Kunama language
| Kunama | |
|---|---|
| Native to | Eritrea, Ethiopia |
| Region | western Eritrea, northern Ethiopia |
Native speakers | 190,000 all Kunama (2006–2007)[1] |
Nilo-Saharan?
| |
| Latin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | kun |
| Glottolog | kuna1268 |
The Kunama language is a language isolate which has been included in the proposed Nilo-Saharan language family. Kunama spoken by the Kunama people of western Eritrea and just across the Ethiopian border. The language has several dialects including: Barka, Marda, Aimara, Odasa, Tika, Lakatakura, Sokodasa, Takazze-Selit, and Tigray. Ilit and Bitama are not mutually intelligible and so may be considered distinct languages.
References
- Bender, M. Lionel. 1996. Kunama. Languages of the World/Materials 59. München: Lincom Europa.
- Idris, Nikodimos.1987. The Kunama and their language. Addis Ababa University BA thesis
- Thompson, E. D. 1983. "Kunama: phonology and noun phrase" in Bender, M. L. (ed.): Nilo-Saharan Language Studies. East Lansing: African Studies Center, Michigan State University. pp. 280–322.
- Thompson, E. David. 1989. "Kunama Verb Phrase" in Bender, M. Lionel (ed.): Topics in Nilo-Saharan Linguistics. Hamburg: Helmut Buske Verlag. pp. 305–346.
- Tucker, A. N. and Bryan, M. A. 1966. "Kunama" in Linguistic Analyses: the Non-Bantu Languages of North-Eastern Africa. London: Oxford University Press.
External links
- World Atlas of Language Structures information on Kunama
- ^ Kunama at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
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