🇳🇬 Language

Zizilivəkan

Evidence: Well documented

Zizilivəkan is a language spoken in Adamawa State, according to Roger Blench's Atlas of Nigerian Languages (2020), which classifies it as Chadic (Biu–Mandara A: Bata group).

Type
Language
Belongs to
Biu–Mandara
Glottocode
zizi1238

Zizilivəkan is a language spoken in Adamawa State, according to Roger Blench's Atlas of Nigerian Languages (2020), which classifies it as Chadic (Biu–Mandara A: Bata group). Other names include Zilivə, Fali of Jilbu. It is spoken at Jilbu town in Mubi LGA (since divided into Mubi North and Mubi South), and in Cameroon. The Atlas cites speaker figures of 'a few hundred' in Cameroon.

  • Fali of Jilbu · alternative
    Blench's Atlas (2020), field 2.A: name based on location.
  • Zilivə · endonym
    Blench's Atlas (2020), field 1.B: the speakers' own name for the language.
  1. An Atlas of Nigerian Languages (2020 edition) — Roger Blench, Kay Williamson Educational Foundation / McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research, University of Cambridge, 2020 · Academic source · link (accessed 24 Sep 2026)
    Supports: Zizilivəkan: location, classification, other names, speakers
  2. Glottolog language index (resourcemap) — Glottolog · Academic source · link (accessed 26 Sep 2026)
    Supports: Glottocode zizi1238
How evidence is graded
  • Verified: Supported by an official source, or by two or more independent sources that agree.
  • Well documented: Supported by credible sources, but not yet independently confirmed.
  • Reported: Found in a credible source; further corroboration is welcome.
  • Needs corroboration: The evidence is thin or incomplete; more sources are being sought.
  • Disputed: Credible sources or community accounts disagree; the differing accounts are noted.
  • Uncertain: There is not yet enough information to classify this responsibly.

Sources are marked official, academic, reference, community or general web. Sources that copy each other count as one. Oral traditions are recorded as traditions, not as proven fact.

Archive ID: LANG-ZIZILIV-KAN · Last updated 30 September 2026. Spotted an error or have a source to add? Tell us.

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