Toram

Toram ( Eng. Toram, torom, torum ) is the language of the East Chadian branch of the Chadian family ^{[1] [3]} , distributed in the eastern part of Chad in the department of Abudey ( Aboudéïa ) of the Salamat region, to the south-east of the center of the department - the city of Abudey. From the north, south and west, the region of the Torah language borders on the area of ​​the Chadian dialects of the Arabic language , and on the east, the area of ​​the Mabanese language of kibet ^[4] .

The number of speakers is about 8,460 people (2000) ^[1] . According to the Joshua Project website, the Torah ethnic group is 14,000 people ^[5] . The vast majority of native speakers of the Torah are Muslims . The displacement of the language by Torah by the Chadian dialects of the Arabic language is noted.

Torah belongs to the group of mubi languages in the classification of the Afrasian languages ​​of the British linguist Roger Blench ^[3] , in the classification published in the work of S. A. Burlak and S. A. Starostin “Comparative Historical Linguistics” ^[6] , and in the classification of Czech linguist Vaclav Blazhek ^[7] . The closest languages are Jegu , Masmaj , Mubi , Birgit , Kajakse and Zirenkel .
In the classification presented in the Ethnologue World Languages ​​Directory, the Toram is included, along with the Birgit, Masmaj, Cajax, Mubi and Zirenkel languages ​​in the subgroup B1.2 of group B of the East Chadian language branch ^[8] . It can also be considered as a dialect of the Mubi language or a dialect that forms, together with Mubi, Masmaj and Birgit, a dialect bundle ^[9] .