u̠t-Ma'in or Fakai is a Northwest Kainji dialect continuum spoken by 36,000 people in Nigeria. (The letter ⟨⟩ is /ə/.) There are numerous rather divergent dialects:

  • Kag (Puku, Fakanchi, Et-Kag)
  • Jiir (Gelanchi, Et-Jiir)
  • Kur (Kere, Kar, Keri-Ni, Kelli-Ni, Kelanchi, Kelinci)
  • Zuksun (Zussun, Et-Zuksun)
  • Ror (Et-Maror, Tudanchi, Er-Gwar)
  • Fer (Fere, Et-Fer, Wipsi-Ni, Kukum)
  • Us (Et-Us)
  • Koor (Kulu)
Ut Main
Native toNigeria
RegionKebbi State, Niger State, Sokoto State, Zamfara State
Native speakers
(36,000 cited 1992)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3gel
Glottologkagf1238

Names

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Names for the u̠t-Ma'in peoples and languages from Blench (2012):[2]

Hausa name c-Lela name People Language
Fakkawa Pək-nu Kag-ne ǝt-Kag
Fakkawa Pək-nu əs-Us ǝt-Us
Gelawa Geeri-ni a-Jiir ǝt-Jiir
Zuksun Wipsi-ni a-Zuksun ǝt-Zuksun
Kukumawa Wipsi-ni əs-Fer ǝt-Fer
Kelawa Keri-ni Kər-ni ǝt-Kər
Tuduwa ǝd-Gwan a-Ror ǝt-ma-Ror
Kuluwa ? a-Koor ǝt-ma-Koor

Geographic distribution

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The Ut-Ma'in language is spoken mainly in Kebbi State (especially Fakai) and Sokoto State (Kebbe) but also in Niger State (Kontagora) and Zamfara State.

References

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  1. ^ Ut Main at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Blench, Roger (2012). "The Kainji languages of northwestern and central Nigeria" (PDF). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.

Further reading

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