The
Songhai (also
Songhay or
Sonrai) are
west Africans who speak
Songhai languages, the
lingua franca of the
Songhai Empire which dominated the western
Sahel in the 15th and 16th century. The Songhai are found primarily throughout
Mali in the
Western sudanic region (not the country). The name Songhai is historically neither an ethnic nor a linguistic designation, but a name for the ruling caste of the
Songhay Empire. Speakers in Mali have adopted it as an ethnic self-designation but other Songhay-speaking groups identify themselves by other ethnic terms such as
Zarma (or Djerma, the largest subgroup of the Songhai) or
Isawaghen. The dialect of
Koyraboro Senni spoken in Gao is unintelligible to speakers of the
Zarma dialect of
Niger, according to at least one report. The Songhay languages are commonly taken to be
Nilo-Saharan but this classification remains controversial: Dimmendaal (2008) believes that for now it is best considered an independent language family.