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Teso (natively ''Ateso'') is an
Eastern Nilotic language The Eastern Nilotic languages are one of the three primary branches of the Nilotic languages, themselves belonging to the Eastern Sudanic subfamily of Nilo-Saharan; they are believed to have begun to diverge about 3,000 years ago, and have spre ...
spoken by the
Iteso people The Iteso (or people of Teso) are a Nilotic ethnic group in eastern Uganda and western Kenya. Teso refers to the traditional homeland of the Iteso, and '' Ateso'' is their language. History Origins The exact origins of the Iteso remain un ...
of
Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
and
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
and some speakers are in
South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the C ...
. It is part of the Teso–Turkana
language cluster A dialect continuum or dialect chain is a series of language varieties spoken across some geographical area such that neighboring varieties are mutually intelligible, but the differences accumulate over distance so that widely separated varie ...
. According to the 2002 Uganda population and housing census, over 1.57 million people in Uganda (6.7 percent of the total Uganda population) spoke Ateso. Also, an estimated 279,000 people in Kenya speak the language. Its
SIL SIL, Sil and sil may refer to: Organizations * Servis Industries Limited, Pakistan * Smithsonian Institution Libraries * SIL International, formerly Summer Institute of Linguistics * Apex Silver Mines (former American Stock Exchange ticker symb ...
code is TEO. Ateso is spoken in the
Teso sub-region Teso sub-region (previously known as Teso District) is a sub-region in Eastern Region, Uganda that consists of: * Amuria District * Bukedea District * Kaberamaido District * Kapelebyong District * Katakwi District * Kumi District * Ngora District * ...
. Ateso is also known as Bakedi, Bakidi, Elgumi, Etossio, Ikumama, Iteso, Teso or Wamia. It is closely related to Turkana and Karamojong.


