Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Sakun, Sugur, Adikimmu Sukur, Gemasakun, Sakul
CLASSIFICATION		Afro-Asiatic, Chadic, Biu-Mandara
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		syk
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

Compare Sources (3)

Information from: “"Doctoral Dissertation Research: A Grammar of Sakun (Sukur)" NSF DEL Abstract” . Frajzyngier, Zygmunt (2009)

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~15,000
Native speakers worldwide

PLACES: Nigeria

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "Spoken by approximately 15,000 people at the UNESCO World Heritage Sukur Cultural Landscape."

Vulnerable

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
15,000-20,000
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
The number 15,000 is taken from the 15th edition of Ethnologue (2005). "The number 20,000 is based on a survey conducted in 2010 by the District Head in Mataka. This number still does not reflect the number of Sakun speakers living down in Sukur Settlement adjacent Madagali. Estimates are as high as 27,000 total native Sakun speakers. As with many languages in the area, the estimated number of speakers does not reflect those speaking Sakun as a second language. Just as many Sakun speaker [sic] other minority languages in the area, many non-Sakun may still speak Sakun."

DOMAINS OF USE

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

"children are still speaking it as a first language and children are often cited as being the best tellers of the traditional stories or gəmakákaw."

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Hausa
Fulfulde
English
Margi
Kamwe
Wula

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

"Based on an informal survey (the participants in the documentation project) of 200 Sakun speakers, Sakun speak between 2 and 7 languages with the majority speaking Hausa in addition to Sakun."

PLACES: Nigeria

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Mandara mountains

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: "The Sakun occupy the massif west of Bama road stretching S.E. from Madagali towards the Cameroon border (13°34’E and 10°44’N). Sakun speakers are also found in Gwoza, Michika, Mubi and several major Nigerian cities."

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
14,800
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: 1992

PLACES: Nigeria

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: "North tip Adamawa state, Michika LGA, Mandara Mountains."

	2009	"Doctoral Dissertation Research: A Grammar of Sakun (Sukur)" NSF DEL Abstract					http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0921714&WT.z_pims_id=12816	Frajzyngier, Zygmunt	Frajzyngier, Zygmunt. 2009. ""Doctoral Dissertation Research: A Grammar of Sakun (Sukur)" NSF DEL Abstract." Online: http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=0921714&WT.z_pims_id=12816.		~15,000		10000-99999					Vulnerable (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Nigeria	"Spoken by approximately 15,000 people at the UNESCO World Heritage Sukur Cultural Landscape."	10.735838, 13.567772
	2014	A Grammar of Sakun (Sukur)			Boulder	University of Colorado at Boulder		Thomas, Michael F.			15,000-20,000		10000-99999	The number 15,000 is taken from the 15th edition of Ethnologue (2005). "The number 20,000 is based on a survey conducted in 2010 by the District Head in Mataka. This number still does not reflect the number of Sakun speakers living down in Sukur Settlement adjacent Madagali. Estimates are as high as 27,000 total native Sakun speakers. As with many languages in the area, the estimated number of speakers does not reflect those speaking Sakun as a second language. Just as many Sakun speaker [sic] other minority languages in the area, many non-Sakun may still speak Sakun."	church (Hausa), education (Hausa and English)	Hausa, Fulfulde, English, Margi, Kamwe, Wula	"Based on an informal survey (the participants in the documentation project) of 200 Sakun speakers, Sakun speak between 2 and 7 languages with the majority speaking Hausa in addition to Sakun."	Vulnerable (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	10	"children are still speaking it as a first language and children are often cited as being the best tellers of the traditional stories or gəmakákaw."	11	"The Sakun occupy the massif west of Bama road stretching S.E. from Madagali towards the Cameroon border (13°34’E and 10°44’N). Sakun speakers are also found in Gwoza, Michika, Mubi and several major Nigerian cities."	Nigeria	Mandara mountains	10.73, 13.57
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	14,800	1992	10000-99999					Vulnerable (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Nigeria	"North tip Adamawa state, Michika LGA, Mandara Mountains."

Sukur

Language metadata

Language information by source

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~15,000

Vulnerable

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

15,000-20,000

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

14,800

Discussion

Sukur

Language metadata

Language information by source

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~15,000

Vulnerable

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

15,000-20,000

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

14,800

Discussion

Suggest information or improvement

Download language data

Sources of information

Compare Sources