Zarma ( Zarma Ciine ) is one of the principal dialects of the Songhaï, with two million speakers, it is spoken with the Niger, the Nigeria, and the Burkina Faso. The songhaï is a language of the West Africa spoken in the valley about the Niger since Djenné with the Mali to the countries Baribas in north about the Bénin. He was spoken by a many population which played a considerable part in the history of the Africa.

Classification

According to the classification of the African languages, the zarma is classified in the family of the nilo-Saharan Langues, southernmost Songhaï.

Statute

Second national language of the Niger after the Haoussa, the songhaï is the dominant language in the Western part of the Niger, spoken by a quarter about the population about the country.

Dialects

One can note four dialectal forms whose mutual comprehension is almost complete.

• Kourteï ciine ; speech of the people Kourteï between Tillaberi and Say
• Wogo ciine ; speech of the pleuple Wogo of the valley of Niger with Boura with the Mali, islands of the area of Tillabéri and Ayorou (in Niger), and with Kala ‑ kala (Zaria) with the Nigeria.
• Songhoyboro Ciine (Kaado); speech of Fada' Ngourma to the Burkina Faso, of Téra, and on left bank in the town of Tillaberi, Gotheye, and Karma.
• Zarma ciine ; speech of the people Zarmas of left bank of the Niger in the areas of Zarmaganda, and Zarmatarey.

Writing

Like the majority of the languages of Africa, the Songhaï whose Zarma is dialect does not have its own writing, however of many manuscripts written in language songhaï using the Arabic alphabet were found. Today the Zarma is written with the Latin alphabet.

Example

Internal bonds

• linguistic Guide zarma

External bonds

• Language and culture Zarma
• Elementary Notions Apprendre Zarma
• Cawyan Zarma sanni (English)
• Cawyan Zarma sanni (Nederlands
• Zarma has off language Niger (ethnologist)
• Zarma or Songhay-Zarma
• Songhai-Zarma Language Page
• Dictionary Multilingual Zarma, English, French
• Langue Zarma
• the Bible in Zarma

References

• '' Parlons Zarma '' - a book on the language and the Zarma culture (with a lexicon zarma-French and French-zarma)

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