Koyra Chiini
Songhai
Koyra Chiini, literally “town language,” is a Songhay language spoken in Timbuktu and nearby settlements along the Niger Bend in Mali, including Diré, Goundam, Tonka, and Niafunké. It forms a western Songhay dialect complex and is sharply differentiated from Koyraboro Senni farther east around Gao, while Djenné Chiini is a closely related western variety. Its basic clause order is subject–verb–object, not SOV, with mood, aspect, and negation particles occurring before the verb; postpositions nevertheless follow their complements. Noun phrases generally place adjectives, numerals, demonstratives, definiteness, and plural marking after the noun. Koyra Chiini lacks contrastive lexical or grammatical tone, unlike several non-Malian Songhay languages, and its documented phonology includes contrasts between short and long vowels.
Where it is spoken
87 core words in Koyra Chiini
Sources
Words compared
Compared with languages in the same classification: Songhai
| Meaning | Koyra Chiini | Zarma | Koyraboro Senni | Sidamo | Soninke | Parthian | Gedeo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | hari /hari/ | hari /hari/ | hari /hari/ | waa /waː/ | ji /dʒi/ | āb /aːb/ | wodeʼe /wodeʔe/ |
| Fire | nuune /nuːne/ | danji /dandʒi/ | nuune /nuːne/ | giira /ɡiːra/ | yinbe /jimbe/ | ādar /aːdar/ | giira /ɡiːɾa/ |
| Sun | wari /wari/ | wayna /wajna/ | wayna /wajna/ | arrishsho /arːiʃːo/ | kiye /kije/ | xwar /xwar/ | arishsho /ariʃːo/ |
| Moon | handu /handu/ | handu /handu/ | handu /handu/ | agana /aɡana/ | xaso /xaso/ | māh /maːh/ | agenjo /aɡendʒo/ |
| Star | handariya /handarija/ | handariya /handarija/ | handaray /handaraj/ | beeddakko /beːdːakko/ | saane /saːne/ | astārag /asˈtaːraɡ/ | urje /urdʒe/ |
| Night | cin /tʃin/ | ciini /tʃiːni/ | cijin /tʃidʒin/ | hashsha /haʃːa/ | wuro /wuro/ | ʾxšp /xʃap/ | hashsha /haʃːa/ |
| Earth | laabu /laːbu/ | laabu /laːbu/ | labu /labu/ | uulla /uːlla/ | ñiiñe /ɲiːɲe/ | zamīg /zamiːɡ/ | buttina /butːina/ |
| Stone | tondi /tondi/ | tondi /tondi/ | tondi /tondi/ | kincho /kintʃo/ | gide /ɡide/ | sang /saŋɡ/ | kinjo /kindʒo/ |
| Mother | nya /ɲa/ | ñaa /ɲaː/ | ɲaa /ɲaː/ | ama /ama/ | ma /ma/ | mād /maːd/ | ama /ama/ |
| Father | baaba /baːba/ | baba /baba/ | baaba /baːba/ | anna /anːa/ | baaba /baːba/ | pid /pid/ | anna /anːa/ |
| I | ay /aj/ | ay /aj/ | ay /aj/ | ani /ani/ | in /in/ | az /az/ | ani /ani/ |
| You | ni /ni/ | ni /ni/ | ni /ni/ | ati /ati/ | an /an/ | tu /tuː/ | ati /ati/ |
| We | yer /jer/ | iri /iri/ | iri /iri/ | ninke /ninke/ | o /o/ | amāh /amaːh/ | noʼo /noʔo/ |
| Name | maa /maː/ | maa /maː/ | maa /maː/ | suʼma /suʔma/ | toxo /toxo/ | nām /naːm/ | summa /sumːa/ |
| Person | boro /boro/ | boro /boro/ | boro /boro/ | mancho /mantʃo/ | sere /sere/ | — | manjo /mandʒo/ |
| Head | boŋ /boŋ/ | boŋ /boŋ/ | boŋ /boŋ/ | umo /umo/ | yinme /jinme/ | sar /sar/ | umo /umo/ |
| Eye | mo /mo/ | mo /mo/ | moo /moː/ | ille /ilːe/ | yaaxe /jaːxe/ | čašm /tʃaʃm/ | ille /ilːe/ |
| Ear | hanga /haŋɡa/ | hanga /haŋɡa/ | haŋa /haŋa/ | macca /matʃʼːa/ | toro /toro/ | gōš /ɡoːʃ/ | mansha /manʃa/ |
| Nose | nine /nine/ | nine /nine/ | niine /niːne/ | sano /sano/ | nuxune /nuxune/ | — | sana /sana/ |
| Mouth | me /me/ | me /me/ | mee /meː/ | afo /afo/ | raqe /raqe/ | — | afoʼo /afoʔo/ |
| Tooth | hinje /hindʒe/ | hinje /hindʒe/ | hiɲe /hiɲe/ | hinko /hinko/ | kanbe /kambe/ | dndʾn /dandaːn/ | isso /isːo/ |
| Tongue | deene /deːne/ | deene /deːne/ | deene /deːne/ | arrawo /arːawo/ | nene /nene/ | ʾzbʾn /izβaːn/ | arrabo /arːabo/ |
