Nara language
| Nara | |
|---|---|
| Nara-Bana | |
| Native to | Eritrea |
| Region | Gash-Barka |
| Ethnicity | Nara |
Native speakers | 73,000 (2022) |
| Dialects |
|
| Latin | |
| Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | nrb |
| Glottolog | nara1262 |
Linguistic map of Eritrea; Nara is spoken in the sea-blue region in the west | |
The Nara (Nera) or Barea (Barya) language is spoken by the Nara people in an area just to the north of Barentu in the Gash-Barka Region of western Eritrea. The language is often confused with Kunama, which is at best only distantly related.
The endangerment status of Nara is unclear. According to Glottolog it is not endangered, but according to Tsige Hailemichael, the "...Nara language is in danger of quickly disappearing."
Nara has been classified as Northern Eastern Sudanic by Rilly (2009:2), but Glottolog considers the evidence unpersuasive and classifies Nara as an isolate.