Alphabet

There are 22 letters in the Ateso
alphabet An alphabet is a standardized set of basic written graphemes (called letters) that represent the phonemes of certain spoken languages. Not all writing systems represent language in this way; in a syllabary, each character represents a syll ...
F,H,Q,V,H,X and Z are not used and ŋ and NY are added. F,H,Q,V,H,X,Z only appear in
loan words A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because the ...
. The
pronunciation Pronunciation is the way in which a word or a language is spoken. This may refer to generally agreed-upon sequences of sounds used in speaking a given word or language in a specific dialect ("correct pronunciation") or simply the way a particular ...
guides that follow are for practice only; the correct sounds can only be learned by practice from a teacher or an audio media. There are five
vowels A vowel is a syllabic speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract. Vowels are one of the two principal classes of speech sounds, the other being the consonant. Vowels vary in quality, in loudness and also in quantity (leng ...
in Ateso
A, E, I, O, U.
These five letters, however, represent more than five sounds, for the letters E, I, O and U have two values each; a "close" value and an "open" value.
Close vowel A close vowel, also known as a high vowel (in U.S. terminology), is any in a class of vowel sounds used in many spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a close vowel is that the tongue is positioned as close as possible to the roof of th ...
s are pronounced approximately as follows: :E [] as in beg (French é): aipet----- ''to kick'' :I [] as in seat: aidip----- ''to hit'' :O [] as in Scots language, Scottish pronunciation of bone (French language, French eau): aimor----- ''to insult'', ''to abuse'' :U [] as in fool: aikut----- ''to scratch the earth, to scoop something'' Open vowels are pronounced approximately as follows: :E [] as in beg (French è): aipet ----- ''to lay out'' :I [] as in sit: ailid----- ''to fasten'' :O [] as in gone (or in glory when long): aimor----- ''to share'' :U [] as in full: aikut -----''to blow'' :A [] is pronounced as in art (never short as in ram) :''abal'' 'to say' Note that whether the root vowel is "closed" or "open" affects the Grammatical conjugation, conjugation of the verb. Where the vowels AI or OI stand together, they represent sounds approximating the "i" in bite [] and "oy" [] in annoy respectively. In other vowel combinations, both vowels must be given their full values. The "au" in kau -----(''behind'') is pronounced [] not []. All words ending in a [ onsonant possess a semi-mute or "shadow" vowel after the final consonant, which is not pronounced when the word stands in isolation, but which is pronounced when the word is followed by another word beginning with a consonant: e.g. The Ateso translation of "the women go to the house" is written: :elosete aŋor togo ----- ''the women are going to the house'' but is pronounced: elosete aŋoro Togo If the word following is normally written as one with the preceding word, the "shadow" vowel is not only pronounced but written: :e.g. elosete aŋoroke togo ----- his women are going to the house Other examples are given in (vii) below. There are sixteen consonants and one semi-vowel in Ateso, pronounced approximately as follows: :B [] as in bat: bobo -----''again'' :C [] as in chat (never as in cat): elacet ----- ''key'' :D [] as in dog: edou ----- rain :G [] as in get (never as in geology): ''agasia'' rubbish/trash :J [] as in jam: ''aijar'' life :K [] as in king: ''ekek'' door :L [] as in let: ''alalau'' width :M [] as in mat: mam ----- ''no'' :N [] as in nut: ainu ------ ''to hug'' :ŋ** [] as in hanger (never as in finger): iŋai ----- ''who'' :NY [] as in Spanish language, Spanish wikt:Señorita, Señorita: anya ----- ''grass'' (plural) :P [] as in put: papa ----- ''father'' :R [] as in rat (should be well rolled): erute ----- ''gate'' :S [] as in service : aisab ----- ''to tell lies'' :T [] as in toss: toto ----- ''mother'' :y [] as in yellow: yoga ----- ''hello'' Semi vowel: :W [] as in win: awasia ----- the end, aiwosa ----- ''to prosecute'' (vi) In words of foreign origin introduced into Teso the missing sound F is replaced by P and the missing sound V by B or P. Z is replaced by S. :Thus ''mesa'' -----''table'' (
Kiswahili Swahili, also known by its local name , is the native language of the Swahili people, who are found primarily in Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique (along the East African coast and adjacent litoral islands). It is a Bantu language, though Swahili ...
) becomes e-mesa :''oku-fuga'' -----''to rule'' (
Luganda The Ganda language or Luganda (, , ) is a Bantu language spoken in the African Great Lakes region. It is one of the major languages in Uganda and is spoken by more than 10 million Baganda and other people principally in central Uganda including ...
) becomes ai-puga It is an invariable rule that two consonants can never stand together in the same word. Both in speech and in writing. When word construction brings two consonants together, either one of the consonants must be dropped or the "shadow" vowel mentioned in sub-paragraph (iv) above must be inserted between the consonants. E.g. (Omission of one consonant) :''Nen-pe-nen'' 'just there' is written and pronounced ''nepenen''. (Insertion of "shadow" vowel) :''ŋon-tuŋa-nan'' 'every man' is written and pronounced: ''ŋonituŋanan'' :''Elacet-kon'' 'your key' is written and pronounced ''elacetekon'' **Due to the introduction of
typesetting Typesetting is the composition of text by means of arranging physical ''type'' (or ''sort'') in mechanical systems or ''glyphs'' in digital systems representing ''characters'' (letters and other symbols).Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random Ho ...
&
word processing A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no consen ...
machines, ''ŋ'' is now almost entirely written ''NG''. It is only in old literature that ''ŋ'' still appears. The fact that in some works the two letters ''NG'' are found together in place of ''ŋ'' is no exception to the above rules. These two letters are merely an alternative representation of the sound ''ŋ'', in the same way as the letters ''NY'' represent one sound. The semi-vowel ''W'', however, can and frequently does follow a [ onsonant: :''aswam'' work :''ekwam'' air The Teso language board's alphabet uses ''NG'' in place of ''ŋ'', and also uses ''ɛ'', ''ɨ'', ''ɔ'', and ''ʉ'', as well as the modifier letters .


Pronunciation

The correct pronunciation of these letters when formed into words can only be learned by practice. As a general rule, all syllables should be given equal stress, though the stem or root syllable often carries slightly more Stress (linguistics), stress than other syllables. Stress does not, however, affect the length of the vowel stressed or its Pitch (music), pitch or Tone (linguistics), tone. It is equally important to note that syllable pitch plays a vital part in correct pronunciation and that many words, which are spelled identically, have a different meanings according to syllable pitch. For example: :__ ↗ __ élípì ----- ''I am praying'' :___ ___ ‿ elìpǐ ----- ''I was praying'' :___ ___ ↗ elipí ----- ''he/she was praying''


Phonology


Consonants


Vowels

* Vowels are phonetically represented with ATR as ̘, e̘, o̘, u̘, a̘ ̘and RTR as ̙, ɛ̙, ɔ̙, ʊ̙, a̙ * ̘is heard as an allophone of /a/ with advanced tongue root. Voiceless vowel sounds are present, strictly occurring in word-final position before a pause, at the end of sentences or when standing alone.


