Dikaka language

Dikaka or Cham, is one of the Savanna languages of Middle Belt, Nigeria. It is also known as Dijim–Bwilim, after its two dialects, Dijim and Bwilim. A tonal language, it has a whistled register. It is spoken in Gombe and southwestern parts of Adamawa State of Nigeria. THE DIJIM DANCE Dance has always been an integral part of all traditional ceremonies of the Dijiim. Two types of dances exist each with its peculiar drum and instruments depending on the season. Their names derive from the main drum. The kuur da gumnatǝn is the main drum of the dance of the rainy season. The lǝngtǝng is the main drum of the dance of the dry season. Before the arrival of Christianity, our traditional songs and dance were done as acts of worship to the gods.

This article is about the Nigerian language. For other uses, see Mona language (disambiguation).
Dikaka
Cham
Dijim-Bwilim
Native toGombe State of Nigeria
EthnicityDijim people
Native speakers
(25,000 cited 1998)[1]
Early forms
Dikaka
  • Dijim
Dialects
  • Dijim (Cham, Cam)
  • Bwilim (Mwana, Mona)
Latin (Dijim alphabets)
Language codes
ISO 639-3cfa
Glottologdiji1241

Dialects

The two dialects are Dijim and Bwilim.[2]

  • Dijim [dijím], spoken in and around Kindiyo (currently Cham town)
  • Bwilim [bwilím], spoken in and around Mɔna (Mwona, Mwana)

Another related dialect is spoken by former speakers of the Jalaa language in and around Loojaa settlement.

Orthography

It consists of 8 vowels and 17 consonants.

The vowels are: a, e, i, o, u, ǝ, ɨ, ʊ
The consonants are: b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, w, y

References
  1. Dikaka at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Kleinewillinghöfer, Ulrich. 2014. The languages of the Tula – Waja Group. Adamawa Languages Project.
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