About Ajang Language

The Ajang languages, also known as (Hill-Nubians), are group of Nubian languages spoken in central Sudan in an area called Nuba-Mountains. The Ajang languages which their native speakers like to call their languages belongs to the Eastern Sudanic family, which is part of the Nilo-Saharan phylum

Additionally, one extinct language known only from a word list of 36 words, Haraza, is unclassified within Hill Nubian:

The following table lists most of the existing Ajang Languages:

1.      Dair
2.      Tagle
3.      Kadaru
4.      Koldeji
5.      Dabatna
6.      Wuncu
7.      Daabri
8.      Kudur (Kushi)
9.      Dilleñ, (Warku)
11.  Karko
12.  Fenda
13.  Kujuria (Kunak)
14.  Wali
15.  Tabag
16.  Abu-Jinuk (iyilek)
17.  El-Hugeirat
18.  Subai
19.  Manel

Samples of kinship words in some Ajang Languages:

English Kadoru Language Unchuu Language Karko Language
Mother Enan Eneng en
Father Awan Agang fag
sister Intan eldu Intang terdu et-tind
Brother Intan kurtu Intang kurtu et-kot
Daughter

Tudandu tendu

Onnitudandu tendu

Tunu terdu Et-tind
Son Awan kurtu Abang kurtu tood, tond
Grandfather Tijan/Enenintan intan kurtu Thïjang agat
Grandmother

Anyan

Enenitan

Enennintang am
Uncle (maternal) Onuntu Ogununto tej
Aunt (maternal Ondan Anyang enit

Samples of simple sentences in some Ajang Languages:

English Sentence Kadaru Language Unchuu Language Karko Language
I eat the food e kamegin kolde ye kame kolrure ee kam-gi kol
I drink water e otugin dire ye otig dhïïre ee otti-g dir
I go to the market e shugurnde shure ye sugur shuure e shuug-ri shur
I farm at the field e katirnde fare/ dijigire ye katu shurure ee kat-ri tirir
I pastor the sheep e ortuljn iide ye örtïllï   ïïre ee shir-gi giir
I eat porridge (Asiida) e kaljin koldre ye kalli kolrure ee kal-gi kol
We are the Ajang people ari ajaŋirin/ ari ajingin aï ajaŋnïndhö aa ajŋanid
We are the Nubian people ari nubani irin aï nübanïndhö aa nubninid

 

*Notice: This information was provided by Dr. Ali Ibeid, Abdelbagi Deida, and Wakeel Jirban, from Ajnag Nubia.

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Ajang Workshop in Georgetown University

In its attempt to develop an orthography for Ajang languages using Old Nubian Scripts, NLS had organized a workshop for writing Ajang languages at Georgetown University, Department of Linguistics, in 2018. The workshop was conducted by Jumma Ibrahim, an NLS freelance linguist, and a native Ajnag-Tegle speaker, who prepared the training materials and administered the classes. The workshop was well attended by members of Ajang community from different languages groups and by some students from the department of linguistics at Georgetown University. The result of the workshop has encouraged NLS to move forward with its .