Korandje is a Northern Songhay language spoken by about 3,000 Belbali people in and around Tabelbala, an oasis in the south of Béchar Province in western Algeria. In particular, it is spoken in the villages of Kwara (Kwạṛa), Ifrənyu (Cheraïa) and Yami. It is considered endangered as few parents are passing the language on to their children. Most Belbali adults, and children over 15, speak the language. Younger children are shifting to Arabic, though may acquire Korandje from their older friends.
Korandje is also known as Korandjé, Kwarandzyey or Taznatit. The native name of the language kʷạṛa n dzyəy means 'village language'. Due to isolation from other Songhay languages, and contact with Arabic and Berber languages, Korandje has borrowed a lot of its vocabulary from Berber and Arabic, although it retains Songhay grammar, with significant differences. It has also borrowed some sounds from Arabic and Berber.
There are ways to write Korandje with the Latin and Arabic scripts. It is rarely written, apart from in personal messages, and there is no literature in Korandje.
Download alphabet charts for Korandje (Excel)
آغَمْفْ بَا قُوُخْ * نَمْڨَآنَا لَكْوَانْكَا
الْكَاسْفْ نِيرْ بَا يَّا نَوْ * نَمْنِينَانَا اَيْصْفَا
مَسْفْكَا اَيْضِيقْ * مْبَاڨُّوكَا نَنْفُونِي
وَلاَّ تَمْزْڨِيدَافْ بَايَعْزَرْ * آطَّرَّف بَيْكاَ
نَمْتْيُوَ آكَا الْقُرْءَانْ * اْمْبَا سَّنَّدْ السَّراْيَتْكَا
نَمْفَكَّرْ أُغُوڎِي اَدْرِى * نْڎَا الْقُرُونْڎِي اَيفُوتْ
أَبَّغْ السَّاعَاتڎِي اِيفُوتْ نِيكَا * اْمْبَا يْعِيشْ ڨَآ بَيَيْكَا
إِڎْ بَكَّا لَخْبَآڎْ امْبَنْضَا * نَمْطَوْ نْڎَانَا أُورْكُورْكَا
أَيْتَا عَلاَّوْصَايَتَ اَغُوڎِي * آبْتْبَآ نْڎِيسْ عَلْحَالَتْ
ءَاسَعْدْ أُغْ مَّاوَانَا * غَارْ إِڎَ اَمَّوْ أَمْطَاسِي
وَامَّوْ أُغْسْ ءآيْشْفَقْ اْنْڎِيكَا * ءآمَّآ أَبُو الْعَتَاهِيَةْ
aɣəm=fʷ ba-qqux * nə-m-ɣ-ana ləkwan=ka
əlkas=fʷ n-ir ba-yyanəw * nə-m-nin-ana a-yəṣfa
mməs=fʷ=ka a-yḍiq * n-ba-ggʷạ=a-ka nə-n=funi
wəlla taməzgida-fʷ ba-yəʕzər * a-ṭṭəṛṛəf bạ=y=ka
nə-m-tyuw=a-ka lqurʔan * ən-ba-ssənnəd əssaryət=ka
nə-m-fəkkəṛ uɣudzi a-dri * ndza lqṛun=dzi a-yfut
a-bbəɣ əssaʕat-dzi i-yfut=nika * ən-ba-yʕiš gạ bya=y=ka
idz ba-kka ləxbạ=dz ən=bənḍạ * nə-m-ṭəw ndz-ana ur=kʷər=ka
əyta ʕə-n=ləwṣayət a-ɣudzi * a-b-tbạ=ndzi-s ʕə-n=lħalət
a saʕd uɣ mmạw-ana * ɣar idz a-mmə̣w a-m-ṭ=a-si
wə-mmə̣w uɣ=s a-yəšfəq əndzi-ka * a-n=ma abu lʕatahiya
A dry piece of bread * you eat in a corner,
A glass of cool water * you drink pure,
In a room that's narrow, * in which you sit alone;
Or an isolated mosque, * remote from people,
In which you read the Quran, * leaning on a column
As you remember what is gone * and centuries that have passed -
It's better than those hours that passed for you * living in great houses.
What came after that stuff, * you'd burn for it in a hot fire.
Look, this is my advice, * which shows you your situation;
Happy is he that hears it * what he hears will be enough for him.
Listen to one who pities you, * whose name is Abu'l-Atahiya.
Source: https://lughat.blogspot.com/2024/02/abul-atahiya-in-korandje.html
Information about Korandje
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korandje_language
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idioma_korandje
https://www.sorosoro.org/en/korandje/
https://www.everyalphabet.com/korandje
https://lughat.blogspot.com/search?q=Korandje
https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/kora1291
https://www.scribd.com/document/379199302/Explaining-Korandje
https://lingweb.eva.mpg.de/channumerals/Korandje.htm
https://pangloss.cnrs.fr/corpus/Korandje?lang=en
Dendi, Humburi Senni, Korandje, Koyra Chiini, Koyrasboro Senni, Tadasahak, Zarma
Adamaua Fulfulde, Aer, Afrikaans, Arabic (Algerian), Arabic (Bedawi), Arabic (Chadian), Arabic (Egyptian), Arabic (Gulf), Arabic (Hassaniya), Arabic (Hejazi), Arabic (Lebanese), Arabic (Libyan), Arabic (Modern Standard), Arabic (Moroccan), Arabic (Najdi), Arabic (Sudanese), Arabic (Syrian), Arabic (Tunisian), Arwi, Äynu, Azeri, Balanta-Ganja, Balti, Baluchi, Beja, Belarusian, Bosnian, Brahui, Chagatai, Chechen, Chittagonian, Comorian, Crimean Tatar, Dameli, Dargwa, Dari, Dhatki, Dogri, Domari, Gawar Bati, Gawri, Gilaki, Hausa, Hazaragi, Hindko, Humburi Senni, Indus Kohistani, Kabyle, Kalkoti, Karachay-Balkar, Karakalpak, Kashmiri, Katë, Kazakh, Khowar, Khorasani Turkic, Khwarezmian, Konkani, Korandje, Koyra Chiini, Koyraboro Senni, Kumzari, Kurdish, Kyrgyz, Lezgi, Lop, Luri, Maasina Fulfulde, Maba, Maguindanao, Malay, Malay (Terengganu), Mandinka, Marwari, Mazandarani, Mogholi, Morisco, Mozarabic, Munji, Noakhailla, Nubi, Ormuri, Palula, Parkari Koli, Pashto, Persian/Farsi, Punjabi, Qashqai, Rajasthani, Rohingya, Salar, Saraiki, Sawi, Serer, Shabaki, Shina, Shughni, Sindhi, Somali, Soninke, Tatar, Tausūg, Tawallammat Tamajaq, Tayart Tamajeq, Ternate, Torwali, Turkish, Urdu, Ushoji, Uyghur, Uzbek, Wakhi, Wanetsi, Wolof, Xiao'erjing, Yidgha
Languages written with the Latin alphabet
Page created: 09.09.26. Last modified: 09.09.26
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