Southern Nilotic languages

Subgroup of the Nilotic language family

Southern Nilotic

Geographic
distribution| western Kenya, eastern Uganda, northern Tanzania
Linguistic classification| Nilo-Saharan?

* Eastern Sudanic
* Southern Eastern
* Nilotic
* Southern Nilotic

Subdivisions|

* Kalenjin
* Omotik–Datooga

Language codes
Glottolog| `sout2830`

The Southern Nilotic languages are spoken mainly in western Kenya and northern Tanzania (with one of them, Kupsabiny or Sapiny, being spoken on the Ugandan side of Mount Elgon). They form a division of the larger Nilotic language family, along with the Western Nilotic languages and the Eastern Nilotic languages.

## Subdivisions

[edit]

The Southern Nilotic languages are generally divided into two groups, Kalenjin and Tatogoa, although there is some uncertainty as to the internal coherence of the Kalenjin branch. Southern Nilotic languages appear to have been influenced considerably by Cushitic (Afro-Asiatic) languages.[1] The Kalenjin languages are spoken by the Kalenjin people. This family spreads all around Uganda and to some of Kenya. The Tatoga languages consist of the Omotik language and of the larger Datooga language, or more fitting, Datooga dialect cluster.[citation needed]

* Kalenjin (see)
* Tatoga: Omotik, Datooga

## Languages

[edit]

* Kalenjin
* Elgon languages
* Kupsabiny
* Sabaot
* Nandi–Markweta
* Kipsigis
* Okiek
* Pökoot
* Tatogoa
* Datooga
* Omotik

## Reconstruction

[edit]

Proto-Kalenjin has been reconstructed by Franz Rottland (1979).[2]

## Cushitic influences

[edit]

Historically, Southern Nilotic has undergone extensive contact with a "missing" branch of East Cushitic that Heine (1979) refers to as Baz.[3] Proto-Baz reconstructions proposed by Heine (1979),[4] with notes about corresponding East Cushitic and Proto-East Cushitic forms from Sasse (1979):[5]

Gloss | Proto-Baz | Proto-East Cushitic | Example cognates

|
|
|

bat | *rɛɛrɛɛʕ
bell | *kor
bovine, male | *aʀ | *ʔawr- 'large male animal' | Saho and Somali awr, Oromo ooroo
calf | *maʀ
cow dung, mud | *zig
curse (n.) | *hab- | *hab-aar- 'to curse' | Saho and Oromo abaar, Somali habaar
eat, to | *am
eight | *siziet
ewe, virgin | *subeen
feathers, fur | *goro-
fifty | *konom | *ken- 'five' | Konso ken, Oromo shani, Somali shan
fingernail, claw | *ʕidd
forty | *afaram | *ʔafar- 'four' | Afar affara, Somali afar, Oromo afur
goat, male | *quar-
goat/sheep, young | *maqal
grass | *ʕaus | *ʕawš- ~ *ʕayš- | Afar qayso, Somali caws, Oromo ees
head | *mɛtɛħ | *matħ- | Arbore mete, Somali madax, Oromo mataa
honey | *malab | *malab- | Afar–Saho and Somali malab
hundred | *boqol | *bokʼl- | Saho bool, Somali boqol
lake, sea | *baz | *baz- | Afar–Saho and Somali bad, Daasanach baz
look, to | *ilaal | *ʔil-aal-, derivative
from *ʔil- 'eye' | Saho and Oromo ilaal
lost, to get | *bod | *bad- | Afar–Saho, Somali and Oromo bad-
louse | *insir
lover | *saani
nine | *sagaal |  | Afar and Somali sagaal, Oromo sagal
pot, clay | *ɖeri
rain | *roob | *roob- | Oromo rooba, Somali roob
red | *buri-
scratch, to | *quut
see, to | *kas
seven | *tizzaba |  | Arbore tuzba
six | *lVħ | *liħ | Daasanach li, Oromo jaha, Somali lix
smoke | *iʀi
spear | *tor
suck, to | *nug | *nuug- | Oromo luug, Rendille nug, Somali nuug
ten | *tamman | *tomman | Arbore tomon, Saho tamman, Somali toban
thirty | *sozzom | *sezħ- 'three' | Arbore sezze, Oromo sadii', Somali saddex

