Psikye (Psikya, Kapsiki) is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken in northern

Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west and north; Chad to the northeast; the C ...

and eastern

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. Varieties include Psikyɛ and Zləngə. Blench (2006) classifies it as a dialect of Kamwe.Blench, 2006
The Afro-Asiatic Languages: Classification and Reference List
(ms)

Names

In Cameroon, Psikya speakers use the name ''Margi'' to refer to their own language and its three varieties. The prefix ''ka''-, in ''Kapsiki'' 'people', marks the plural ethnonym. It is called ''Higi'' in Nigeria.

Dialects

Psikyá covers the entire southwestern part of the arrondissement of

Mokolo Mokolo is the departmental capital and largest city of the Mayo-Tsanaga department, in the Far North Province of Cameroon. It is the fourth largest city in the Far North Province, after Maroua, Yagoua, and Kousséri. It is located in the Manda ...

and

Mogodé Mogodé is a commune in Mayo-Tsanaga Department, Cameroon Cameroon (; french: Cameroun, ff, Kamerun), officially the Republic of Cameroon (french: République du Cameroun, links=no), is a country in west-central Africa. It is bordered by N ...

(department of

Mayo-Tsanaga Mayo-Tsanaga is a department of Extreme-Nord Province in Cameroon. The department covers an area of 4,393 km and at the 2005 Census had a total population of 699,971. The capital of the department is at Mokolo. It is located within the Man ...

, Far North Region, Cameroon) along the Nigerian border, in the settlements of Roumzou, Mogode, and Roumsiki. The

Sara people The Sara people are a Central Sudanic ethnic group native to southern Chad, the northwestern areas of the Central African Republic, and the southern border of North Sudan. They speak the Sara languages which are a part of the Central Sudanic lan ...

refer to them as ''Kamu''. Zléŋé and Wula are spoken in only two neighborhoods in the border village of Oula in Cameroon.

Writing system

A Psikyɛ spelling was developed by the Biblical Alliance of Cameroon and is used in the translation of the Bible into Psikyɛ, ''Ghena ta Shala'', published in 1988. This uses several additional letters including in particular .

Notes

* Biu-Mandara languages Languages of Cameroon Languages of Nigeria {{BiuMandara-lang-stub