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Languages Of Kenya
Kenya is a multilingual country. Swahili, a Bantu language, and English are widely spoken as lingua francas and serve as the two official languages. English was inherited from colonial rule (''see British Kenya''). Including second-language speakers, there are more speakers of Swahili than English in Kenya. Overview According to '' Ethnologue'', there are a total of 68 languages spoken in Kenya. This variety is a reflection of the country's diverse population that includes most major ethnoracial and linguistic groups found in Africa (see Languages of Africa). Languages spoken locally belong to three broad language families: Niger-Congo ( Bantu branch) and Nilo-Saharan ( Nilotic branch), spoken by the country's Bantu, Nilotic populations and the Cushitic, Afroasiatic language family respectively. The Arab ethnic minority speak languages belonging to the separate Afroasiatic family, with the Hindustani and British residents speaking languages from the Indo-European ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
English Language
English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the island of Great Britain. Existing on a dialect continuum with Scots, and then closest related to the Low Saxon and Frisian languages, English is genealogically West Germanic. However, its vocabulary is also distinctively influenced by dialects of France (about 29% of Modern English words) and Latin (also about 29%), plus some grammar and a small amount of core vocabulary influenced by Old Norse (a North Germanic language). Speakers of English are called Anglophones. The earliest forms of English, collectively known as Old English, evolved from a group of West Germanic (Ingvaeonic) dialects brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the 5th century and further mutated by Norse-speaking Viking settlers starting in the 8th and 9th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kuria Language
Kuria is a Bantu language spoken by the Kuria people The Kuria people (also known as the AbaKurya, are a Bantu community in Tanzania and Kenya. Their homeland is bounded on the east by the Migori River and on the west by the Mara River estuary. Traditionally a pastoral and farming community, the ... of Northern Tanzania, with some speakers also residing in Kenya. Maho (2009) treats the Simbiti, Hacha, Surwa, and Sweta varieties as distinct languages. Alphabet Phonology Consonants Vowels All vowels contrast length, and can be either short or long. Bibliography * Jelle Cammenga, ''Igikuria phonology and morphology : a Bantu language of South-West Kenya and North-West Tanzania'', Köppe, Köln, 2004, 351 p. (revised text of a thesis) * S. M. Muniko, B. Muita oMagige and M. J. Ruel (ed.), ''Kuria-English dictionary'', LIT, Hambourg, 1996, 137 p. * W. H. Whiteley, ''The structure of the Kuria verbal and its position in the sentence'', University of London, 1955, 161 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dahalo Language
Dahalo is an endangered Cushitic language spoken by at most 400 Dahalo people on the coast of Kenya, near the mouth of the Tana River. Dahalo is unusual among the world's languages in using all four airstream mechanisms found in human language - clicks, implosives, ejectives, and regular consonants. While the language is known primarily as “''Dahalo''” to linguists, the term itself is an exonym supposedly used by Aweer-speakers that itself essentially means “''stupid''” or “''worthless''”. The speakers themselves refer to the language as “''numma guhooni''”. Overview The Dahalo, former elephant hunters, are dispersed among Swahili and other Bantu peoples, with no villages of their own, and are bilingual in those languages. Children no longer learn the language, which would make it moribund, and it may be extinct. Dahalo has a highly diverse sound system using all four airstream mechanisms found in human language: clicks, ejectives, and implosives, as well as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daasanach Language
Daasanach (also known as Dasenech, Daasanech, Dathanaik, Dathanaic, Dathanik, Dhaasanac, Gheleba, Geleba, Geleb, Gelebinya, Gallab, Galuba, Gelab, Gelubba, Dama, Marille, Merile, Merille, Morille, Reshiat, Russia) is a Cushitic language spoken by the Daasanach in Ethiopia, South Sudan and Kenya whose homeland is along the Lower Omo River and on the shores of Lake Turkana.Raymond G. Gordon Jr., ed. 2005. ''Ethnologue: Languages of the World''. 15th edition. Dallas: Summer Institute of Linguistics. Writing system Jim Ness and Susan Ness of Bible Translation and Literacy and Wycliffe Bible Translators devised a practical spelling and published a 1995 alphabet book. Yergalech Komoi and Gosh Kwanyangʼ published another alphabet book in 1995. An edition of the Gospel of Mark was published in 1997, and other Bible translations were published with this spelling in 1999. A revision of this spelling is adopted, replacing the digraph ‹dh› by the d with a horizontal stroke throu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burji Language
Burji language (alternate names: ''Bembala, Bambala, Daashi'') is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken by the Burji people who reside in Ethiopia south of Lake Chamo. There are over 49,000 speakers in Ethiopia, and a further 36,900 speakers in Kenya. Burji belongs to the Highland East Cushitic group of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. The language has the SOV (subject–object–verb) word order common to the Cushitic family. The verb morphology distinguishes passive and middle grammatical voice, as well as causative. Verbal suffixes mark the person, number, and gender of the subject. The New Testament was published in the Burji language in 1993. A collection of Burji proverbs, translated into English, French, and Swahili, is available on the Web.Angelique Chelo. 2016. A COLLECTION OF 100 BURJI PROVERBS AND WISE SAYINGSWeb Access/ref> Numerals 1-1000 * 1. ''micha'' * 2. ''lama'' * 3. ''fadiya'' * 4. ''foola'' * 5. ''umutta'' * 6. ''liya'' * 7. ''lamala'' * 8. ''hiditt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aweer Language
