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 has been included in the proposed Nilo-Saharan language family, though it is distatnly related to the other languages, if at all. Kunama is 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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