Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
Chadic language

Chadic language

9.9
A language spoken in parts of north-central Africa near Lake Chad that often uses two tones, for example Hausa
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : idioma chádico
  • The Chadic language family is known for its distinctive use of tones.

Examples

  • Linguists have documented hundreds of Chadic languages in Cameroon and Nigeria.

  • Hausa is the most widely spoken Chadic language in West Africa.

  • The Chadic language family includes several dialects.

  • Many people in Chad speak a Chadic language.

  • Hausa is the most widely spoken Chadic language in West Africa.

  • Many people in Chad speak a Chadic language at home.

  • Linguists have documented hundreds of different Chadic languages across north-central Africa.

Surface Forms

Chadic language singular
Chadic languages plural

Morphology

Chadic + language

The noun phrase is fully compositional: 'Chadic' names a particular language family and 'language' denotes a spoken system, so together they mean 'a language belonging to the Chadic family.' This adjective + noun naming pattern for language families is cross-linguistically common, making the meaning directly derivable for a learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Chadic language comes from the name of 'Lake Chad' in north-central Africa, because many of these languages are spoken around that lake. The part Chadic means 'from Chad' and the word language shows it refers to that group of related languages.