Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Za:r, vik-Zaar, Vikzar, Vigzar, Saya, Sayanci, Sayawa, Seya, Seyawa, Seiyawa, Seiyara, Sayara
CLASSIFICATION		Afro-Asiatic, Chadic, West Chadic
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		say
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		Zaar of Ɓogoro (formerly called the Lusa dialect) Zaar of Gambar Lere Zaar of Marti Zaar of Kal Sigidi (Gus or Guus)
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

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Information from: “Zaar Grammatical Sketch” . Bernard Caron (2013) INALCO-CNRS

Vulnerable

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~150,000
Native speakers worldwide

DOMAINS OF USE
SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "Most Zaar people of the younger generation are bilingual in Hausa-Zaar. They are schooled in Hausa in primary school, before learning English… The older generation are not sure of themselves in Hausa, whereas the younger educated elite, who often hold positions in the administration, police and education, switch comfortably between Zaar, Hausa and English."

PLACES: Bauchi State, Nigeria

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: "The Zaar live in the South of Bauchi State (Nigeria), in the Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro Local Government Areas"

PLACES: Nigeria

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Villages of Kal, Lusa, Tafawa Balewa, Mwari, Bogoro, Lere, Sigidi

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~50,000
Native speakers worldwide

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "Most Sayawa are fluent in Hausa, a Chadic language which serves as a lingua franca in Northern Nigeria."

PLACES: Bauchi Province, Nigeria

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: "Sayanci, the language of the Sayawa (spelled Seiyawa in Greenberg 1966),1 is the principal language of Lere District in Bauchi Province, North Eastern State, Nigeria."

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~150,000
Native speakers worldwide

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "All of them [Za:r speakers] are bilingual, using Za:r locally and Hausa regionally. English is a prerequisite in the Nigerian system of Education."
More on Orthography: No official orthographic system; Caron (2005) is an attempt to create one.

PLACES: Bauchi State, Nigeria

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: "the South of Bauchi State, Nigeria, and mainly in the Bogoro Local Government Area"

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~150,000
Native speakers worldwide

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "Most Zaar people of the younger generation are Hausa-Zaar bilinguals. They are schooled in Hausa in primary school, before learning English. The Zaar are Christians and use a Hausa translation of the Bible. The older generation are not fluent in Hausa, whereas the younger educated elite, who often hold positions in the administration, police and education, switch comfortably between Zaar, Hausa and English."

PLACES: Bauchi State, Nigeria

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: "Zaar, also known as Saya, is spoken by about 150 000 speakers in the South of Bauchi State (Nigeria), in the Tafawa Ɓalewa and Ɓogoro Local Government Areas"

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
50,000
Native speakers worldwide

PLACES: Bauchi State, Nigeria

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: "Bauchi State, Tafawa Balewa LGA"

2013	Zaar Grammatical Sketch		INALCO-CNRS	LLACAN		https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/file/index/docid/869399/filename/CARON_Zaar_SKETCH_2013-10-02.pdf	Bernard Caron	Caron, Bernard. 2013. Zaar Grammatical Sketch. LLACAN at INALCO-CNRS.	~150,000	100000	Hausa	"Most Zaar people of the younger generation are bilingual in Hausa-Zaar. They are schooled in Hausa in primary school, before learning English… The older generation are not sure of themselves in Hausa, whereas the younger educated elite, who often hold positions in the administration, police and education, switch comfortably between Zaar, Hausa and English."	Vulnerable (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	10	12	10	"The Zaar live in the South of Bauchi State (Nigeria), in the Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro Local Government Areas"	Bauchi State, Nigeria
2005	Za:r: dictionary, grammar, texts			Institut de Recherche français en Afrique			Bernard Caron	Caron, Bernard. 2005. Za:r: dictionary, grammar, texts. Ibadan: IFRA.	~150,000	100000	Hausa, English	"All of them [Za:r speakers] are bilingual, using Za:r locally and Hausa regionally. English is a prerequisite in the Nigerian system of Education."	At risk (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)				"the South of Bauchi State, Nigeria, and mainly in the Bogoro Local Government Area"	Bauchi State, Nigeria	9.756303, 9.555917
2012	Comparison, similarity and simulation in Zaar, a Chadic language of Nigeria. Expressions de similarité dans une perspective africaniste et typologique			LLACAN			Bernard Caron	Caron, Bernard. 2012. Comparison, similarity and simulation in Zaar, a Chadic language of Nigeria. Expressions de similarité dans une perspective africaniste et typologique. Villejuif, France. Paper presented at the conference "Expressions de similarité dans une perspective africaniste et typologique", Paris, July 16-17, 2012	~150,000	100000		"Most Zaar people of the younger generation are Hausa-Zaar bilinguals. They are schooled in Hausa in primary school, before learning English. The Zaar are Christians and use a Hausa translation of the Bible. The older generation are not fluent in Hausa, whereas the younger educated elite, who often hold positions in the administration, police and education, switch comfortably between Zaar, Hausa and English."	At risk (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)				"Zaar, also known as Saya, is spoken by about 150 000 speakers in the South of Bauchi State (Nigeria), in the Tafawa Ɓalewa and Ɓogoro Local Government Areas"	Bauchi State, Nigeria
1974	Sayanci Phonology				University of Indiana		Nan Schneeberg	Schneeberg, Nan. 1974. Sayanci Phonology. Ph.D. dissertation, Indiana University	~50,000	10000-99999	Hausa	"Most Sayawa are fluent in Hausa, a Chadic language which serves as a lingua franca in Northern Nigeria."	Vulnerable (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)				"Sayanci, the language of the Sayawa (spelled Seiyawa in Greenberg 1966),1 is the principal language of Lere District in Bauchi Province, North Eastern State, Nigeria."	Bauchi Province, Nigeria
2003	International Encyclopedia of Linguistics	Frawley, William	Oxford University Press					Frawley, William. 2003. International encyclopedia of linguistics. 4-volume set. New York: Oxford University Press.	50,000	10000-99999			Vulnerable (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)				"Bauchi State, Tafawa Balewa LGA"	Bauchi State, Nigeria
1975	Boghom and Zaar: vocabulary and notes			Centre for the Study of Nigerian Languages	Abdullahi Bayero College, Ahmadu Bello University		Shimizu, Kiyoshi	Shimizu, Kiyoshi. 1975. Boghom and Zaar: vocabulary and notes. [Zaria, Nigeria]: Centre for the Study of Nigerian Languages, Abdullahi Bayero College, Ahmadu Bello University.									Villages of Kal, Lusa, Tafawa Balewa, Mwari, Bogoro, Lere, Sigidi	Nigeria	9.500000, 9.500000

Zaar

Language metadata

Language information by source

Vulnerable

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~150,000

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~50,000

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~150,000

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~150,000

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50,000

Discussion

Zaar

Language metadata

Language information by source

Vulnerable

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~150,000

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~50,000

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~150,000

At risk

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~150,000

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50,000

Discussion

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