# Karai-karai

Karai-karai (Francophonic spelling: Karekare, Kerrikerri, Ajami: كاراي-كاراي) is the third largest Chadic language by number of speakers, and a language spoken in West Africa, most prominently North eastern Nigeria. The number of speakers of Karai-karai is estimated between 1,500,000 and 1,800,000 million, primarily spoken by the ethnic Karai-Karai people. It is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken principally in Nigeria with communities in Bauchi State, Yobe State, Gombe State and other parts of Nigeria. Many Karai-karai words share a common origin with the Northwest Semitic languages of Hebrew and Arabic. The Karai-karai language is most closely related to the Ngamo and Bole languages (spoken in north eastern Nigeria) which are both considered derivatives of the Karai-karai language.

## Distribution

Karai-karai (and its dialects) is a well-spoken language in the following northern Nigerian states:
* Bauchi State
* Yobe State
* Borno State
* Gombe State
* Taraba State
* Adamawa State
* Jigawa State
* Kano State
* Nasarawa State

## Classification

Karai-karai is classified among the Bole-Tangale languages, together with Bure, Deno, Gero, Geruma, Galambu, Giiwo, Kubi, Maaka, Ɓeele, Daza, Pali, Ngamo, Bole and the isolate Tangale form the BoleTangale group of languages within the West Chadic branch of the Chadic family. In present-day Nigeria, it is estimated that there are over 2 million Karai-karai primary and secondary language speakers within Nigeria, it is the second most widely spoken language in North eastearn Nigeria.

## Bole-Tangale languages

Below is a comprehensive list of Bole–Tangale languages names, populations, and locations from Blench (2019). It is the subgroup which the Karai-karai language belongs
| | Language | Cluster | Dialects | Alternate spellings | Own name for language | Endonym(s) | Other names (location-based) | Other names for language | Exonym(s) | Speakers |
| Daza | | | Daza | | | | | | a few villages (Note: No data available) | Bauchi State, Darazo LGA |
| Bole | | Bara, Fika (Fiyankayen, Anpika) | | Bòò Pìkkà, Bopika | Am Pìkkà, Ampika | Fika, Piika | Bolanci | Anika, Bolewa | 32,000 (1952 W&B); est. >100,000 (1990) | Bauchi State, Dukku, Alkaleri, and Darazo LGAs; Borno State, Fika LGA |
| Bure | | | | BuBure | Bure | | Bure | | A single village southeast of Darazo town | Bauchi State, Darazo LGA |
| Ɓeele | | | Bele | Àɓéelé | bòhé áɓéelé sg., Àɓéelé pl. | | Bellawa | | 120 (Temple 1922); a few villages | Bauchi State |
| Deno | | | | | | | | | 9,900 (LA 1971) | Bauchi State, Darazo LGA; 45 km northeast of Bauchi town |
| Galambu | | | Galembi, Galambe | Galambu | Galambu | | | | 8505 (Temple 1922); 2020 (Meek 1925); 1000 (SIL) | Bauchi State, Bauchi LGA, at least 15 villages |
| Dera | | Shani, Shellen and Gasi | | Bo Dera | na Dera sg., Dera pl. | Kanakuru | | | 11,300 (W&B) | Adamawa State, Shellen LGA; Borno State, Shani LGA |
| Fyandigeri | | | | Fyandigere | sg. laa Fyandigeri, pl. Fyandigeri | | | Gerawa, Gere, Gera | 13,300 (LA 1971); at least 30 villages. Many Gera villages no longer speak the language. A 2018 survey suggested there are only 4 villages where the language is being passed on to children. | Bauchi State, Bauchi and Darazo LGAs |
| Geruma | | Sum, Duurum, possibly Gamsawa/Gamshi (Temple) | Gerema, Germa | Geerum (Duurum dialect); Gyeermu (Sum dialect) | Geerum (Duurum dialect); sg. na Gyeermu, pl. Gyeermu (Sum dial.) | | | | 4,700 (LA 1971) | Bauchi State, Toro and Darazo LGAs. At least 10 villages |
| Giiwo | | | Kirifi | Bu Giiwo | sg. Ba Giiwo, pl. Ma Giiwo | | | | 3,620 (1922 Temple); 14,000 (SIL) | Bauchi State, Alkaleri, Bauchi and Darazo LGAs, 24 villages |
| Karai-karai | | Western Jalalúm, northern Bíŕkaí, southern Pakaró (Pakaráu)/Matací and eastern Ngwajum | Kәrekәre, Kerekere, Karaikarai, Kerikeri | Bo Karai-karai | Sg. Bakarkare, Pl. Karaikarai | Jalamawa | Karkanci, Karekaranci, Bo Saban | Bakwaráu, Bakwaró | 1,000,000 (2005) | Bauchi State; Dambam, Gamawa and Misau LGAs; Yobe State; Nangere, Potiskum, Fune and Fika LGAs Gombe State; Nafada and Deba LGAs |
| Kholok | | | | | | Kode, Koode, Kwoode,Widala, Pia, Wurkum, Pitiko | | | 2,500 (1977 Voegelin & Voegelin) | Taraba State, Karim Lamido LGA, near Didango |
| Kubi | | | Kuba | | | | | | 1,090 (1922 Temple); 500 (1973 SIL) | Bauchi State, Darazo LGA, 40 km. N.E. of Bauchi town |
| Kulung (Chadic) | | | | Kulung (speakers consider themselves Kulung i.e. Jarawan Bantu, although their language is Chadic and related to Piya) | | Wurkum | | | 2000? | Taraba State, Karim Lamido LGA |
| Kutto | | | Kupto | Kúttò | Kúttò | | | | Two villages. 3000 (1990 est.) | Bauchi State, Bajoga LGA, Yobe State, Gujba LGA |
| Maaka | | Two dialects; Maaka (at Gulani) and Maha (at Vara) | Magha, Maga, Maha | | | | | | More than 4,000 (1990) | Yobe State, Gujba LGA. Gulani and Bara towns and associated hamlets. Northeast of Dadin Kowa Reservoir. |
| Ngamo | | | Gamo | | | | | | 17,800 (1952 W&B) | Borno State, Fika LGA; Bauchi State, Darazo LGA, Darazo district and Dukku LGA, Nafada district |
| Pero | | Dialects associated with three major settlements | Walo | Péerò | sg. Péerò, pl. Pìpéerò | Filiya [town name] | | | 6,664 (1925 Meek); 20,000 (1973 SIL) | Gombe State, Shongom LGA, around Filiya. 3 main villages: Gwandum, Gundale and Filiya. |
| Piya–Kwonci cluster | Piya–Kwonci | | Pia | | | Wurkum, Pitiko | | | 2,500 (1977 Voegelin & Voegelin) | Taraba State, Karim Lamido LGA, near Didango |
| Piya | Piya–Kwonci | | Pia | | | Wurkum | | | | |
| Kwonci | Piya–Kwonci | Kunshenu | | | | | | | More than 4000 (1990) | |
| Goji | | | | Fo Goji | Nya Goji pl. Memme Goji | Kushe, Kushi | Chong'e | | 4000 (1973 SIL); 5000 (1990). ca. 20 villages (2007) | Gombe State, Shongom LGA |
| Kwaami | | Kafarati, Ɗolli | Kwami, Kwom | Kwáámì | Kwáámì | Komawa | | | 10,000 (1990) | Bauchi State, Kwami LGA |
| Nyam | | | | | Nyambolo | | | | A single village | Taraba State, Karim Lamido LGA, at Andami village |
| Tangale | | Ture, Kaltungo, Shongom, Billiri | Tangle | Táŋlɛ̀ | | Billiri | | | 36,000 (1952 W&B); 100,000 (1973 SIL) | Gombe State, Kaltungo, Alkaleri and Akko LGAs |

