Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Shenanci, Seni, Shani, Shaini
CLASSIFICATION		Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Benue-Congo, Kainji
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		scv
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

Compare Sources (4)

Information from: “Notes on the Seni people and language with an addendum on the Ziriya” (12-13) . Roger Blench and John Garah Nengel (2004)

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
6
Native speakers worldwide
SEMI SPEAKERS
10-15
OLDER ADULTS
1
ELDERS
5

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
SPEAKER ATTITUDE: Neutral/negative
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "The Seni people have essentially switched to becoming Hausa speaking and are broadly Muslim. They now call themselves the Shenawa and their language Shenanci. The loss of the
language is taken as a fait accompli. There is no interest in reviving it and its continued existence is simply a curiosity to most residents."

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "The Seni live east of the Jos-Zaria road which runs north of Jos, in Lere Local government area, Kaduna State, although still on the Jos Plateau."

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
A few hundred
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
"May have a few hundred speakers left."

PLACES: "Sheni is spoken at 8°45'E, 10°25'N; Sheni is a few miles south of Rahama Station on Jos-Zaria railway."

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "The Hausa term for the language is sheenancii, and that for its speakers sheeni pl. sheenaawaa. The speakers' own names for the language and for its speakers were not known to my informants."

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "Gurjiya, which means 'Red-flowered Silk Cotton Tree' (or 'Bambara groundnuts') in Hausa is situated to the east of Ganji... 72 kilometers from Jos. Other settlements of the Sheni mentioned are Shemare and Tudu..."

	August	24	2004	Notes on the Seni people and language with an addendum on the Ziriya		12-13			Ogmios Newsletter			http://www.ogmios.org/ogmios/Ogmios_024.pdf	Roger Blench and John Garah Nengel	Roger Blench and John Garah Nengel. 2004. "Notes On the Seni People and Language with An Addendum On the Ziriya." In Ogmios Newsletter, 12-13. Online: http://www.ogmios.org/ogmios/Ogmios_024.pdf.		1	6	1-9		10-15	5	Hausa	Neutral/negative	"The Seni people have essentially switched to becoming Hausa speaking and are broadly Muslim. They now call themselves the Shenawa and their language Shenanci. The loss of the language is taken as a fait accompli. There is no interest in reviving it and its continued existence is simply a curiosity to most residents."	All	Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15	15		"The Seni live east of the Jos-Zaria road which runs north of Jos, in Lere Local government area, Kaduna State, although still on the Jos Plateau."	10.383333, 8.75
			1982	Ten More Wordlists with Analyses from the Northern Jos Group of Plateau Languages		97-134			Afrika und Übersee	LXV			Shimizu, Kiyoshi	Shimizu, Kiyoshi. 1982. Ten More Wordlists with Analyses from the Northern Jos Group of Plateau Languages. Afrika und Übersee LXV. 97-134.										"The Hausa term for the language is sheenancii, and that for its speakers sheeni pl. sheenaawaa. The speakers' own names for the language and for its speakers were not known to my informants."						"Gurjiya, which means 'Red-flowered Silk Cotton Tree' (or 'Bambara groundnuts') in Hausa is situated to the east of Ganji... 72 kilometers from Jos. Other settlements of the Sheni mentioned are Shemare and Tudu..."
			1968	Benue-Congo Comparative Wordlist		233	Kay Williamson and Kiyoshi Shimizu	University of Ibadan, Nigeria: West African Linguistic Society		I				1968. "Benue-Congo Comparative Wordlist." edited by Kay Williamson and Kiyoshi Shimizu. I: 233. University of Ibadan, Nigeria: West African Linguistic Society.	HHOLD														"Sheni is spoken at 8°45'E, 10°25'N; Sheni is a few miles south of Rahama Station on Jos-Zaria railway."		10.416667, 8.750000
9780700711970			2007	Africa	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages		Christopher Moseley	Routledge			7		Gerrit J. Dimmendaal and F. K. Erhard Voeltz	Dimmendaal, Gerrit J. and F. K. Erhard Voeltz. 2007. "Africa." In Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, edited by Christopher Moseley. Routledge.			A few hundred	100-999	"May have a few hundred speakers left."							Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)

Sheni

Language metadata

Language information by source

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

6

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

A few hundred

Discussion

Sheni

Language metadata

Language information by source

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

6

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

A few hundred

Discussion

Suggest information or improvement

Download language data

Sources of information

Compare Sources