Orthography

(i) The spelling used in most of the first published Ateso books is in accordance with the official orthography agreed upon by the Ateso Orthography Committee in 1947. It was then accepted as a general principle that all words should be written in full even though normally contracted in speech. It should be particularly noted that a short -a or -e at the end of a word is dropped in speech when the word is followed by a word beginning with a vowel. :e.g. ekitabo loka etelepat ----- ''the book of the boy'' :is pronounced ekitabo lok' etelepat. (ii) Recently, it is evident that the spoken language is continuing to move away from the written language especially in most parts of Uganda. This means that some aspects of orthography may well need revision soon. (iii)While the
Iteso The Iteso (or people of Teso) are a Nilotic ethnic group in eastern Uganda and western Kenya. Teso refers to the traditional homeland of the Iteso, and ''Ateso'' is their language. History Origins The exact origins of the Iteso remain uncl ...
of
Tororo Tororo is a town in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Tororo District. History Tororo was garrisoned by the Uganda Army's Air and Sea Battalion during the Uganda–Tanzania War ( ...
district in Uganda and Teso district in
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
retain the letter k in the spoken language, the Iteso in most other areas of
Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
tend to omit it in most of the words. :E.g. :


Basic lexicon

Hello – ''yoga''
How are you? – ''Ijai biai'' (singular), ''Ijaasi biai'' (plural)
Fine, and you? – ''Ejokuna, arai ijo?''
Fine – ''ejokuna''
What is your name? – ''Ingai bo ekon'kiror?''
My name is ... – ''Eka'kiror ...''
Name --- Ekiror
Nice to see you. --- Eyalama ewanyun (''also:'' Eyalama aanyun)
See you again --- Awanyunos bobo
Book – Eitabo
Because – Naarai The first sentence in the bible can be translated as ''Ageunet, abu Edeke Kosub akwap keda akuj'' ("In the beginning God made the earth and the heavens" lit. "the down and the up").


Gender and noun prefix

As with many other languages, Ateso words have
grammatical gender In linguistics, grammatical gender system is a specific form of noun class system, where nouns are assigned with gender categories that are often not related to their real-world qualities. In languages with grammatical gender, most or all nouns ...
. For grammatical purposes all
nouns A noun () is a word that generally functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as living creatures, places, actions, qualities, states of existence, or ideas.Example nouns for: * Living creatures (including people, alive, d ...
in Ateso are divided into three classes or genders:(a) masculine, (b) feminine and (c) neuter.


Noun prefix

Every noun in Ateso has a prefix which varies according to the gender of the noun or according to whether the noun is singular or plural. Nouns (in the singular) starting with " E" or " O" are usually masculine. Those starting with " A" are feminine while those that start with " I" are neuter. See table below for details. The only exception to the above rule are certain nouns denoting relationships and directions.
e.g. toto ----- ''mother''; papa ----- ''father''; mamai ----- ''uncle''; inac ----- ''sister'' ; ija ----- ''aunt''
:kide ----- ''east''; too ----- ''west''; ŋalakimak (or agolitomei) ----- ''south''; nyakoi ----- ''north'' It should, however, be noted that the noun prefix is always dropped when the noun comes after the following
pronouns In linguistics and grammar, a pronoun (list of glossing abbreviations, abbreviated ) is a word or a group of words that one may substitute for a noun or noun phrase. Pronouns have traditionally been regarded as one of the part of speech, parts o ...
or
adjectives In linguistics, an adjective (abbreviated ) is a word that generally modifies a noun or noun phrase or describes its referent. Its semantic role is to change information given by the noun. Traditionally, adjectives were considered one of the mai ...
and their feminine, neuter or plural forms: The following is a general classification of most nouns.


