Naba language
Encyclopedia
Naba is a Nilo-Saharan language
spoken by 232,000 people in Chad
. Those who speak this language are called Lisi
, a collective name for three closely associated ethnic groups, the Bilala
, the Kuka and the Medogo, that represent the three dialects in which Naba is subdivided. They live mainly in the Batha Prefecture
, but the Kuka are also in Chari-Baguirmi
. Ethnologue
estimates the lexical similarity among the three dialects to be no less than 99%. Arabic
is often known as a second language.
Nilo-Saharan languages
The Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed family of African languages spoken by some 50 million people, mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers , including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of Nile meet...
spoken by 232,000 people in Chad
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...
. Those who speak this language are called Lisi
Lisi
Lisi is a collective term used to describe three closely associated Chadian ethnic groups living in the same geographical area, represented by the Batha and Chari-Baguirmi prefectures: the Bilala , the Kuka and the Medogo ....
, a collective name for three closely associated ethnic groups, the Bilala
Bilala
The Bilala, or Bulala, are a Muslim people that live around Lake Fitri, in the Batha Prefecture, in central Chad. The last Chadian census in 1993 stated that they numbered 136.629 persons. Their language, Naba, is divided in four dialects and is in the Nilo-Saharan group; it is shared by two of...
, the Kuka and the Medogo, that represent the three dialects in which Naba is subdivided. They live mainly in the Batha Prefecture
Batha Prefecture
This article refers to one of the former prefectures of Chad. From 2002 the country was divided into 18 regions.Batha was one of the 14 prefectures of Chad. Located in the center of the country, Batha covered an area of 88,800 square kilometers and had a population of 288,458 in 1993. Its capital...
, but the Kuka are also in Chari-Baguirmi
Chari-Baguirmi Prefecture
This article refers to one of the former prefectures of Chad. From 2002 the country was divided into 18 regions.Chari-Baguirmi was one of the 14 prefectures of Chad. Located in the west of the country, Chari-Baguirmi covered an area of 82,910 square kilometers and had a population of 720,941 in...
. Ethnologue
Ethnologue
Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
estimates the lexical similarity among the three dialects to be no less than 99%. Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
is often known as a second language.