"The people in Karko are not using the Karko language in all domains. Children playing together, young people, and men mostly speak Arabic. Women and people working together use both Arabic and Karko. When people from Karko meet each other in a nearby town, they tend to use Arabic. Children first learn Arabic, although they hear Karko. During the surveyor’s visit, an adult asked a child in the group something in Karko, and she said she understood but could not repeat it. Karko is not heard on the radio. It is used in development meetings, but Arabic is also used. Both Arabic and Karko are used by the people of the village with their families, friends in the village, and at the market. Karko is used with village leaders, but it is not considered to be 'pure' because it is mixed with Arabic. Karko is used at funerals, social gatherings, and when singing traditional songs... Karko may be undergoing language shift to Arabic and may not remain a viable language."

"The Karko consider themselves to speak Arabic well, while the elders know Karko at a deeper level. Other than Arabic and Karko, they do not consider themselves able to speak any other language well. Some of them understand Ama and/or Mandal. There are older Karko people who do not speak any language other than Karko... The older people tend to use Karko as their only language of communication. Young people are reportedly proud of the Karko language, yet there are many Karko people who only understand the language without being able to speak it... When asked what language the future generation of children will be speaking, the respondents indicated that they think it will be Arabic, but an older lady said that she wants the children to use Karko. Another person commented that he thinks it is important
to continue speaking Karko 'because in years to come, they will forget their dialect and so it is good for them to know it.'"