Masculine nouns

The masculine nouns are: (i) Names of male beings:
e.g. ekingok – ''dog'' :ekoroi ----- ''he-goat'' :emong ----- ''bull'' :etelepat/esapat ----- ''boy'' :Ekue ----—''fox'' :Ekokor ----—''cock'' (ii) Names of most trees and fruit
e.g. eloa* – mvule tree (* now generally referred to as emapule ) :enimu ----— ''lemon'' :etaget ----—'' banana'' :emucuuga ----— ''an orange'' (iii) Names of insects:
e.g. esirut – mosquito :emukuny ----— ''black ant'' :ekonyelet ----— ''beetle'' :ecwarenit ----— ''bed-bug'' :eidepit ----—
flea Flea, the common name for the order Siphonaptera, includes 2,500 species of small flightless insects that live as external parasites of mammals and birds. Fleas live by ingesting the blood of their hosts. Adult fleas grow to about long, a ...
(iv) Names of non-indigenous liquids:
e.g. ecaai ----— ''tea'' :akaawa** ----— ''coffee'' (** derived from the
Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...
word ''qahwa'') :ebia ----— ''beer'' :ebino** ----— ''wine'' (** ewain is also accepted )


Feminine nouns

The feminine nouns are: (i) Names of female beings:
e.g. akingok – ''bitch'' :akinei ----— ''she-goat'' :apese ----— ''girl'' :Akokor ----—''hen''
(ii) Names of languages and countries:
e.g. Ateso ----— ''the Teso language''
:Amusugun ----— ''the
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 is ...
'' :Alulatin ----— ''the
Latin Language Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
'' :Amugana ----—''The
Ganda language The Ganda language or Luganda (, , ) is a Bantu language spoken in the African Great Lakes region. It is one of the major languages in Uganda and is spoken by more than 10 million Baganda and other people principally in central Uganda including ...
(or
Ganda Ganda may refer to: Places * Ganda, Angola * Ganda, Tibet, China * Ganda, the ancient Latin name of Ghent, a city in Belgium Other uses * Baganda or Ganda, a people of Uganda ** Luganda or Ganda language, a language of Uganda * ''Ganda'' and "Ga ...
women)'' (iii) Names of indigenous liquids:
e.g. ajon ----—''local cereal brew''
:akipi ----— ''
water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...
'' :akile ----— ''
milk Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...
'' :acece ----—''
soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ing ...
'' :akima ----—''
porridge Porridge is a food made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, (dried) fruit or syrup to make a sweet cereal, ...
'' (also akuma) (iv) Abstract nouns:-
e.g. ajokus----—''goodness'' (*also ajokis, ajokisu are used depending on the area)
:amina ----- ''
love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...
'' :aojau ----—''height'' :alalau ----—''width'' :ajijim ----—''tastiness'' :apianis ----—''tastelessness'' :anyunyura ----—''
anger Anger, also known as wrath or rage, is an intense emotional state involving a strong uncomfortable and non-cooperative response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat. A person experiencing anger will often experience physical effects, su ...
''
(v) Verbs used as nouns:
:e.g. alosit -----'' going'' :abunere ----- ''coming'' :aisiom ----- ''reading'' :aisom ----- ''jumping''


Neuter nouns

The neuter nouns are: (i) Names of neuter or generic objects:
e.g. ituŋanan ----- person (sex unknown)
:irotin ----- ''roads/ways''
(ii) Names of diminutive objects:
e.g. ikiŋok ----- ''puppy''
:ipese ----- ''baby girl'' :Imoru ----- ''pebble'' :imiot ----- ''chick'' :imukeru ----- ''baby''


Plural

(i) To form the plural the ending of the noun is changed. This change may consist of the omission of the last syllable, the addition of another syllable or syllables, or the alteration of the last syllable or syllables: : (ii) In the case of masculine nouns the noun prefix also changes as shown in the table on noun prefix above.

(iii) These changes in the endings of nouns are so irregular that it is not worth while trying to formulate rules for the formation of plurals.

