CENTRAL SUDANIC LANGUAGES

group of languages spoken by various peoples in the southern Sudan, northeastern Zaire, northwestern Uganda, Chad, and the Central African Republic, in north-central Africa. These languages form one of the subbranches of the Chari-Nile branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family. There are two main subgroups of Central Sudanic languages: Bongo-Bagirmiincluding Bongo, Beli, Baka, Morokodo, Bagirmi, and Saraand Moru-Madiincluding Moru, Avukaya, Logo, Lendu, Lugbara, and Madi. Some scholars have applied the name Eastern Sudanic to this group of languages, but most specialists now use that term to refer to a related group of Chari-Nile languages spoken farther to the east. See also Chari-Nile languages.