## Literary Karai-karai

Standard Karai-karai has its origin in the 1950s, when Northern Region Literary Agency (NORLA) worked on the book Ndar Ma Karatu which is the earliest publication in Karai-karai published by Gaskiya Corporation.

## Writing system
### Alphabets

Karai-karai language is written with the basic Latin script, with four diacritics appearing on vowels (circumflex accent, acute accent, grave accent) and the cedilla appearing in "ç" and "ş". The Latin letters ⟨q⟩, ⟨v⟩, ⟨x⟩ are not used as part of the official orthography of Standard Karai-karai.
Karai-karai Alphabets :
| Capital Letters | A | B | Ɓ | C | D | Ɗ | E | G | H | I | J | K | Ƙ | L | M | N | O | P | R | R̃ | S | Ş | T | U | W | ʼW | Y | ʼY | Z |
| Small Letters | a | b | ɓ | c | d | ɗ | e | g | h | i | j | k | ƙ | l | m | n | o | p | r | r̃ | s | ş | t | u | w | ʼw | y | ʼy | z |

### Orthography

* Digraphs: dl, hn, tl, zh, lh, lz, zh, sh, ny, nz, nd, nt, nc, nk, nj, ng, mp, mb. mɓ, kw, gw, ƙw, zh, sh.
* Trigraphs: nlz, nzh, ngw, nkw
* Accents: à, â, á, ā, è, ê, é, ē, ì, í, ī, î, ò, ō, ó, ù, ū, ú, ā̀, ḕ, ī̀, ṑ, ū̀, ā́, ḗ, ī́, ṓ, ū́.

### Vowels

The Karai-karai language has five long vowels, a, e, i, o, u and five long vowels [a:, e:, i:, o:, and u:] these five long vowels are written as ā, ē, ī, ō, ū or with double letters as follows: aa, ee, ii, oo, and uu as used by some dialects.
The diphthongs: au and ai.

## Gallery

* Bala Bara Majalam is festival of a Karai-karai ethnic group's of Jalam town Yobe State 2024