Luhya language
| Luhya | |
|---|---|
| Luyia | |
| Oluluhya | |
| Native to | Kenya |
| Ethnicity | Luhya |
Native speakers | 3.3 million (2019 census)[1] |
Niger–Congo?
| |
| Latin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | luy – inclusive code (includes all languages spoken by ethnic Luhya, not just the following)[2]Individual codes: lrm – Maramalwg – Wanga (Hanga)lks – Kisalto – Tsotsolkb – Kabrasnle – (East) Nyala |
| Glottolog | cent2288 Central Luyia (incl. some Nyore)kabr1240 Kabras |
JE.32[3] | |
Luhya (.
Dialects
The various
mutually intelligible dialects that comprise Luhya proper:[4]
- Hanga (OluWanga)
- Tsotso (OluTsotso)
- Marama (OluMarama)
- Kisa (OluShisa)
- Kabras (LuKabarasi)
- East Nyala (LuNyala)
Comparison
A comparison between two dialects of Luhya proper, and to two other Bantu languages spoken by the Luhya:
| English | Kisa | Logoli
|
Nyole | Wanga |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I (me) | eshie | nzi/ inze | ise | esie |
| words | amakhuwa | makuva | amang'ana, amakhuwa | amakhuwa |
| chair | eshifumbi | indeve/ endeve | indebe | eshisala |
| head | omurwe | mutwi | omurwe | om'rwe |
| money | amapesa | mang'ondo | amang'ondo, am'mondo, etsilupia | amapesa, irupia |
Comparison to Bantu
| English | Luhya | Kikuyu
|
Kinyarwanda | Lingala
|
Luganda | Shona | Swahili
|
Zulu
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| children | abana, baana, otwana, orwana, vaana | twana | abana | bana | baana, abaana | vana | wana | abantwana |
| dog | imbwa | ngui (pron. gui) | imbwa | mbwa | mbwa, embwa | mbwa, imbwa | mbwa | inja |
| fire | omuliro | mwaki | umuriro | moto | omuliro | moto | moto | umlilo |
Phonology
The following is the phonology of the Luwanga dialect:[5]
Vowels
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | i iː | u uː | |
| Mid | e eː | o oː | |
| Open | a aː |
Consonants
| Bilabial | Labio- dental |
Alveolar | Post- alveolar |
Palatal | Velar | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stop
|
plain | p | t | k | |||
| prenasal | ᵐb | ⁿd | ᶮɟ | ᵑɡ | |||
Affricate
|
ts | tʃ | |||||
Fricative
|
plain | β | f | s | ʃ | x | |
| prenasal | ⁿz | ||||||
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |||
| Trill | r | ||||||
Approximant
|
l | j | w | ||||
External links
- Eshitabo Eshiokhulaama nende Tsisakalamendo nende Akebiima Bindi Bieikanisa 1967 Anglican liturgical text digitized by Richard Mammana
References
- ^ Luhya at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
Marama at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
Wanga (Hanga) at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
Kisa at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
Tsotso at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
Kabras at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
(East) Nyala at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
- ^ "639 Identifier Documentation: luy". SIL International.
- ^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
- ^ Maho (2019)
- ^ Abdulmajid, Akidah Mohammed (2000). Luwanga morphophonemics: a natural generative phonology. University of Nairobi.
- Musimbi Kanyoro (1989), "The Abaluyia of Kenya; one people, one language: What can be learned from the Luyia project": The Abaluyia of Western Kenya. (p. 27).
- Wanga-English Dictionary
| National | |
|---|---|
| Other | |
