• Source: Southern Nilotic languages

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


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. 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.

Kalenjin (see)
Tatoga: Omotik, Datooga




Languages


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




Reconstruction


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




Cushitic influences


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




See also


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

Kata Kunci Pencarian:

• Eritrea
• Southern Nilotic languages
• Nilotic languages
• Western Nilotic languages
• Eastern Nilotic languages
• Eastern Sudanic languages
• Paranilotic languages
• Kalenjin languages
• Nilotic peoples
• Cushitic languages
• Elgon languages