Koyraboro Senni
Koyraboro Senni (Koroboro Senni, Koyra Senni or Gao Senni) is a member of the Songhay languages of Mali and is spoken by some 400,000 people along the Niger River from the town of Gourma-Rharous, east of Timbuktu, through Bourem, Gao and Ansongo to the Mali–Niger border.
| Koyraboro Senni | |
|---|---|
| كࣷيْرَبࣷرࣷ سٜنِّ | |
| Native to | Mali |
| Region | East of Timbuktu, Gao |
| Ethnicity | (850,000 (2007?)) |
Native speakers | 430,000 (2007) 300,000 monolingual (2007) |
Nilo-Saharan?
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | ses |
| Glottolog | koyr1242 |
Location of Songhay languages Northwest Songhay: Tadaksahak
Tasawaq
Tagdal
Eastern Songhay: Tondi Songway Kiini
Koyraboro Senni
Zarma language
Songhoyboro Ciine
| |
The expression "koyra-boro senn-i" denotes "the language of the town dwellers", as opposed to nomads like the Tuareg people and other transhumant people.
Although Koyraboro Senni is associated with settled towns, it is a cosmopolitan language which has spread east and west of Gao, to the Fula people living at the Mali–Niger border and to the Bozo people of the Niger River. East of Timbuktu, Koyra Senni gives way relatively abruptly to the closely related Koyra Chiini.