Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Kaba-Lai, Kabalay, Kabalaye, Keb-Kaye, Gablai, Lay, Lai
CLASSIFICATION		Afro-Asiatic, Chadic, Biu-Mandara
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		kvf
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		Gablai
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

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Information from: “Sociolinguistic Survey of the Kabalay Language of Chad” . Cameron Hamm (2002)

Vulnerable

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available
<17,885?
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
17,885

DATE OF INFO: 2000

DOMAINS OF USE

MORE ON VITALITY

used in church

SPEAKER ATTITUDE

very positive

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Nancere
Chadian Arabic
French
Ngambay
Gabri
Tobanga

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

"In general, Kabalay is used for communication within the community, and a variety of others are used when communicating with those who are not Kabalay."

More on Orthography

Songbook has been published in Kabalay

PLACES: Chad

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "The home area of the Kabalay people is in Laï and along the eastern side of the Logone River, in the Messéré and Laï-Rural cantons of the Laï subprefecture in the Tandjilé prefecture of Chad."

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
17,900
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Data for the number of native speakers comes from the 1993 census.

DATE OF INFO: 1993

					2002	Sociolinguistic Survey of the Kabalay Language of Chad					Online report					SIL International				http://www.sil.org/silesr/2003/silesr2003-008.pdf	Cameron Hamm	Hamm, Cameron. 2002. "Sociolinguistic Survey of the Kabalay Language of Chad." Online: http://www.sil.org/silesr/2003/silesr2003-008.pdf.			17,885			<17,885?	2000	10000-99999						Nancere, Chadian Arabic, French, Ngambay, Gabri, Tobanga			very positive	"In general, Kabalay is used for communication within the community, and a variety of others are used when communicating with those who are not Kabalay."			Vulnerable (40 percent certain, based on the evidence available)			used in church	11				Chad	"The home area of the Kabalay people is in Laï and along the eastern side of the Logone River, in the Messéré and Laï-Rural cantons of the Laï subprefecture in the Tandjilé prefecture of Chad."	9.465995, 16.274820
			16		2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)				M. Paul Lewis		SIL International			Dallas, TX					http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub					17,900	1993	10000-99999	Data for the number of native speakers comes from the 1993 census.												Vulnerable (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)

Kabalai

Language metadata

Language information by source

Vulnerable

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

<17,885?

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

17,900

Discussion

Kabalai

Language metadata

Language information by source

Vulnerable

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

<17,885?

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

17,900

Discussion

Suggest information or improvement

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Sources of information

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