A Dialectological Classification Attempt on Masalit Language

Abstract

This study examines the dialectal variation of Masalit (Kanaa Masarak/Masaraa), a Maba language spoken across Sudan, Chad, and the Central African Republic, with particular attention to the Northeastern, Southeastern, and Western dialect areas. Taking the Al-Geneina variety as a reference point because of its historical and sociolinguistic prominence, the study aims to classify dialectal differences at the phonological, morphophonological, syntactic, and lexical levels. Methodologically, the article adopts a qualitative design based on two complementary sources: a review of the limited available scholarship on Masalit and oral data collected through semi-structured interviews with Masalit speakers from different regions. The findings indicate that the Northeastern dialect is more open to Arabic influence and contains a denser layer of loanwords, whereas the Southeastern dialect is associated with greater linguistic conservatism, resistance to borrowing, and higher social prestige. The analysis also identifies recurrent dialectal differences in consonant alternation, vowel quality, interrogative morphology, imperative marking, plural formation, and vocabulary choice. Overall, the article argues that Masalit dialect differentiation reflects not only internal linguistic variation but also historical migration, language contact, bilingualism, regional identity, and the sociocultural dynamics of multilingual communities.