Laru language

Not to be confused with Laro language.

Laru (Laro, also Shen or Sengwe^[2]) is a minor Kainji language of Nigeria. It has one dialect: Cuba (Shuba). Speakers are shifting to Busa.

Laru
Shen
Native to	Nigeria
Region	Niger State
Native speakers	(6,000 cited 1995–2014)^[1]
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Benue–Congo Kainji Kainji Lake? Laru
Dialects	Laru (Shen) Cuba (Shuba)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Either: lan – Laru cbq – Cuba
Glottolog	laru1238  Laru/Shen cuba1236  Cuba/Shuba
ELP	Shen

Laru
Person	Shen
Language	Shen gwe

Dialects

There are three dialects of Shen, spoken in the following villages.^[3]

• Kárábàndéi and Sànsání
• Sàːgúnú4, Sʷàʃí, Lúmːà, and Barkatai
• Mɔ̀nːáĩ, Sáŋkʷà, and Màláːlé

The major villages, ordered from largest to smallest, are Sàːgúnú, Kárábàndéi, Sʷàʃí, Lúmːà, and Mɔ̀nːáĩ. There are fewer than 4,000 speakers.

Ethnologue (22nd ed.) lists Laru villages as Karabonde, Leshigbe, Luma, Monnai, Sansanni, and Shagunu.

References

1. Laru at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
   Cuba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. McGill, Stuart. 2012. The Kainji languages. Ms, School of Oriental and African Studies, London, 30 August 2012.
3. Blench, Roger (2012). "The Kainji languages of northwestern and central Nigeria" (PDF). Cambridge: Kay Williamson Educational Foundation.