(iv) Certain nouns, however, which are derived from verbs, form their plurals according to rules; (a) Nouns denoting an agent of action (a person who does the action of the verb) form a singular ending in -an or -on and a plural ending in -ak or -ok: e.g. ekamejan – hunter ; ikamejak – hunters; ekecokon – herdsman; ikecokok – herdsmen;
:ekadukon -a builder; ikadukok -builders; ekatubon – judge; ikatubok -judges.
(b) Nouns denoting something which does or, is done, form a singular ending in -et or -etait and a plural ending in -eta:

e.g. elacet – (''a thing which loosens'') key; ilaceta – keys; arapetait – cover arapeta -covers;

(v) Some nouns have no singular and exist only in the plural:
e.g. akipi—-water; ajony – local brew; asinge – sand; ajo – sleep; ileic – shame

Other nouns have no plural and exist only in the singular;
e.g. ekuron – ashes; akoloŋ—sun; adam – brain; eduan – weeds

(vi) Abstract nouns and names of diseases, as in English, have no plural.
e.g. aiyalama -happiness; amin -love.

(vii) Some nouns form their plural from other roots:
e.g. aberu – woman, aŋor -women; ikoku -child, iduwe – children.

(viii) Some nouns, in addition to the normal plural, form a generic plural by adding -sinei to the plural form:
e.g. etuŋanan - man, ituŋa - men; ituŋasinei - mankind
: akwap - country, akwapin - countries, akwapisinei - the world (n dropped for
euphony Phonaesthetics (also spelled phonesthetics in North America) is the study of beauty and pleasantness associated with the sounds of certain words or parts of words. The term was first used in this sense, perhaps by during the mid-20th century and ...
).


Article

There is no definite or indefinite article in Teso. ''Aberu'' means "a woman" or "the woman" according to the context.


Adverbs

Adverbs clarify the action of a verb.Interrogative adverbs usually follow the verb they qualify. :e.g. Elosit nesi ai? where did he go? But if the interrogative adverb is strengthened by the particle BO, the adverb must precede the verb :e.g. aibo ejaas itelepai ? (Where are the boys?) =ejaas itelepai ai? , but all the other adverbs follow the verb.


Adverbs of place

Ai/aibo= where?
nen =there (not far off)
:e.g. aibo ejai eka'kalaamu? Where is my pencil?; Ejai nen = it's there. Ngina = over there (at a distance)
:e.g. Aibo ejai toto? Where is mom; Ejai ngina = (she's) over there. Lailo, laije =this way, that way.
:e.g. Kobia lailo, mam ilosi ngina =come this way, don't go there; Kobongo laije, mam ibuni lailo = Go back there, don't come this way. Juwai/Juwayi = at the back of / that way/that side (usually behind something) :e.g. Elosit papa juwai =Dad has gone to the other side / Dad has gone to the rear Ajesan = down there. :e.g. Aeka je ajesan =He's gone down there Nelwana/ne alwanan =far off :e.g. Alot onac ameja nelwana = (my) brother has gone hunting in a far place Eyapye/eyapiei/eyapie = near :e.g.Eyapie ne elosit ngesi = he/she has gone nearby (to a near place) Toma =inside
:e.g. Ejai amunyu toma ocupa = the salt is inside the bottle;Eroko Yakobo ejai toma agoola ke = James is still inside his room Kiding =in the middle/between
:e.g. Ejai eyapesi ka kiding na eiduka kede ekanisa = my office is between the shop and the church;Ibirokina ekitoi kiding na erot = the tree has fallen in the middle of the road Kau = behind
Ngaren (na) = in front (of) :e.g. Ngaren na ataker = In front of the boat Osiep = near/on the side of/beside :e.g. Ikunyu ber ijo osiep ka = Please come near me (move closer) Diye = very close :e.g. Anu inyo ilosia ijo diye do abongun kede akan? = Why did you go nearby and return empty-handed? teten = (to the) right :e.g. Ibelokin teten = turn to the right Kediany = left :e.g. Ejaasi kesi kediany = They're on the left (hand side) Kide = East
Too = West
Nyakoi = North
Agolitomei / Ongalakimak = South


