The Zarma language
(Harisson et al., 1997)

Zarma is one of the important Songhay speech varieties. It is also referred to as Dyerma, Dyarma, Dyabarma, Zabarma, Adzerma, Djerma, and Zarbarma.

Zarma is one of the southern Songhay dialects spoken in Zarmaganda (arrondissement of Quallam) and the Zarmatarey (arrondissement of Kollo) in Niger, see map below.

Map of areas of occurence of different Sonhay dialects
Map with major southern Songhay dialects
Based on: Harrison et al, 1997, background map: Microsoft-Elsevier, 2001


Based on 1996 population figures Harrison et al. (1997) calculated that about 2,042,000 people spoke a Songhay dialect in Niger (about 23% of the total population) and about a 804,000 in the neighbouring countries. The number of speakers per dialect per country is given in the table below.

Populations of speakers of southern Songhay dialects
Source: Harrison et al., 1997
Mali
Niger
Burkina Faso
Benin
Nigeria
Songhay (W, E, C, K)
600,000
(W,E,C)
489,000
(K,E)
122,700
(C,K)
-
-
Songhay - Kurtey
-
44,100
-
-
-
Songhay - Wogo
-
28,800
-
-
-
Zarma
-
1,427,000
600
some
50,000
Dendi
-
53,100
-
30,000
a few

    W,E,C,K = Western, Eastern, Central, Kaado



Last updated: 09 maart 2006