Warji language
Chadic language spoken in Nigeria
title: "Warji language" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["languages-of-nigeria", "west-chadic-languages"] description: "Chadic language spoken in Nigeria" topic_path: "linguistics" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warji_language" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Chadic language spoken in Nigeria ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox language"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Warji |
| altname | Sirzakwai |
| states | Nigeria |
| region | Bauchi State |
| speakers | |
| date | 2022 |
| ref | e27 |
| script | Latin |
| familycolor | Afro-Asiatic |
| fam2 | Chadic |
| fam3 | West Chadic |
| fam4 | Bade–Warji |
| fam5 | Warji languages (B.2) |
| iso3 | wji |
| glotto | warj1253 |
| glottorefname | Warji |
| :: |
|name=Warji |altname=Sirzakwai |states=Nigeria |region=Bauchi State |speakers= |date=2022 |ref=e27 |script=Latin |familycolor=Afro-Asiatic |fam2=Chadic |fam3=West Chadic |fam4=Bade–Warji |fam5=Warji languages (B.2) |iso3=wji |glotto=warj1253 |glottorefname=Warji
Warji (Warjawa) or Sirzakwai is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Speakers are shifting to Hausa.
Distribution
Warji is spoken in:
- Ganjuwa district, Darazo LGA, Bauchi State
- Warji district, Ningi LGA, Bauchi State
- Birnin Kudu LGA, Jigawa State
Morphology
Within the Bade–Warji languages, Warji has the most complex nominal plural marking system. Plurals are marked by the following suffixes.
- -tsǝ
- -sA (-sǝ, -sa)
- -Aŋsǝ (-ǝŋsǝ, -aŋsǝ)
- -(aŋ)ʃi (-shi, -aŋshi; stem-final -i is assimilated)
These may be all allomorphs of a single suffix, with optional inserted nasals.
Suppletive nominal plurals are:
::data[format=table]
| English | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| child | ŋaa | mǝru |
| girl | ŋaagǝɗ | mǝrǝgudi |
| woman | gǝɗ | guɗi |
| man | mumwan | mumwanci |
| human being | warji | zarsǝ |
| :: |
Notes
References
- Blench, Roger. 2021. ''[https://www.academia.edu/46654471/The_erosion_of_number_marking_in_West_Chadic The erosion of number marking in West Chadic Roger Blench]''. WOCAL, Leiden.
- Blench, Roger ''[http://www.rogerblench.info/Language/Afroasiatic/Chadic/West/Warji/Sirzakwai%20dictionary.pdf Wordlist of the Sirzakwai (Warji) language with Hausa and English equivalents]''.
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