Nyangatom (also Inyangatom, Donyiro, Dongiro, Idongiro) is a Nilotic language spoken in Ethiopia by the Nyangatom people. It is an oral language only, having no working orthography at present. Related languages include Toposa and Turkana, both of which have a level of mutual intelligibility; Blench (2012) counts it as a dialect of Turkana.

Phonology

Vowels

• Vowel length is contrastive in Nyangatom, as in 'completely' vs. 'always'

• Before a pause, short vowels carrying a single, simple tone are devoiced.

Consonants

Moges Yigezu, however, analyzes Nyangatom as having implosive stops, rather than voiced egressive stops.

Bibliography

• Dimmendaal, Gerrit J. 2007. "Ñaŋatom language" in Siegbert Uhlig (ed.) Encyclopaedia Aethiopica, Vol 3. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz. pp.1131–1132.

References