Masalit language

Masalit
Kanaa Masarak
Native toChad, Sudan
RegionOuaddaï, Sila (Chad), West Darfur, South Darfur (Sudan),
EthnicityMasalit
Native speakers
410,000 (2019–2022)[1]
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
mls – Masalit
mdg – Massalat
Glottolognucl1440  Nuclear Masalit
mass1262  Massalat
ELPMassalat

Masalit (autonym Masala/Masara; Arabic: ماساليت) is a Nilo-Saharan language of the Maban language group spoken by the Masalit people in Ouaddaï Region, Chad and West Darfur, Sudan.

Masalit, known as the Massalat, moved west into central-eastern Chad. Their ethnic population in Chad was 30,000 as of the 1993 census, but only 10 speakers of their language were reported in 1991.[2]

  1. ^ Masalit at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon
    Massalat at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon
  2. ^ Masalit language at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)