Sinyar language

Shemya (tàar ʃàmɲà) is the language of the Sinyar people. It is a Central Sudanic language spoken in Chad and formerly in Darfur, Sudan. It is variously spelled Shamya, Shamyan, Shemya, Sinya, and known as Symiarta, Taar Shamyan, Zimirra.

Sinyar
Shemya
Native to	Chad
Ethnicity	Sinyar
Native speakers	33,000 (2023)[1]
Language family	Nilo-Saharan? Central Sudanic Bongo-Bagirmi Sinyar
Language codes
ISO 639-3	sys
Glottolog	siny1243

The language is spoken in Goz Beïda, Chad and Foro Boranga, Sudan. There are two level tones and downstepped low tones. Word order is SVO.^[2][3]

Dimmendaal leaves it as a language isolate, whereas Blench groups it with Formona.^[4]

Doornbos records 18 Sinyar clans. The Kijaar clan, located close to the Kujargé, likely intermarried with the Kujargé.^[5]

Lexicon

Sinyar appears to have a Bongo–Bagirmi superstratum and a non-Bongo–Bagirmi substratum. Some lexical items in Sinyar have cognates in Bongo–Bagirmi languages (particularly the neighboring Yulu-Gula group), while others do not.^[6]

Sinyar lexical items without Bongo-Bagirmi cognates Gloss Sinyar bee, honey sìmír black kìttì buffalo kàjìbìl come uwe / weeɲ deep cuggol dry arfa ear ùrà leaf ìi elephant kártí foot gwàar leg kàffà grass kàanà head sùɓó hunger mùsù kill wii long ʃùggòl moon kwànjà neck kwàalà new sìyèer night dìkìttì nose ɲàrmá person cé / céè; ƒítì place dì placenta kàɗù plait, to urɓa / urmba rain, to weeri (-ooru) red abbal rope kwàár smoke úʃú snake nɖùbbòl steal maggal / mangal stone, grindstone gòl wet wicce (-ucce)

Sinyar lexical items with Bongo-Bagirmi cognates Gloss Sinyar beget wiʄe / wiɲe bird wèl breast mbàár die wille dog ɓìsì drink iya eat wiɲ eye kwòm fire fòɗù fish kwùnjó grease, oil ìbì horn kòjjù hot uŋŋa I màá know ugol / ungol make a pot uɓa / umba meat ìjjà mouth tàar name èerè ox, cow ìccà seed kùfò sharp affa skin ànnà seep suɗo / sunjo three mùʈʈà tree kàggá two róò who? ɗèe- goat fìyà gruel, porridge fìryà hair fìí warthog fòɗú sun dkàjjà water, thirst kùjá urine wèrjí tie, to wirja / wirnja

Sinyar numerals from Boyeldieu (2013):^[7]

Numerals

1	kàllà
2	róò
3	mùʈʈà
4	ùssà
5	mòy
6	mìccà
7	mòorsò
8	màartà
9	mànɖéy
10	ʈìyà

Pronouns

Sinyar pronouns:^[6]

Sinyar pronouns

Gloss	Sinyar
1S	màalé, (màá)
2S	ìllé
3S	nàalé, (nàá)
1P.du	cìngé
1P.ex?	cìyé
1P.in	cèesá
2P?	sìngé; sèesá
3P	nìngé

References

1. Sinyar at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
2. Boyeldieu, Pascal. 2013. Case alignment(s) in Sinyar. Paper presented at the Nilo-Saharan Linguistics Colloquium, 22-24 May, 2013.
3. Boyeldieu, Pascal. 2015. Case alignment(s) in Sinyar. In Angelika Mietzner and Anne Storch (eds.), Nilo-Saharan: Models and Descriptions, 21-36. Cologne: Köppe.
4. Blench, Roger. Central Sudanic overview.
5. Blažek, Václav (2015). "On the position of Kujarke within Chadic". Folia Orientalia. 52. ISSN 0015-5675.
6. Boyeldieu, Pascal. 2013. Sinyar and SBB (Central Sudanic): genetic relationship or contact? Paper presented at Linguistique diachronique et reconstruction : méthodes, acquis, avancées récentes. Labex EFL. 1-6 July 2013.
7. Boyeldieu, Pascal. 2013. Sinyar numerals.