hausa
UK[ˈhaʊsə]US[ˈhaʊsə]
n
A member of a people of northern Nigeria and adjacent regions.
n
The Chadic language of the Hausa people, widely used as a lingua franca in West Africa.
Etymology
The term 'Hausa' originates from an external designation, not a self-referential one from within the Hausa language itself. It is believed to derive from the Kanuri word 'Hausawa', which was used to refer to the people living east of the Kanuri homeland. This exonym was adopted into Arabic geographical and historical writings and subsequently into European languages through exploration and colonial contact. The word's journey from a specific ethnic label in a Central Saharan language to its current status as the name for a major West African ethnic group and a regional lingua franca illustrates the transmission of cultural concepts through external observation and linguistic borrowing.
Analysis
This is a simplex word. It is an exonym, a name given to the people and their language by outsiders, likely derived from a Kanuri word.
Examples
Hausa is one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa.
The Hausa are known for their rich tradition of oral history and poetry.
She conducted her fieldwork among the Hausa communities in northern Nigeria.