"It is a language which apparently was only ever used by the blacksmiths of the region and their families... Sombə is the language of a blacksmith group. It is not a trade jargon or sociolect, but is (or rather, was) the primary language of daily use for the smiths and their families, both in the home and outside. The traditional blacksmithing trade has now vanished, bringing substantial change to the lifestyle of this group... Today, everyone in the village [Kila Yang village] speaks Maberem and Fulfulde; to a lesser extent people also speak Hausa (perhaps increasingly a lingua franca, though it is too soon to tell whether Hausa will replace Fulfulde). Many people speak or at least have some familiarity with Tungba (the variety of Mambila spoken at Gembu the largest urban centre on the Mambila Plateau), and many, especially the young and those who have been to school, also speak English... Sombə remains a part of the heritage of the Somyev, but it is no longer a viable language. It has been replaced in all its normal daily functions in the home and in the village by Maberem Mambila. Fulfulde serves as a language of wider communication. English, normally the language of official business (governmental, legal, etc) in Nigeria is not spoken by any of the remaining speakers of Sombə"