## See also

[edit]

* Languages of Kenya
* Languages of Tanzania
* Languages of Uganda
* Serengeti-Dorobo language, of which at least the numeral system is Southern or Eastern Nilotic
* List of Proto-Southern Nilotic reconstructions (Wiktionary)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Rottland, Franz (1982) Die Südnilotischen Sprachen: Beschreibung, Vergleichung und Rekonstruktion (Kölner Beiträge zur Afrikanistik vol. 7). Berlin: Dietrich Reimer.
2. ^ Rottland, Franz. 1979. The reconstruction of proto-Kalenjin. (Papers from the Inst. of African Studies (IAS), 128.) Nairobi: Institute of African Studies, University of Nairobi.
3. ^ Güldemann, Tom (2018). "Historical linguistics and genealogical language classification in Africa". In Güldemann, Tom (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of Africa. The World of Linguistics series. Vol. 11\. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 58–444. doi:10.1515/9783110421668-002. ISBN 978-3-11-042606-9.
4. ^ Heine, Bernd, Franz Rottland & Rainer Voßen. 1979. Proto-Baz: Some aspects of early Nilotic-Cushitic contacts. Sprache und Geschichte in Afrika 1\. 75‒92.
5. ^ Sasse, Hans-Jürgen (1979). "Consonant Phonemes of Proto East Cushitic". Afro-Asiatic Linguistics. 7 (1): 1–57.

* v
* t
* e

Eastern Sudanic languages

Part of the proposed Nilo-Saharan language family

Northern k languages

| Nubian|

* Birgid
* Dongolawi
* Kenzi
* Midob
* Nobiin
* Old Nubian

Hill Nubian|

* Dair
* Dilling
* El Hugeirat
* Ghulfan
* Haraza
* Kadaru
* Karko
* Wali

Nara|

* Nara

Nyima|

* Afitti
* Nyimang

Taman|

* Mararit
* Miisiirii
* Sungor
* Tama

Southern n languages

| Surmic|

| North|

* Majang

|

Southeast|

* Kwegu
* Meʼen
* Mursi
* Suri

Southwest|

* Baale
* Didinga
* Murle
* Laarim
* Tennet

Eastern Jebel|

* Gaam
* Kelo
* Molo
* Sillok

Temein|

* Keiga Jirru
* Temein
* Tese

Daju|

| Eastern|

* Logorik
* Shatt

|

Western|

* Beigo
* Daju Mongo
* Nyolge
* Nyala
* Sila

Nilotic|

Large group listed below

Nilotic languages

| Eastern|

| Bari|

* Bari
* Kuku
* Mandari

|

Teso–Turkana|

* Karamojong
* Teso
* Toposa
* Turkana
* Nyangatom

Lotuko|

* Dongotono
* Lango (South Sudan)
* Lokoya
* Lopit
* Otuho

Ongamo–Maa|

* Maasai
* Ngasa
* Samburu
* Camus

Western|

| Dinka–Nuer|

* Dinka
* Nuer
* Reel

|

Luo|

| Northern|

* Anuak
* Belanda Bor
* Jur
* Päri
* Shilluk
* Thuri

|

Southern|

* Southern Luo
* Acholi
* Adhola
* Alur
* Dholuo
* Kumam
* Lango (Uganda)

Burun|

* Northern Burun
* Southern Burun

Southern|

| Kalenjin|

| Elgon|

* Kupsabiny
* Sabaot

|

Nandi–Markweta|

* Keiyo
* Kipsigis
* Markwet
* Naandi
* Terik
* Tugen

Okiek–Mosiro|

* Ogiek

Pökoot|

* Pökoot

Omotik–Datooga|

* Datooga
* Omotik

Italics indicate extinct languages
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