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Surmic
The Surmic languages are a branch of the Eastern Sudanic language family. Today, the various peoples who speak Surmic languages make their living in a variety of ways, including nomadic herders, settled farmers, and slash and burn farmers. They live in a variety of terrain, from the lowlands of South Sudan and the banks of the Omo River to mountains over 2,300 meters. Languages The Surmic languages are: *North: Majang (also known as Majangir) *South **Southeast: *** Kwegu (dialects: Yidinich, Mugiji) *** Me'en *** Mursi– Suri (dialects: Tirma, Chai) **Southwest: Didinga– Narim, Murle, Tennet; Kacipo-Balesi The Surmic languages are found in southwest Ethiopia and adjoining parts of southeast South Sudan. In the past, Surmic had been known as “Didinga-Murle” and “Surma”. The former name was too narrow by referring only to two closely related languages and the latter was a label also used to refer to a specific language (Unseth 1997b), so the label “Surmic” ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eastern Sudanic Languages
In most classifications, the Eastern Sudanic languages are a group of nine families of languages that may constitute a branch of the Nilo-Saharan language family. Eastern Sudanic languages are spoken from southern Egypt to northern Tanzania. Nubian (and possibly Meroitic) gives Eastern Sudanic some of the earliest written attestations of African languages. However, the largest branch by far is Nilotic, spread by extensive and comparatively recent conquests throughout East Africa. Before the spread of Nilotic, Eastern Sudanic was centered in present-day Sudan. The name "East Sudanic" refers to the eastern part of the region of Sudan where the country of Sudan is located, and contrasts with Central Sudanic and Western Sudanic (modern Mande, in the Niger–Congo family). Lionel Bender (1980) proposes several Eastern Sudanic isoglosses (defining words), such as ''*kutuk'' "mouth", ''*(ko)TVS-(Vg)'' "three", and ''*ku-lug-ut'' or ''*kVl(t)'' "fish". In older classifications ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kacipo-Balesi Language
The Baale language, Baleesi or Baalesi is a Surmic language spoken by the Baale or Zilmamo people of Ethiopia, and by the Kachepo of South Sudan.Dimmendaal, Gerrit. 2002. "Sociolinguistic Survey Report on Tirma, Chai, Baale, and Mursi" ''SIL Electronic Survey Reports'' 2002-033. It is a member of the Surmic cluster; the self-name of the language and the community is Suri, which is the same as that of the Suri language, evoking an ethnonym that embraces the Tirma, Chai (or T'id), and Baale communities, although linguistically the languages of these communities are different.Möller, Mirjam. 2009. ''Vowel Harmony in Bale - A Study of ATR Harmony in a Surmic Language of Ethiopia''. BA thesis. University of StockholmOnline access/ref> There are currently 9,000 native speakers of Baleesi, 5,000 in South Sudan and in Ethiopia; almost all of these are monolingual. Yigezu (2005) notes that although Baale is genetically a Southwest Surmic language, it has taken on many features of So ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Majang Language
The Majang language is spoken by the Majangir people of Ethiopia. Although it is a member of the Surmic language cluster, it is the most isolated one in the group (Fleming 1983). A language survey has shown that dialect variation from north to south is minor and does not seriously impede communication. The 2007 Ethiopian Census lists 6,433 speakers for Majang (Messengo), but also reports that the ethnic group consists of 32,822 individuals (Messengo and Mejengir). According to the census, almost no speakers can be found in Mezhenger Zone of Gambela Region; a total of eleven speakers are listed for the zone, but almost 10,000 ethnic Mejenger or Messengo people. Phonology Vowel length is distinctive in Majang, so all vowels come in pairs of long and short, such as ''goopan'' 'punishment' and ''gopan'' 'road'. The vowel inventory is taken out of Joswig (2012) and Getachew (2014, p. 65). Unseth (2007) posed a 9-vowel system with a row of -ATR closed vowels ɪ and ʊ. Mog ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Murle Language
Murle (also Ajibba, Beir, Merule, Mourle, Murule) is a Surmic Language spoken by the Murle people in the southeast of South Sudan, near the Ethiopian border. A very small number of Murle live across the border in southwestern Ethiopia. The basic word order for Murle clauses is VSO ( verb–subject–object). The morphology of the verb agrees with the person and number of the subject, and can also indicate that of the object. Some typologically exceptional points of grammar are discussed by Arensen, et al., such as that VSO languages have been predicted to not have postpositions or final interrogatives. Marking of number on nouns in Murle is complex, with no single suffix being generally productive. Some nouns are marked with a singulative suffix, some with a plural suffix, some with both, and a few with irregular stems for each number. Arensen has proposed a set of semantically based categories (such as association with men, or with weather and seasons) to try to predict which s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mursi Language
Mursi (also Dama, Merdu, Meritu, Murzi, Murzu) is a Southeast Surmic language spoken by the Mursi people who live in the South Omo Zone on the eastern side of the lower Omo valley in southwest Ethiopia. The language is similar to Suri, another Southeast Surmic language spoken to the west of the Mursi language area. It is spoken by approximately 7,400 people. Classification Mursi is classified as belonging to the Southeast Surmic languages, to which the following other languages also belong: Suri, Me'en and Kwegu. As such, Mursi is also part of the superordinate Eastern Sudanic family of the Nilo-Saharan languages. Phonology Phoneme inventory The vowel and consonant inventory of Mursi is similar to those of other Southeast Surmic languages, except for the lack of ejectives, the labial fricative // and the voiceless stop //. *Except for the hesitant inclusion of the glottal stop /ʔ/ by Firew, both Mütze and Firew agree on the consonant inventory. The layout mostly follows ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tennet Language
