Warji (Warjawa) or Sirzakwai is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Speakers are shifting to Hausa.[1]
Distribution
Warji is spoken in:[2]
- 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.[3] Plurals are marked by the following suffixes.[2]
- –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:[2]
| English | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| child | ŋaa | mǝru |
| girl | ŋaagǝɗ | mǝrǝgudi |
| woman | gǝɗ | guɗi |
| man | mumwan | mumwanci |
| human being | warji | zarsǝ |
Notes
- ^ a b Warji at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
- ^ a b c Blench, Roger Wordlist of the Sirzakwai (Warji) language with Hausa and English equivalents.
- ^ Blench, Roger. 2021. The erosion of number marking in West Chadic Roger Blench. WOCAL, Leiden.