Masalit language

Masalit
Kanaa Masarak
Native toChad, Sudan
RegionOuaddaï, Sila (Chad), West Darfur, South Darfur (Sudan)
EthnicityMasalit
Native speakers
980,000 (2022–2024)
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
mls  Masalit
mdg  Massalat
Glottolognucl1440  Nuclear Masalit
mass1262  Massalat
ELPMassalat

Masalit (autonym Masala/Masara; Arabic: ماساليت) is a Nilo-Saharan language of the Maban language group spoken by the Masalit people in Ouaddaï Region, Chad and West Darfur, Sudan.

Masalit, known as the Massalat, moved west into central-eastern Chad. Their ethnic population in Chad was 30,000 as of the 1993 census, but only 10 speakers of their language were reported in 1991.