The Luo language, Dholuo (pronounced [d̪ólúô][1]) or Luo proper, is the eponymous language of the Luo group of Nilotic languages, spoken by about 4.4 million Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania,[2] who occupy parts of the eastern shore of Lake Victoria and areas to the south. It is used for broadcasts on KBC (Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, formerly the Voice of Kenya) and Radio Ramogi. Dholuo is closely related to Lango, Acholi, and Adhola of Uganda. It is somewhat more distantly related to Luwo, also a Western Nilotic language, spoken in Sudan.
[edit] Phonology
[edit] Vowels
Dholuo has two sets of five vowels, distinguished by the feature [+/-ATR].
[edit] Consonants
In the table of consonants below, orthographic symbols are included between parentheses if they differ from the IPA symbols. Note especially the following: the use of ‘y’ for IPA [j], common in African orthographies; 'th, dh' are plosives, not fricatives as in Swahili spelling (but phoneme /d̪/ can fricativize intervocalically).[3] When symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a voiced consonant.
[edit] Phonological characteristics
Dholuo is a tonal language. There is both lexical tone and grammatical tone, e.g. in the formation of passive verbs.[4] It has vowel harmony by ATR status: the vowels in a noncompound word must be either all [+ATR] or all [-ATR]. The ATR-harmony requirement extends to the semivowels /w, y/.[5] Vowel length is contrastive.
[edit] Grammar
Dholuo is notable for its complicated phonological alternations, which are used, among other things, in distinguishing inalienable possession from alienable, e.g. The first example is a case of alienable possession, as the bone is not part of the dog.
- chogo guok
- bone dog
- 'the dog's bone' (which it is eating)
The following is however an example of inalienable possession, the bone being part of the cow:
- chok dhiang'
- bone (construct state) cow
- 'a cow bone'[6]
[edit] Sample phrases
| English |
Luo |
| Hello (how are you?) |
Msawa (idhi nade?) |
| I'm fine |
Adhi Maber |
| What is your name? |
Nyingi Ng'a |
| My name is ___ |
Nying'a en ____ |
| I am happy to see you |
Amor Kaneni |
| Good morning |
oyawore |
| Good afternoon |
Oimore |
| God bless you |
Nyasaye ogwedhi |
| Good job/work |
Tich maber |
| Goodbye |
Oriti |
| I want water |
adwaro pi |
| I am thirsty |
riyo deya / riyo maka |
| Thank you |
erokamano |
| Child |
nyathi |
| Student(university student) |
nyathi skul, japwonjre (ja mbalariany) |
| Sit |
bed |
| Stand/stop |
chung' |
| Hunger |
kech |
| I am starved |
kech kaya |
| Father |
wuor [Dinka] wur |
| Mother |
min [Dinka] mor |
| God |
Nyasaye |
| Lord (God) |
Ruoth (Nyasaye) |
| God is good |
Nyasaye Ber |
| help |
kony [Dinka] ba kony |
| Man |
dichuo |
| Woman |
dhako |
| Boy |
wuoyi |
| Girl |
nyako [Dinka] nya |
| Book |
buk, [Alego/Seme] buge |
| Youth |
rawera |
| Pen |
kalam |
| Shorts |
siruari |
| Trousers |
long' siruach long' |
| Table |
mesa |
| Plate |
san |
| Lock |
rarind OR ralor |
| Leader |
jatelo, |
| Bring |
kel |
| Go |
dhi |
| Go back |
dog |
| Come back |
dwog |
| Run |
ring [Dinka] |
| Walk |
wuoth |
| Jump |
dum, [Alego/Seme] chikre |
| Rain |
koth |
| Sun |
chieng' |
| Moon |
duwe |
| Fish |
rech [Dinka] |
| I want to eat |
adwaro chiemo |
| Grandpa |
kwaru [Dinka] kwar |
| Grandma |
dayo [Dinka] day |
| White man |
ja rachar/ odiero |
| Black man |
ja rateng' |
| Car |
nyamburko |
| Cow |
dhiang' |
| Sing |
wer [Dinka] |
| Marriage |
keny [Dinka], "keny" is the process, "thiek" is the marriage |
| Tomorrow |
kiny |
| Today |
kawuono |
| Child |
nyathi |
| Money |
omenda, chung', oboke, sendi, pesa |
| Gun |
bunde |
| Gun fire |
muoch bunde |
| I want ugali |
Adwaro Kwon |
| Maize/corn |
oduma, bando |
| Maize and beans |
nyoyo |
| Taxi |
matatu (Swahili) |
| Farm |
Puodho (Alego-Ndalo) |
| Dig |
Puro/Kunyo |
| Fly (in the air) |
fuyo |
| Fly(Insect) |
Lwang'ni |
| Stream/River |
Aora |
| Lake |
Nam |
| Ocean |
Ataro |
[edit] References
- ^ Tucker 25
- ^ Ethnologue report for Luo
- ^ Tucker §1.43
- ^ Okoth Okombo §1.3.4
- ^ Tucker §1.3, §1.42
- ^ Tucker A. N. A Grammar of Kenya Luo (Dholuo). 1994:198.
[edit] Bibliography
- Gregersen, E. (1961). Luo: A grammar. Dissertation: Yale University.
- Stafford, R. L. (1965). An elementary Luo grammar with vocabularies. Nairobi: Oxford University Press.
- Omondi, Lucia Ndong'a (1982). The major syntactic structures of Dholuo. Berlin: Dietrich Reimer.
- Tucker, A. N. (ed. by Chet A. Creider) (1994). A grammar of Kenya Luo (Dholuo). 2 vols. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.
- Okoth Okombo, D. (1997). A Functional Grammar of Dholuo. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.
- Odaga, Asenath Bole (1997). English-Dholuo dictionary. Lake Publishers & Enterprises, Kisumu. ISBN 9966487816.
- Odhiambo, Reenish Acieng' and Aagard-Hansen, Jens (1998). Dholuo course book. Nairobi.
[edit] External links
Template:Languages of Tanzania
Kenya
Tanzania
