Sabaot language
| Sabaot | |
|---|---|
| Sebei | |
| Native to | Kenya/Uganda |
| Region | Mount Elgon |
| Ethnicity | Sabaot people/Sebei people |
Native speakers | 240,000 (2009 census)[1] |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | spy |
| Glottolog | saba1262 |
Sabaot The Sabaot tribe is one of the nine sub-tribes of the Kalenjin tribe. The other eight tribes are: Sengwer, Tugen, Terik, Keiyo, Kipsigis, Pokot, Marakwet and Nandi who live in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. According to Sabaots website [1], the Sabaots are the authentic Kalenjin tribe commonly referred as "Kapkugo" by the other Kalenjin sub-tribes.The Sabaots live around Mt. Elgon in both Kenya and Uganda. The hills of their homeland gradually rise from an elevation of 5,000 to 14,000 feet. The area is criss-crossed by mountain streams and spectacular waterfalls. Mount Elgon is an extinct volcano about 50 miles in diameter. The Kenya-Uganda border goes straight through the mountain-top, cutting the Sabaot homeland into two halves.[citation needed]The dialects of sabaot are The Pok, Somek, Mosop, Kony, Bong'omek and Sabiny(Sebei)
Grammar
Typical of Nilotic languages, Sabaot uses ATR to express some morphological operations:
kɔ̀ɔmnyɔɔnɔɔté Morphemes: ka-a-mnyaan-aa-tɛ-ATR Gloss: PAST-1SG-be.sick-STAT-DIR-IMPERF Translation: "I went being sick (but I am not sick now)."
káámnyáánáátɛ́ Morphemes: ka-a-mnyaan-aa-tɛ Gloss: PAST-1SG-be.sick-STAT-DIR Translation: "I became sick while going away (and I'm still sick)."[2]
References
Sabaot SIDO Website:[3]
- ^ Sabaot at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Payne, Thomas E. (1997). Describing morphosyntax: A guide for field linguists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 29
- ^ http://www.sabaots.com
