Songhay languages
The Songhay languages are a group of closely related languages/dialects centered on the Niger river, widely used as a lingua franca, particularly thanks to the medieval Songhay Empire.
They fall into two main groups:
- Southern Songhai is spoken mainly along and south of the Niger river; it includes Zarma (Djerma), a major language of Niger with 2 million speakers, Dendi in Benin, and in Mali Koyraboro Senni with 400,000 speakers, Humburi Senni, and Koyra Chiini.
- The much smaller Northern Songhai is a group of heavily Berber-influenced dialects spoken in the Sahara, including Tadaksahak in northern Mali, Tasawaq and Tagdal in northern Niger, the extinct Emghedeshie of Agadez, and Korandje on the Algeria-Morocco border at Tabelbala. While varieties of Tamasheq are the main influence on the others, Korandje appears to be influenced more by Northern Berber.
Many medieval manuscripts in Songhay exist, written in the Arabic alphabet, especially in Timbuktu; however, in modern times it is written in the Latin alphabet.
