SAHARAN LANGUAGES

group of African languages spoken in Chad and northeastern Nigeria. They include Kanuri, which is the most important language of northeastern Nigeria; Teda, spoken in northern Chad; and Zaghawa, spoken in east-central Chad near the border with The Sudan. Linguists often consider the Saharan languages to be a branch of a much larger Nilo-Saharan language family, along with Songhai, Fur, the Koma languages, the Maba languages, and the Chari-Nile languages.