The Anii people are a diverse group with approximately eighteen villages along the border region of
Benin and
Togo. Benin has the largest Anii population, with fifteen villages and 33,600 Anii, while Togo has three villages comprising roughly 12,300 residents The only closely related language is
Adele spoken in that border area. The different villages developed in relative isolation and developed their own names and dialect of Anii. The dialects were also likely affected by language contact, as the different Anii villages have origin stories that tell of different mixes of language groups founding each village. It was not until 1979 and the
Sous-Commission National Anii that the language was officially called Anii and a written alphabet was established. A full orthography was officially accepted by the community in 2012, and is being regularly used and taught.
Origin and use today Although there are relatively few Anii speakers, the language has a comparatively strong presence among its speakers while the lingua franca,
French is not as prevalent. Anii is the main language used in public and private domains. A majority of the younger population still use Anii as their everyday language, and children are learning it as a first language. Most Anii speakers also speak other languages like French, Tem (Kotokoli), or other surrounding languages.
Language risk Although there are relatively few speakers and within the speaker population there are many dialects, the language is becoming more popular among the population. This is due in part to the work of the NGO LINGO-Benin, which works hard to publish both original and translated works in Anii, and also facilitates classes for speakers to learn to read and write. According to Ethnologue the language is classified as a 5 (developing).
Religion In general, the Anii people ascribe to the
Muslim faith, but Benin is very religiously diverse and there are also people of other faiths living in Anii communities. Depending on the village:
Arabic, Anii, Kotokoli, Tchamba or a combination of Arabic and Anii are used for preaching, and daily service. However, private prayer is always spoken in Anii. ==Dialects==