Margi, also known as Marghi and Marghi Central, is a Chadic language (a branch of Afroasiatic) spoken in Nigeria, Cameroon, and Chad. It is perhaps the best described of the Biu–Mandara branch of that family. Marghi South language and Putai are closely related and sometimes considered dialects of Margi. There are several kinds of Marghi language, including Madube, Izge, Lassa, Gulak, Damboa, Mulgwai, Uba and Sukur. Every kind of these languages were spoken different type of the language and were from different places.

Phonology

Vowels

According to Maddieson (1987), Margi is noted for having a vertical vowel system, with only two phonemic vowels, and, in native vocabulary. Loan words also distinguish and.

Consonants

Margi has a large consonant inventory, with a number of labialised consonants and typologically infrequent speech sounds such as a labiodental flap. Hoffmann (1963) describes 84 consonantal phonemes, a very large number compared to that of most languages. This system, with a great number of non-click consonants, compares to that of the Caucasian language Ubykh, having the largest inventory of any language without clicks. However, Hoffmann's list of consonants includes all sequences of consonant clusters occurring in onsets in the language. Many of these clusters have since been analysed as sequences, such as and. If labialized consonants are counted separately, there are 66 consonants that remain in the analysis, and 54 if it is interpreted as a sequence. The velar may be closer to an approximant. The closely related language Bura is similar but has a palatalised lateral series as well. is used in mimesis rather than in lexical vocabulary. The glottalised consonants have been described as either creaky voiced or implosive; according to Maddieson, they are evidently both, as in Hausa. The sequences that Hoffmann included in his consonant inventory are all labial–coronal: