Languages

As you all know Northern Nigeria is a region characterized by  rich cultural heritage and linguistic diversity. We have lots of ethnic groups with languages and traditions. 

Arewa has a cultural diversity and this diversity is vividly reflected in the multitude of languages spoken across the Northern part. 

A lot of people think that only Hausa language is spoken in the northern part of Nigeria but we have lots of languages that are being spoken apart from Hausa. 

Hausa language is the most widely spoken and serve as a lingua franca across the Arewa region. It is predominantly spoken in almost all the northern states kano, kaduna, katsina, Bauchi, Gombe etc. Zai yi wuya ga zagaya garuruwan Arewa ka ji ba a yi ma ka Hausa ba saboda yadda yaren Hausa ya mamaye koina. Kai hatta kasashen west Africa dayawa idan ka je za ka ji ana Hausa sai da karin harshe ya banbanta. Kasashe irinsu Niger, Ghana, Chad, Mali da sauransu. Ga shi yaren Hausa is rich in literature poetry ne, folktales ne, music ne ga su nan dai. 

Sannan akwai yaren Fulfulde duk da wasu kan kira shi da fulatanci. Wadanda suke yin yaren ana ce musu fulani. Hausawa da fulani ‘yanuwan juna ne tunda kuwa Arewacin Nigeria za a iya cewa cike take da Hausa/fulani. Ana samun Fulani across garuruwan Arewa irin su Adamawa, Taraba, Akwai fulanin katsina akwai na Kano akwai na sokoto na Bauchi da sauransu. Fulfulde is a member of the Niger-congo language family and has various dialects across different regions. Kamar yanzu za ka samu ana fillanci a kasashe irinsu  Niger, Congo, Chad da sauransu. 

Kanuri is mostly spoken in westeastern Nigeria notably in Borno state, some parts of Yobe state. Kanuri is known for its unique grammatical structure and rich history. Particularly in the context of the Kanem Borno empire.The language is also spoken in the lake chad region. 

Nupe language is spoken mostly in Niger state some parts of kwara, kogi and Abuja. We also have the Tiv language that is spoken mostly around Benue state and also parts of Nassarawa state. Tiv language belongs to the Benue-congo family. The Tiv people are known for their agricultural practices and rich oral tradition which includes story telling, proverbs, poems etc. 

The igalas speak the igala language predominantly located in Kogi state. It is closely related to idoma and yoruba langauge and has significant presence in history. 

The Birom lamguage is spoken by the Birom people in Plateau state. Akwai su yaren jukun da ake samunsu a Taraba, Su yaren Margi (Adamawa/Borno),Gwari ana samun masu yaren a jihar Niger, akan iya samun su a Kaduna ma har da Abuja.  Chamba ana samunsu a yankin Adamawa da Taraba. A yankin Adamawar ma akan samu yaren Bura wanda suke a Hong da Gombi local Government areas. Akwai irinsu waja (Ganye / toumgo LGA), Chamba (Numan) Hdi (Mubi) da sauransu. Haka a wajejen Taraba banda masu jin fulatanci ana samun yaren Mammuye, kunini, jukun, wurkun, da kuteb, da yaren bali da sauransu. 

Idan na ce da ku zan lissafo muku languages din da ke Arewa to za mu kai gobe ba mu gama ba. 

We have many more

Are you from Arewa? 

What language do you speak?