Juba Arabic

Juba Arabic
South Sudanese Creole Arabic
arabi juba, luġa
Native to	South Sudan
Native speakers	L1: 250,000 (2020)[1] L2: 1.2 million (2019)[1]
Language family	Arabic-based creole Juba Arabic
Early form	Bimbashi Arabic
Writing system	Latin alphabet[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3	pga
Glottolog	suda1237
[image reference needed]

Juba Arabic (Arabi Juba, عربی جوبا; Arabic: عربية جوبا, romanized: ‘Arabiyyat Jūbā), also known since 2011 as South Sudanese Arabic, is a lingua franca spoken mainly in Equatoria Province in South Sudan, and derives its name from the South Sudanese capital, Juba. It is also spoken among communities of people from South Sudan living in towns in Sudan. The pidgin developed in the 19th century, among descendants of Sudanese soldiers, many of whom were recruited from southern Sudan. Residents of other large towns in South Sudan, notably Malakal and Wau, do not generally speak Juba Arabic, tending towards the use of Arabic closer to Sudanese Arabic, in addition to local languages. Reportedly, it is the most spoken language in South Sudan (more so than the official language English) despite government attempts to discourage its use due to its association with past Arab rule.^[2]