Kanuri language

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{{language |name=Kanuri |familycolor=Nilo-Saharan |states=Nigeria, Niger, Chad, Cameroon |region=West Africa |speakers=4 million| |fam2=Saharan |fam3=Western |iso1=kr|iso2=kau |lc1=kau|ld1=Kanuri (generic)|ll1=none |lc2=knc|ld2=Central Kanuri |lc3=kby|ld3=Manga Kanuri |lc4=krt|ld4=Tumari Kanuri |lc5=bms|ld5=Bilma Kanuri |lc6=kbl|ld6=Kanembu}}

Kanuri is a dialect continuum spoken by approximately 4 million people in Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon. It belongs to the Western Saharan subphylum of Nilo-Saharan. Kanuri is the language associated with the Kanem and Bornu empires which dominated the Lake Chad region for a thousand years.

The basic word order of Kanuri sentences is Subject Object Verb. Kanuri is written using the Ajami script.

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Geographic distribution

Kanuri is spoken mainly in lowlands of the Lake Chad basin, with speakers in Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Nigeria and Sudan. Most speakers speak Hausa or Arabic as a second language. Traditionally a local lingua franca, its usage has declined in recent decades.