Tennet is a Surmic language spoken by the Tennet people in South Sudan. The Tennet home area is a group of fifteen (15) villages at the northern part of Eastern Equatoria state, 65 kilometers northeast of Torit. Distribution Tennet is spoken in fourteen villages. Their main town is Arilo, Imilwanit, Ngaanlobok, Loudum, Le̱le̱, and Lovirang of Lafon County, Eastern Equatoria State (''Ethnologue''). Phonology Consonants Most consonants are members of a fortis/lenis pair, and that fortis may be realized phonetically in several ways: lengthening, change from ingressive to egressive, trilling, devoicing, and fricative hardening (becoming a stop). The fortis counterpart of the voiced velar fricative �has been omitted. In Randal (1995), the consonant chart includes it to show the consonants in the Tennet orthography. The fortis counterpart of �is omitted here because it is phonetically identical to the fortis counterpart of Vowels Tennet has five +ATR">Advanced_tongue_r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Suri Language
Suri (''Churi, Dhuri, Shuri, Shuro''), is a Surmic language spoken in the West Omo Zone of the South West Ethiopia Peoples' Region in Ethiopia, to the South Sudan border by the Suri. The language has over 80% lexical similarity to Mursi. The language is often referred to by another form of its name, Surma, after which the Surmic branch of Eastern Sudanic is named, but that form is frequently used for the three related languages spoken by the Surma people: Suri, Mursi, and Me'en. Suri is spoken in two dialect by two nationalities, the Tirma (Tirmaga, Cirma, Dirma, Terema, Terna, Tid, Tirima, Tirmagi) and the Chai (Caci, Cai). References Bibliography * Abbink, Jon, Michael Bryant & Daniel Bambu. 2013. Suri Orature An Introduction to the Society, Language and Oral Culture of the Suri People (Southwest Ethiopia).'' Cologne: R. Köppe Publishers, 203 pp.. *Bryant, Mike and Bargola Olekibo, compilers. 1997. ''Surichen ko aranjacan ko golacan (Suri–English–Amhar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Majangir
The Majang people, or ''Majangir'', live in southwestern Ethiopia and speak a Nilo-Saharan language of the Surmic cluster. The 1998 census gave the total of the Majangir population as 15,341, but since they live scattered in the hills in dispersed settlements (Stauder 1971), their actual total number is undoubtedly much higher. They live around cities of Tepi, Mett'i, and scattered southwest of Mizan Teferi and towards Gambela. Culture They traditionally lived in small groups, farming for three to five years, then moving on as the fertility of the soil diminished (Stauder 1971). They were active bee keepers, collecting honey from hives consisting of hollowed logs placed in trees. They did some hunting and snaring of game and trapping of fish. They raised the bulk of their own food by farming, animals providing only a small part of their diet. Food production has changed since Stauder's time. The single most obvious change is that people are now living in permanent settlemen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kwegu Language
Kwegu (also Bacha, Koegu, Kwegi, Menja, Nidi) is a Surmic language spoken in the Southwest of Ethiopia, on the west bank of the Omo River. References * Hieda, Osamu. 1998. "A sketch of Koegu grammar: Towards reconstructing Proto-Southeastern Surmic" in Gerrit Dimmendaal and Marco Last (eds.), Surmic Languages and Cultures. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag. pp 345–373. External links * World Atlas of Language Structures The World Atlas of Language Structures (WALS) is a database of structural ( phonological, grammatical, lexical) properties of languages gathered from descriptive materials. It was first published by Oxford University Press as a book with CD-R ... information oKweguKwegu basic lexicon at the Global Lexicostatistical Database* ELAR archive oKoegu (Kwegu) Languages of Ethiopia Surmic languages {{Ethiopia-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Didinga Language
The Didinga language (’Di’dinga) is an Eastern Sudanic language spoken by the Chukudum and Lowudo peoples of the Didinga Hills of South Sudan. It is classified as a member of the southwest branch Surmic languages (Fleming 1983). Its nearest relative is Laaarim. The New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ... in the Didinga language was dedicated in March 2018.Didinga New Testament. https://find.bible/bibles/DIDWBT/ References Relevant literature * De Jong, N., 2001. The ideophone in Didinga. ''Typological studies in language'' 44, pp.121-138. * Fleming, Harold. 1983. "Surmic etymologies," in ''Nilotic Studies: Proceedings of the International Symposium on Languages and History of the Nilotic Peoples'', Rainer Vossen and Marianne Bechhaus-Gerst, 524–5 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Narim Language
Laarim (Larim, Longarim) or Narim is a Surmic language spoken by the Boya people of the Boya Hills of South Sudan. Distribution According to ''Ethnologue'', Laarim is spoken in 10 villages of northern Budi County, Eastern Equatoria State. Stirtz (2011)Stirtz, Timothy M. 2011. ''Laarim (loh) Tone''. SIL Electronic Working Papers 2011-012. 91. reports that there are as many as 22,000 speakers, living mainly in 14 villages west of Chukudum Chukudum is a Town in Budi County of the Eastern Equatoria state of South Sudan. Location The town lies at the base of the Didinga Mountains, which are often shrouded in clouds, in spectacularly beautiful country. It is accessible only by a roug ... town. References External linksNarim basic lexicon at the Global Lexicostatistical Database Languages of South Sudan Surmic languages {{ns-lang-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
