncertain. There may have been a mix-up with Birgit
, a nearby Mubi language which is also called Kujarge; when Newman was shown the 200-word list in 2006, he would not commit to it being Chadic.
In addition, there appears to be a large amount of vocabulary that hasn't been identified as Afro-Asiatic; there is a possibility that is a language isolate that has been largely relexified by Chadic and Cushitic.
s appear to be:
Relatively few consonant cluster
s are attested; they appear to all involve r+consonant or gemination
(unless the prenasalized stops are to be seen as clusters.)
The vowel
s used in transcribing the same wordlist are: a, e, i, o, u, ʌ, ɛ, ɔ. It is not clear whether all of these are phonemically
distinct; [ʌ] and [ɔ], in particular, are rare.
s include annu "I", nigi "you (sg.)". Interrogative pronouns include ŋgayna "what?", ye "who?". Demonstrative
s include agu "this".
The number
s include:
Chad
Chad , officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to the north, Sudan to the east, the Central African Republic to the south, Cameroon and Nigeria to the southwest, and Niger to the west...
near Jebel Mirra (11°45′N 22°15′E) and in Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
in villages scattered along the lower Wadi Salih
Wadi Salih
Wadi Salih is a province of West Darfur state of Sudan. On March 5, 2004, at least 145 people were killed by Janjaweed forces. It is South of Zalingei.It is between Mukjar and Habillah regions.-External links:*...
and Wadi Azum. It is estimated to have about 1000 speakers . The name is derived from Sudanese Arabic
Sudanese Arabic
Sudanese Arabic is the variety of Arabic spoken throughout northern Sudan. It has much borrowed vocabulary from the local languages . This has resulted in a variety of Arabic that is unique to Sudan, reflecting the way in which the country has been influenced by both African and Arab cultures...
kujur "sorcerer", because of their reputation for witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
. The speakers mainly live by hunting and gathering
Hunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
.
Classification
Kujarge is unclassified. It is known only from a 200-word list. These include ChadicChadic languages
The Chadic languages constitute a language family of perhaps 200 languages spoken across northern Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic and Cameroon, belonging to the Afroasiatic phylum...
words, but low numerals and pronouns look very un-Chadic. Blench (2008) notes that much of the basic vocabulary looks Cushitic
Cushitic languages
The Cushitic languages are a branch of the Afroasiatic language family spoken in the Horn of Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Sudan and Egypt. They are named after the Biblical character Cush, who was identified as an ancestor of the speakers of these specific languages as early as AD 947...
, and speculates that Kujarge could even be a conservative language transitional between Chadic and Cushitic.
The language had been classified as a member of the Mubi subgroup of Chadic
Chadic languages
The Chadic languages constitute a language family of perhaps 200 languages spoken across northern Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic and Cameroon, belonging to the Afroasiatic phylum...
by Paul Newman; however, Lionel Bender
Lionel Bender (linguist)
Marvin Lionel Bender was an American author and co-author of several books, publications and essays regarding African languages, particularly from Ethiopia and Sudan. He retired from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. He did extensive work in all four language families of Ethiopia: Semitic,...
argued that its classification remained uncertain. There may have been a mix-up with Birgit
Birgit language
Birgit is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in southeastern Chad.- References :* **...
, a nearby Mubi language which is also called Kujarge; when Newman was shown the 200-word list in 2006, he would not commit to it being Chadic.
In addition, there appears to be a large amount of vocabulary that hasn't been identified as Afro-Asiatic; there is a possibility that is a language isolate that has been largely relexified by Chadic and Cushitic.
Sounds
Judging by the one available wordlist, the consonantConsonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
s appear to be:
| Bilabial Bilabial consonant In phonetics, a bilabial consonant is a consonant articulated with both lips. The bilabial consonants identified by the International Phonetic Alphabet are:... |
Alveolar Alveolar consonant Alveolar consonants are articulated with the tongue against or close to the superior alveolar ridge, which is called that because it contains the alveoli of the superior teeth... |
Palatal Palatal consonant Palatal consonants are consonants articulated with the body of the tongue raised against the hard palate... |
Velar Velar consonant Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue against the soft palate, the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the velum).... |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosives | b | t d | ɟ | k ɡ |
| Implosives | ɓ | ɗ | ||
| Prenasalised plosives | mb | nd | ɲɟ | ŋɡ |
| Fricatives | f | s | ʃ | |
| Continuant Continuant A continuant is a sound produced with an incomplete closure of the vocal tract. That is, any sound except a stop or nasal. An affricate is considered to be a complex segment, composed of both a stop and a continuant.-See also:... s |
w | l | j | |
| Nasals Nasal consonant A nasal consonant is a type of consonant produced with a lowered velum in the mouth, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. Examples of nasal consonants in English are and , in words such as nose and mouth.- Definition :... |
m | n | ɲ | ŋ |
| Trill Trill consonant In phonetics, a trill is a consonantal sound produced by vibrations between the articulator and the place of articulation. Standard Spanish <rr> as in perro is an alveolar trill, while in Parisian French it is almost always uvular.... s |
r |
Relatively few consonant cluster
Consonant cluster
In linguistics, a consonant cluster is a group of consonants which have no intervening vowel. In English, for example, the groups and are consonant clusters in the word splits....
s are attested; they appear to all involve r+consonant or gemination
Gemination
In phonetics, gemination happens when a spoken consonant is pronounced for an audibly longer period of time than a short consonant. Gemination is distinct from stress and may appear independently of it....
(unless the prenasalized stops are to be seen as clusters.)
The vowel
Vowel
In phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! or oh! , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, such as English sh! , where there is a constriction or closure at some...
s used in transcribing the same wordlist are: a, e, i, o, u, ʌ, ɛ, ɔ. It is not clear whether all of these are phonemically
Phoneme
In a language or dialect, a phoneme is the smallest segmental unit of sound employed to form meaningful contrasts between utterances....
distinct; [ʌ] and [ɔ], in particular, are rare.
Grammar
The pronounPronoun
In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun is a pro-form that substitutes for a noun , such as, in English, the words it and he...
s include annu "I", nigi "you (sg.)". Interrogative pronouns include ŋgayna "what?", ye "who?". Demonstrative
Demonstrative
In linguistics, demonstratives are deictic words that indicate which entities a speaker refers to and distinguishes those entities from others...
s include agu "this".
The number
Number
A number is a mathematical object used to count and measure. In mathematics, the definition of number has been extended over the years to include such numbers as zero, negative numbers, rational numbers, irrational numbers, and complex numbers....
s include:
- kirre
- kurro
- ubo