Damakawa language

Spoken in

Niger - Congo

• Benue - Congo Kainji West Kainji Duka

Dam

The Damakawa is a nearly extinct language platoide in northwestern Nigeria.

There are currently no speakers of the language found, although the oldest people can still remember a few words. About 80 words and phrases were recorded, with difficulty, until April 2008. Language seems to have been hitherto unknown to linguists.

The Damakawa gradually adopted by the official language is English, but some may also C'Lela, and it is so that all or nearly all previously could also speak the common language Hausa. The Hausa name for the ethnic group is also Damakawa.

Classification

The language is one of the north-western group of West Kainji subgroup of Benue - Congo languages ​​, which in turn belong to the family of languages ​​of the Niger - Congo languages ​​. The words that were collected, show similarities with both the C'Lela, as well as with the Kambari languages, and the Kambari words are mostly loanwords or mis- rememberings.

Alternative Names

The neighboring Cicipu spokesman described the language Demakawa as ' Tidama'un '. In the trade Hausa language is the name of the language Damakanci, given to the people, which are called Damakawa. However, the Demakawa prefer even that word Damakawa.

Geographical Distribution

The people of the Damakawa has a total of about 500-1,000 members who live in three villages near Maganda in Sakaba Local Government Area in the Nigerian state of Kebbi State.