Terik (Nyang’ori) is a Kalenjin language of Kenya. The language of the Terik is closely related to the

Elgon languages The Elgon languages are languages of the Southern Nilotic Kalenjin family spoken in the Mount Elgon area in western Kenya and eastern Uganda. According to the Ethnologue, there are two main Elgon languages: Kupsabiny (spoken by about 120,000 ...

Pok and especially Bong'om. Part of the vocabulary is related exclusively to the Elgon languages, for example words like ''murwaket'' 'snail', ''puntet'' 'nail', and ''musempet'' 'sheep tail'. Another trait distinguishing Terik together with Bong'om and Pok from other Kalenjin languages is the replacement of ''l-''V''-l'' by ''r-''V''-n'' in these three dialects. Also, together with the Elgon languages, Terik shows a

sound change A sound change, in historical linguistics, is a change in the pronunciation of a language. A sound change can involve the replacement of one speech sound (or, more generally, one phonetic feature value) by a different one (called phonetic chang ...

''*l'' > ''n'' which is not shared by other Kalenjin varieties. The Terik and Nandi languages are mutually intelligible. The ongoing assimilation to Nandi ways of life has led to a decline in the use of the Terik language in favour of Nandi. Among the Terik, migration into Nandiland tends to be viewed as a change in neighbourhood which may require, among other things, that one adapts one's pronunciation to that of the neighbours. "Increasing infiltration of their western Luyia neighbours into Terikland is responsible for the Terik settling in the less densely populated Nandiland to the east. There they are exposed to a different but closely related culture, which they gradually adopt." About 50,000 Terik (less than half of the total population) still speak Terik, but all are middle aged or older. Most children grow up using Nandi. Terik has therefore been classified as an endangered language.

References

Kalenjin languages {{ns-lang-stub