Aweer (''Aweera''), also known as Boni (''Bon, Bonta''), is a Cushitic language of Eastern Kenya. The Aweer people, known by the arguably derogatory Exonym and endonym, exonym "''Boni,''" are historically a hunter-gatherer people, traditionally subsisting on hunting, gathering, and collecting honey. Their ancestral lands range along the Kenyan coast from the Lamu County, Lamu and Ijara District, Ijara Districts into Southern Somalia, Somalia's Badhadhe District, Badaade District. According to ''Ethnologue'', there are around 8,000 speakers of Aweer. Aweer has similarities with the Garre language, however, its speakers are ethnically distinct from Garre speakers. Historical situation There is suggestions that the Aweer speech community are remnants of the early hunter-gatherer inhabitants of Eastern Africa; although this is not without debate among specialists and unlike the neighboring speakers of the Dahalo language, there is no concrete linguistic evidence of a shift from a p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
West Nyala Language
West Nyala is a Bantu language of western Kenya, on the shores of Lake Victoria Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. With a surface area of approximately , Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake by area, the world's largest tropical lake, and the world's second-largest fresh water lake by surface area after .... It is a part of the Luhya branch of Great Lakes Bantu. References Languages of Kenya Nyoro-Ganda languages {{Bantu-lang-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taita Language
Taita is a Bantu language spoken in the Taita Hills of Kenya. It is closely related to the Chaga languages of Kenya and Tanzania. The Saghala (Northern Sagala, Sagalla) variety is distinct enough to be considered a language separate from the Daw'ida and Kasigau dialects. Daw'ida and Saghala contain loanwords from two different South Cushitic languages, called Taita Cushitic, which are now extinct. It is likely that the Cushitic speakers were assimilated fairly recently, since lateral obstruents in the loanwords were still pronounced as such within living memory. However, those consonants have now been replaced by Bantu sounds. The Taveta language was mistaken for Daw'ida by Jouni Maho in his (2009) classification of Bantu languages. However, it's a distinct language, lexically and grammatically closest to Chasu (Pare Pare may refer to: People with the name * Emmett Paré (1907-1973), tennis player * Pare, former member of Kotak, an Indonesian band * Pare Lorentz (1905-1992 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suba Language
Kisuba, also known as Olusuba, is a Bantu language spoken by the Suba people of Kenya. The language features an extensive noun-classification system using prefixes that address gender and number. Suba clans are located on the eastern shore and islands of Lake Victoria in Kenya and Tanzania. They have formed alliances with neighboring clans, such as the Luo people, via intermarriages, and as a result a majority of Suba people are bilingual in Dholuo. The Suba religion has an ancient polytheistic history that includes writings of diverse, ancestral spirits. A recent revival of the Suba language and its culture has influenced the increasing number of native speakers each year. History Suba is an African language spoken by the Sub-Saharan people on the eastern shores of Lake Victoria. Trade dependence was established in the mid-19th century between the Suba people and the Luo, a larger neighboring clan. After a period of interaction, both clans became accustomed to each other's tr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samia Language
Samia (Saamia) is a Bantu language spoken by the Luhya people of Uganda and Kenya. ''Ethnologue'' includes Songa as a dialect, but it may be a separate language.Maho (2009) See also * Luhya language Luhya (; also Luyia, Luhia or Luhiya) is a Bantu language of western Kenya. Dialects The various Luhya tribes speak several related languages and dialects, though some of them are no closer to each other than they are to neighboring non-Luhya l ... References Languages of Kenya Languages of Uganda Luhya language {{Bantu-lang-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pokomo Language
Pokomo (''Kipfokomo'') is a Bantu language spoken primarily along the East African coast near Tana River in the Tana River District by the Pokomo people of Kenya. Kipfokomo language originated from "Kingozi" the language, which Kiswahili was built from. "Kingozi" language is the precursor of Kiswahili. Pokomos are the only tribe in the world that speak "Kingozi" and sometimes are referred to as wangozi because they used to wear skins (Ngozi). All adult speakers of Pokomo are bilingual in Swahili, parts of East Africa's lingua franca A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups .... There is high of lexical similarity between other languages like Mvita (63%), Amu (61%), Mrima (60%), Kigiryama (59%), Chidigo (58%) or Bajun (57%). References {{Authority control Lang ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nyole Language (Kenya)
Nyole (also ''Olunyole, Lunyole, Lunyore, Nyoole, Nyore, Olunyore'') is a Bantu language spoken by the Luhya people in Vihiga District, Kenya. There is 61% lexical similarity with a related but different Nyole dialect in Uganda. The Nyore people border the Luo, Maragoli and Kisa Luhya tribes. See also * Luhya language Luhya (; also Luyia, Luhia or Luhiya) is a Bantu language of western Kenya. Dialects The various Luhya tribes speak several related languages and dialects, though some of them are no closer to each other than they are to neighboring non-Luhya l ... References Languages of Kenya Luhya language {{Bantu-lang-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
