Lango language (Uganda)
Lango | |
---|---|
Lëblaŋo | |
Native to | Uganda |
Region | Lango sub-region |
Ethnicity | Lango |
Native speakers | 2.1 million (2014 census)[1] |
Latin | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | laj |
Glottolog | lang1324 |
Glottopedia | Lango [2] |
Lango (also called Leb-Lango) is a
It is mainly spoken in Lango sub-region, in the North Central Region of Uganda. An orthography for it using the Latin script has been introduced and is taught in primary schools.
The origin of Lango people is strongly linked to the Karamojong and Teso speaking people.[4]
Phonology
Consonants
Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stop | voiceless | p | t
|
k | (ʔ) | |
voiced | b | d
|
g | |||
Affricate | voiceless | tɕ | ||||
voiced | dʑ | |||||
Fricative | (ɸ) | (s) | (ɕ) | (x) | ||
Lateral | l
|
|||||
Tap | voiceless | ( ɾ̥ )
|
||||
voiced | ɾ | |||||
Nasal | m | n
|
ɲ | ŋ | ||
Semivowel | w | j |
In addition to these consonants, the Lango language maintains a gemination [Cː] distinction in the stops, affricates, nasals and lateral.
Voiceless stops and affricates are slightly aspirated, whereas voiced stops and affricates are fully voiced, sometimes with a characteristic of breathy voice. Stops are normally unreleased at the end of an utterance.
Fricatives and the
- [p] alternates with [ɸ]
- [t] alternates with [ɾ̥]
- [tɕ] alternates with [s] and [ɕ]
- [k] alternates with [x]
A glottal stop [ʔ] can also be heard in word-initial position, or in other intervocalic positions. In slow speech, it may also be heard as a murmured fricative [ɦ].[3]
Vowels
Kumam has ten vowels, forming an asymmetric vowel harmony system based on advanced and retracted tongue root, wherein the presence of advanced tongue root vowels [+ATR] may change retracted tongue root vowels [-ATR], but the reverse does not hold. Vowels can be lengthened but in a predictable manner.[3]
[+ATR] | [-ATR] | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Front | Central | Back | Front | Central | Back | |
Close | i | u | ɪ | ʊ | ||
Mid | e | ə | o | ɛ | ɔ | |
Open | a |
Writing system
a | b | c | d | e | ë | g | i | ï | j | k | l | m | n | ŋ | ny | o | ö | p | r | t | u | ü | w | y |
Long vowels are indicated by doubling the vowel: ⟨aa, ee, ëë, ii, ïï, oo, öö, uu, üü⟩.
References
- ^ Lango at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ^ Glottopedia article on Lango language.
- ^ ISBN 9783110850512.
- OCLC 38562622.
- ^ Teacher's Guide Lëblaŋo: An atwërö kwan kede cöc (PDF). Uganda Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Sports, National Curriculum Development Centre. 2014. p. 286.
- Okoth Okombo, Duncan (1997). A Functional Grammar of Dholuo. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag. ISBN 978-3-89645-130-9.