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Wikipedia / Nilotic languages

The Nilotic languages are languages spoken across wide areas between Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania by the Nilotic peoples.

Etymology

The word Nilotic means of or relating to the Nile River or to the Nile region of Africa. The Nile River runs from Rwanda through various countries down to Egypt.

Demographics

Nilotic peoples, who are the native speakers of the languages, originally migrated from the Gezira area in Sudan. Nilotic language speakers live in parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

Subdivisions

According to linguist Joseph Greenberg, the language family is divided up into three subgroups:

  1. Eastern Nilotic languages such as Turkana and Maasai

  2. Southern Nilotic languages such as Kalenjin and Datooga

  3. Western Nilotic languages such as Luo, Nuer and Dinka

These Nilotic languages' groupings are geographical classifications rather than mutual intelligibility. For instance, the Dinka is a different language from the Luo, which is also different from Nuer etc. Some words may sound similar due to shared location although these are distinct ethnic groups, with distinct speeches. Dinka and Nuer languages are not mutually intelligible but they share a common vocabulary since both languages are related Western Nilotic languages.

Before Greenberg's reclassification, Nilotic was used to refer to Western Nilotic alone, with the other two being grouped as related "Nilo-Hamitic" languages.

Blench (2012) treats the Burun languages as a fourth subgroup of Nilotic. In previous classifications, the languages were included within the Luo languages. Starostin (2015) treats the Mabaan-Burun languages as "West Nilotic" but outside the Luo level.

Reconstruction

Over 200 Proto-Nilotic lexical roots have been reconstructed by Dimmendaal (1988). Dimmendaal reconstructs the Proto-Nilotic consonants as follows:

Labial

Dental

Alveolar

Palatal

Velar

Uvular

Plosive

voiceless

()

voiced

()

Fricative

Implosive

Nasal

Trill

Lateral

Approximant

Numerals

Comparison of numerals in individual languages:

Classification

Language

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Eastern, Bari

Bari

Eastern, Lotuxo-Teso, Lotuxo-Maa, Lotuxo

Lopit

F / M

(litː < 'hand')

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Eastern, Lotuxo-Teso, Lotuxo-Maa, Lotuxo

Lotuho (Lotuxo) (1)

(litː < 'hand')

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Eastern, Lotuxo-Teso, Lotuxo-Maa, Lotuxo

Lotuho (Lotuxo) (2)

< 'hand'

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Eastern, Lotuxo-Teso, Lotuxo-Maa, Ongamo-Maa

Maasai

(fem), (masc), (place)

(fem), (masc)

(fem), (masc)

(fem), (masc)

(f.), (m.)

< Kalenjin

(fem), (masc)

< Kalenjin

Eastern, Lotuxo-Teso, Lotuxo-Maa, Ongamo-Maa

Samburu

(fem), (masc), (place)

(fem), (masc)

(fem), (masc)

(fem), (masc)

< Kalenjin

< Kalenjin

Eastern, Lotuxo-Teso, Teso-Turkana, Teso

Teso (Ateso) (1)

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Eastern, Lotuxo-Teso, Teso-Turkana, Teso

Teso (Ateso) (2)

< 'hand'

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Eastern, Lotuxo-Teso, Teso-Turkana, Turkana

Karamojong (Dodotho) (1)

(< hand)

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Eastern, Lotuxo-Teso, Teso-Turkana, Turkana

Karamojong (2)

< hand

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Eastern, Lotuxo-Teso, Teso-Turkana, Turkana

Nyangatom

(litː hand)

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Eastern, Lotuxo-Teso, Teso-Turkana, Turkana

Toposa

< hand

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Eastern, Lotuxo-Teso, Teso-Turkana, Turkana

Turkana

< hand

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Southern, Kalenjin, Elgon

Kupsabiny (Sebei)

[akɛ́ːŋkɛ]

[ɑréːɲ]

[sómok]

[aŋwán]

[múːt]

[múːt ɑk akɛ́ːŋkɛ]

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

[támán]

Southern, Kalenjin, Elgon

Sabaot (Koony dialect)

[aɡɛ́ːŋɡɛ]

[ɑyéːŋ]

[sómok]

[aŋwán]

[múːt]

[lɑ]

[tɪ́sap]

[sɪsɪ́ːt]

[sɑ́kɑːl]

[támán]

Southern, Kalenjin, Nandi-Markweta, Markweta

Cherang'any

Southern, Kalenjin, Nandi-Markweta, Markweta

Endo (Marakwet)

Southern, Kalenjin, Nandi-Markweta, Nandi

Keiyo

Southern, Kalenjin, Nandi-Markweta, Nandi

Tugen

Southern, Kalenjin, Okiek

Akie (Okiek)

Southern, Kalenjin, Pokot

Pökoot (Suk)

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Southern, Tatoga

Asimjeeg Datooga (1)

Southern, Tatoga

Datooga (2)

Southern, Tatoga

Datooga (3)

Western, Dinka-Nuer, Dinka

Dinka Agaar

Western, Dinka-Nuer, Dinka

Dinka Padang

Western, Dinka-Nuer, Nuer

Nuer (1)

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Western, Dinka-Nuer, Nuer

Nuer (2)

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Western, Luo, Northern, Anuak

Anuak(Anyua) (1)

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 4)

Western, Luo, Northern, Anuak

Anuak (2)

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Western, Luo, Northern, Bor

Belanda Bor

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Western, Luo, Northern, Jur

Luwo

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Western, Luo, Northern, Mabaan-Burun, Burun

Burun (Mayak)

Western, Luo, Northern, Mabaan-Burun, Mabaan

Mabaan

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

(lit: both hands)

Western, Luo, Northern, Shilluk

Shilluk

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Western, Luo, Northern, Thuri

Thuri

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Western, Luo, Northern, Unclassified

Päri (Lokoro) (1)

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Western, Luo, Northern, Unclassified

Päri (Lokoro) (2)

(5 + 1),

(5 + 2),

, (5 + 3),

(5 + 4),

Western, Luo, Southern, Adhola

Adhola (1)

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Western, Luo, Southern, Adhola

Adhola (2)

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Western, Luo, Southern, Kumam

Kumam

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Western, Luo, Southern, Luo-Acholi, Alur-Acholi, Alur

Western, Luo, Southern, Luo-Acholi, Alur-Acholi, Labwor

Acholi (Labwor)

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)

(5 + 4)

Western, Luo, Southern, Luo-Acholi, Alur-Acholi, Acholi

Acholi

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

(5 + 3)??

(5 + 4)

Western, Luo, Southern, Luo-Acholi, Luo

Dholuo

(5 + 1)

(5 + 2)

See also

Further reading

References