Kenga

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A language of Chad

ISO 639-3
kyq
Alternate Names
Cenge, Kenge
Autonym
Taar Cɛŋɛ
User Population

40,000 (1997 SIL).

Location

Guéra region: Guéra department, Bitkine subprefecture, Bitkine area, 52 villages, including Bolongo and Bokiyo.

Language Maps
Language Status

5* (Developing).

Classification
Nilo-Saharan, Satellite-Core, Satellites, Central Sudanic, West, Bongo-Bagirmi, Sara-Bagirmi, Bagirmi
Dialects

Cenge (Tar Cenge), Banama (Tar Banama), Bidjir, Banala (Tar Banala), Bolong (Tar Bolongo). Lexical similarity: 62% with Jaya [jyy], 81%–93% with the Bolong (Tar Bolongo) dialect.

Typology

SVO.

Language Use

Less than ten Bolong dialect speakers used Kenga as L1 in 2002. Positive attitudes. Also use Chadian Spoken Arabic [shu]. Also use French [fra]. Used as L2 by Mawa [mcw], Tamki [tax].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L1: 1%–5%. Literacy rate in L2: Men: 15% or below in French [fra], 1% in Arabic [arb]; women: below 1%. Roman Catholic songbook and prayer book. Taught as subject in some primary schools. Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 2012.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Kenga
Writing

Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

Some consider Bidjir a distinct language. Muslim, traditional religion.