| Hand | kambe /kambe/ | kambe /kambe/ | kabe /kabe/ | anga /anɡa/ | kitte /kitːe/ | dast /dast/ | anga /aŋɡa/ |
| Foot | cee /tʃeː/ | ce /tʃe/ | cee /tʃeː/ | lekka /ˈlekːa/ | — | pʾd /paːð/ | lekka /lekːa/ |
| Heart | bine /bine/ | bina /bina/ | bine /bine/ | wodana /wodana/ | sondome /sondome/ | zyrd /zird/ | wodana /wodana/ |
| Bone | biri /biri/ | biri /biri/ | biri /biri/ | miqicho /mikʼitʃo/ | xotte /xotːe/ | ʾstg /astaɡ/ | micco /mitʃʼːo/ |
| Blood | kuri /kuri/ | kuri /kuri/ | kuri /kuri/ | munde /munde/ | fare /fare/ | gwhn /ɡuxn/ | munde /munde/ |
| Love | baŋa /baŋa/ | baa /baː/ | baa /baː/ | baxa /batʼa/ | xanuye /xanuje/ | friyādan /frijaːdan/ | eeyya /eːjːa/ |
| Tree | tuuri /tuːri/ | tuuri /tuːri/ | tuuri /tuːri/ | haqqe /hakʼːe/ | yitte /jitːe/ | dār /daːr/ | haqqa /hakʼːa/ |
| Dog | hansi /hansi/ | hansi /hansi/ | hansi /hansi/ | woshichcho /woʃitʃːo/ | wulle /wulːe/ | spag /spaɡ/ | kaneessa /kaneːsːa/ |
| Cat | muusu /muːsu/ | muusu /muːsu/ | muusi /muːsi/ | adurree /adurːeː/ | muusine /muːsine/ | — /—/ | adurre /aduɾːe/ |
| Fish | hamisa /hamisa/ | hamisa /hamisa/ | hamiisa /hamiːsa/ | qulxuʼme /kʼultʼuʔme/ | ñexe /ɲexe/ | mʾsyg /maːsjaɡ/ | qulxuʼme /kʼultʼuʔme/ |
| Bird | cirow /tʃirow/ | curoize /tʃuroize/ | ciraw /tʃiraw/ | ceʼa /tʃʼeʔa/ | yeliŋe /jeliŋe/ | murw /murw/ | ciʼa /tʃʼiʔa/ |
| Egg | gunguri /ɡuŋɡuri/ | gunguri /ɡuŋɡuri/ | guuri /ɡuːri/ | quuphichcho /kʼuːpʼitʃːo/ | xabaane /xabaːne/ | — | quuphe /kʼuːpʼe/ |
| Horse | bari /bari/ | bari /bari/ | bari /bari/ | farashsho /faraʃːo/ | si /si/ | — | fadhado /faɗado/ |
| House | huu /huː/ | fu /fu/ | hugu /huɡu/ | mine /mine/ | kaa /kaː/ | xānag /xaːnaɡ/ | mine /mine/ |
| Milk | waa /waː/ | wa /wa/ | waa /waː/ | ado /ado/ | xati /xati/ | — | ado /ado/ |
| Wine | duwẽ /duwẽ/ | — | alaneb hari /alaneb hari/ | woyinete xajje /wojinete tʼadʒːe/ | — | — | woyine /wojine/ |
| Iron | guuru /ɡuːru/ | guuru /ɡuːru/ | guuru /ɡuːru/ | siwiila /siwiːla/ | mexe /mexe/ | — | sibiljo /sibildʒo/ |
| Eat | ŋwa /ŋwa/ | ŋwa /ŋwa/ | ŋaa /ŋaː/ | ita /ita/ | yiga /jiɡa/ | xward- /xward/ | ita /ita/ |
| Drink | hane /hane/ | haŋ /haŋ/ | haŋ /haŋ/ | aga /aɡa/ | mini /mini/ | pī- /piː/ | haʼwa /haʔwa/ |
| One | afoo /afoː/ | affo /afːo/ | affoo /afːoː/ | mitto /mitːo/ | baane /baːne/ | ēw /eːw/ | mitto /mitːo/ |
| Two | hiŋka /hiŋka/ | ihinka /ihiŋka/ | ihinka /ihiŋka/ | lame /lame/ | fillo /filːo/ | dō /doː/ | lame /lame/ |
| Three | hinza /hinza/ | ihinza /ihinza/ | hinza /hinza/ | sase /sase/ | sikko /sikːo/ | hry /hreː/ | sase /sase/ |
| Four | taaci /taːtʃi/ | taaci /taːtʃi/ | taaci /taːtʃi/ | shoole /ʃoːle/ | naxato /naɣato/ | čafār /tʃafaːr/ | shoole /ʃoːle/ |
| Five | guu /ɡuː/ | gu /ɡu/ | guu /ɡuː/ | onte /onte/ | karago /karaˈɡo/ | panj /pandʒ/ | onde /onde/ |
| Hundred | jongu /dʒoŋɡu/ | zangu /zaŋɡu/ | zangu /zaŋɡu/ | xibbe /tʼibːe/ | kame /kãme/ | — | dhibba /ɗibːa/ |
| Hello | fofo /fofo/ | fofo /fofo/ | fofo /fofo/ | nagaa yiʼne /naɡaː jiʔne/ | an na siri /an na siɾi/ | drōd /droːd/ | mooye /moːje/ |
| Thank you | barka /barka/ | fofo /fofo/ | barka /barka/ | galiʼne /ɡaliʔne/ | inkawu /iŋkawu/ | spās /spaːs/ | galaata /ɡalaːta/ |
| Good | boori /boːri/ | boori /boːri/ | boori /boːri/ | danchu /dantʃu/ | siita /siːta/ | nēw /neːw/ | elo /elo/ |
| New | taawo /taːwo/ | — | taaga /taːɡa/ | haaro /haːro/ | kurunba /kurunba/ | nawāg /nawaːɡ/ | haaro /haːro/ |
| Red | ciray /tʃiraj/ | ciray /tʃiraj/ | ciray /tʃiraj/ | duuma /duːma/ | dumbi /dumbi/ | swxr /suxr/ | diimmo /diːmːo/ |
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