Naba language

Naba
Tar Melbene
Native toChad
RegionBatha, Chari-Baguirmi prefectures
EthnicityLisi
Native speakers
510,000 (2019)[1]
Dialects
  • Bilala
  • Kuka
  • Mendogo
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3mne
Glottolognaba1253

Naba is a Nilo-Saharan language spoken by approximately 500,000 people in Chad.[1] Those who speak this language are called Lisi, a collective name for three closely associated ethnic groups, the Bilala, the Kuka and the Medogo, that represent the three dialects in which Naba is subdivided. They live mainly in the Batha Prefecture, but the Kuka are also in Chari-Baguirmi. Ethnologue estimates the lexical similarity among the three dialects to be no less than 99%.[1] Arabic is often spoken as a second language.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d Naba at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024) Closed access icon