קוירה צ׳ייני

Koyra Chiini ("city Songhai", or "Western Songhai") is the Songhai language of the Timbuktu region in Mali, spoken by ~200,000-220,000 people along the Niger River bend. The Songhai family (Koyra Chiini khq, Koyraboro Senni ses, Zarma, Tasawaq, Tagdal — 5 main varieties) shows extensive internal variation reflecting the legacy of the Songhai Empire (15th-16th c.) and its subsequent fragmentation. Koyra Chiini is the western branch, distinct from the eastern Koyraboro Senni (Gao) and Zarma (Niamey). Linguistically, Koyra Chiini has SOV constituent order, classifier-noun constructions, and an elaborate Songhai grain-trade vocabulary reflecting the historical Niger River commerce.