Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 22, 2026

Sidi language

Sidi is a Bantu language of Pakistan and India, related to Swahili. Most of the Sidi community today speaks a regional Indic language, mostly Gujarati, mixed with some Bantu words and phrases, and the current number of speakers is unknown. It was reportedly still spoken in the 1960s in Jambur, a village in Kathiawar, Gujarat, by the Siddi. A survey of regional languages conducted by the government of Gujarat in 2016 reported that the language is in danger of extinction.

Last revised
Jun 22, 2026
Read time
≈ 1 min
Length
173 w
Citations
6
Source
Sidi
Native toPakistan, India
RegionSindh, Gujarat
EthnicitySiddi
Native speakers
endangered (2016)
Language codes
ISO 639-3None (mis)
GlottologNone
G.4041

Sidi is a Bantu language of Pakistan and India,2 related to Swahili. Most of the Sidi community today speaks a regional Indic language, mostly Gujarati, mixed with some Bantu words and phrases,3 and the current number of speakers is unknown. It was reportedly still spoken in the 1960s in Jambur, a village in Kathiawar, Gujarat, by the Siddi.34 A survey of regional languages conducted by the government of Gujarat in 2016 reported that the language is in danger of extinction.5

References

References

  1. Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
  2. "The Siddi community of India, and Pakistan". African American Registry. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  3. Abdulaziz Yusuf Lodhi (2008), "Linguistic evidence of Bantu origins of the Sidis of India", TADIA, the African diaspora in Asia: explorations on a less known fact, pp. 301–314, Wikidata Q125346812
  4. Whiteley, 1969, Swahili: The Rise of a National Language
  5. "Gujarat speaks in 50 languages, 30 dialects disappeared from state since 1961". The Times of India. 2016-05-25. Retrieved 2023-09-11.