Warji language

Warji (Warjawa) or Sirzakwai is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Bauchi State, Nigeria. Speakers are shifting to Hausa.^[1]

Warji
Sirzakwai
Native to	Nigeria
Region	Bauchi State
Native speakers	75,000 (2022)[1]
Language family	Afro-Asiatic Chadic West Chadic Bade–Warji Warji languages (B.2) Warji
Writing system	Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3	wji
Glottolog	warj1253
ELP	Warji

Distribution

Warji is spoken in:^[2]

• Ganjuwa district, Darazo LGA, Bauchi State
• Warji district, Ningi LGA, Bauchi State
• Birnin Kudu LGA, Jigawa State

Morphology

Within the Bade–Warji languages, Warji has the most complex nominal plural marking system.^[3] Plurals are marked by the following suffixes.^[2]

• -tsǝ
• -sA (-sǝ, -sa)
• -Aŋsǝ (-ǝŋsǝ, -aŋsǝ)
• -(aŋ)ʃi (-shi, -aŋshi; stem-final -i is assimilated)

These may be all allomorphs of a single suffix, with optional inserted nasals.

Suppletive nominal plurals are:^[2]

English	singular	plural
child	ŋaa	mǝru
girl	ŋaagǝɗ	mǝrǝgudi
woman	gǝɗ	guɗi
man	mumwan	mumwanci
human being	warji	zarsǝ