Numerals

Ateso numerals are from ones place to hundredth place. Numerals upwards from one thousand are borrowed from other languages. (i) Numbers from one to five are the basis of the whole numerical system in Ateso. Six (6) is literally translated as 5+1 (five and one), 7 as 5+2 (five and two), etc. In the same way 16 is 10+5+1, 17 is 10+5+2, 21 is 20+1, 26 is also 20+5+1, etc. (ii) Numerals agree in
gender Gender is the range of characteristics pertaining to femininity and masculinity and differentiating between them. Depending on the context, this may include sex-based social structures (i.e. gender roles) and gender identity. Most cultures u ...
with the noun they define:
e.g. itelepai iuni three boys, ikekia iuni three doors, imeesan iuni three tables :apesur auni three girls, aturo auni three flowers, iduwe iuni three children (iii) Numerals always follow the noun. ediope (one) can however, precede, in which case the noun prefix is dropped.
e.g. edioperot (or erot ediope) one road/way; adiopeberu one woman; :angor auni three women, irotin iuni three roads/ways ††The word for
zero 0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation Positional notation (or place-value notation, or positional numeral system) usually denotes the extension to any base of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system (or ...
, esupur, is no longer used in the spoken language. Instead enoot, a
loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because th ...
derived from the English
naught 0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation such as the Hindu–Arabic numeral system, 0 also serves as a placeholder numerical digit, which works by multiplying digits to the left of 0 by the radix, usual ...
is generally used.


Cardinal numbers


Ordinal numbers

Ordinal numbers In set theory, an ordinal number, or ordinal, is a generalization of ordinal numerals (first, second, th, etc.) aimed to extend enumeration to infinite sets. A finite set can be enumerated by successively labeling each element with the least n ...
are formed from
cardinal numbers In mathematics, cardinal numbers, or cardinals for short, are a generalization of the natural numbers used to measure the cardinality (size) of sets. The cardinality of a finite set is a natural number: the number of elements in the set. The ...
by prefixing the relative forms lok- (m), nak- (f), yenik-(n) as appropriate, to the masculine form of the numeral and by adding -et after the numeral.
e.g. akany five, nakikanyet fifth (feminine singular) : iuni three, lokiuniet third (masculine singular) : iyarei two, yenikiyareit second (neuter singular) ‡ a majority of Iteso (especially those in the Ugandan districts of
Soroti Soroti is a city in Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the main City, commercial, and administrative center in curved out of Soroti District, one of the nine administrative districts in the Teso sub-region. Soroti City was immediately approved f ...
, Kumi,
Amuria Amuria is a town in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the chief municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Amuria District, in the Teso sub-region. Location Amuria is located approximately , by road, north of Soroti, the largest ci ...
,
Bukedea Bukedea is a town in the Eastern Region, Uganda, Eastern Region of Uganda. It is the chief municipal, administrative, and commercial center of Bukedea District, and the district headquarters are located there. Location Bukedea is situated on the ...
,
Serere_District Serere District is a district in Eastern Uganda. It is named after its 'chief town', Serere, where the district headquarters are located. Location Serere District is bordered by Soroti District to the north, Ngora District to the east, Pallisa ...
and
Kaberamaido Kaberamaido is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of Kaberamaido District and is the location of the headquarters for the district. Location Kaberamaido is located approximately by road, nor ...
) do not pronounce some ks in speech. Thus, nakikanyet is pronounced naikanyet, etc.


Loanwords

Ateso has taken a number of
loanword A loanword (also loan word or loan-word) is a word at least partly assimilated from one language (the donor language) into another language. This is in contrast to cognates, which are words in two or more languages that are similar because th ...
s, primarily from English and Swahili languages. Words marked with an
asterisk The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , ''asteriskos'', "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often voc ...
(*) indicates that the last letter in the Ateso word is silent. ++The Ateso word for a telephone that most Ateso speakers are familiar with is the word "Esimu" which comes from
Luganda The Ganda language or Luganda (, , ) is a Bantu language spoken in the African Great Lakes region. It is one of the major languages in Uganda and is spoken by more than 10 million Baganda and other people principally in central Uganda including ...
.


References


Further reading

* Barasa, David. 2022. "Pronouns and Pronominal Alignment in Ateso." ''Arusha Working Papers in African Linguistics'', 4(1): 100-114. * Loyola, Apuda Ignatius (2007). ''English-Ateso Pocket Dictionary'' Strategic Outcomes Inc., 274 pp. .


External links


PanAfriL10n page on Teso & Turkana

Ekitabo Loka Ailip Naka Ituŋa Kere (1957)
Ateso Prayer Book digitized by Richard Mammana {{DEFAULTSORT:Teso Language Agglutinative languages Languages of Uganda Languages of Kenya Eastern Nilotic languages