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Meru language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For the language spoken in Tanzania and sometimes known as Meru, see West Kilimanjaro language.
Meru
Kĩmĩĩrũ
Native toKenya
RegionMeru County and Tharaka Nithi County
EthnicityAmeru
Native speakers
2.0 million (2019 census)[1]
Dialects
  • Igembe
  • Igoji
  • Imenti
  • Miutini
  • Nuclear Meru
  • Tigania
  • Tharaka
  • Chuka
  • Mwimbi-Muthambi
Language codes
ISO 639-3
mer – Meru
Glottologmeru1245  Meru
E.53,531,54,541[2]

Meru is a Bantu language spoken by the Meru people (Ameru) who live on the Eastern and Northern slopes of Mount Kenya and on the Nyambene ranges. They settled in this area after centuries of migration from the north.

The Meru people are a fairly homogeneous community and all share a common ancestry. They speak the same language, Kimeru, with slight regional differences in accent and local words. The community comprises the following subdivisions, from the north to south:

  • Igembe
  • Tigania (Tiania) (culture close to neighbouring Cushitic and Nilotic communities)
  • Imenti
  • Tharaka (Saraka)
  • Igoji
  • Mwimbi–Muthambi
  • Chuka (Gicuka)

As the Meru language is similar to its surrounding neighbors, the Kikuyu and Embu could have possibly adopted parts of Meru.

Sample phrases

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English Kimeru
How are you Muuga
Give me water Nkundia rũũji/rũi
How are you doing? Ũrĩ ümwega?
I am hungry Ndĩna mpara
Help me Nteithia/Ntethia
I am good Ndĩ mwega
Are you a friend? Wĩ mũcore?
Bye, be blessed Tigwa bwega, tharimwa.
I love you Inkwendete.
Come here Ĩja aja/ Iyu aa
I will phone you Ngakũringira thimũ

I want a cassava||Ndũmia mũanga/mĩanga

Dialects

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Kimeru has seven main mutually intelligible dialects. The dialects include Kiimenti widely used by the Imenti section of the Ameru, Tiania/gitiania used by the Tigania, kiigembe used by the Igembe, Kimwimbi used by the Mwïmbï, Kïmüthambï used by the Müthambï, Gicuka used by the Chuka and Kitharaka used by the Tharaka.

Imenti dialect

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It is the commonly used dialect in Meru. The dialect acts as the lingua franca between all the nine subtribes of Meru. It is the official dialect used in the Kimeru Bible translations. It is commonly used in Nkubu, Timau, Kibirichia, Meru town and Ruiri areas of Meru County.

Sample phrases

[edit]
English Imenti
How are you Nĩatĩa ũrĩ? Muuga?
Give me water to drink Nkundia rũũji
Home Nja/Mũciĩ
Get out Uma njaa/ome
Get Inside Kũrũka/Tonya
Today Naarua
Tomorrow Rũüjü
Come here Ĩja aja
I will phone you Ngakũringira thimũ

The Chuka, Muthambi and Mwimbi dialects

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Chuka dialect
Niger–Congo?
  • Chuka dialect
Language codes
ISO 639-3cuh
Glottologchuk1274  Chuka
Muthambi dialect
Niger–Congo?
  • Muthambi dialect
Language codes
ISO 639-3mws
Glottologmuth1242  Muthambi
Mwimbi dialect
Niger–Congo?
  • Mwimbi dialect
Language codes
ISO 639-3mws
Glottologmwim1242  Mwimbi

The dialects are more related to Gikuyu and Meru proper, and are common in Igoji, Chogoria and Chuka regions of Meru County and Tharaka Nithi County.

Sample phrases

[edit]
English Chuka/Muthambi/Mwimbi
How are you Muuga
Give me water to drink nkundia rũnjĩ/rüjÏ
Home Mũcii
Get out Uma nja
Get Inside Kũrũka/Tonya/Thungira
Today Ũmũnthi
Tomorrow Rũjũ/Rũũ
Come here Üka/Njü aa
I will phone you Ngakũringira/Ngakubũrira thimũ

Tigania and Igembe dialects

[edit]
Tigania dialect
Niger–Congo?
  • Tigania dialect
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
Glottologtiga1244  Tigania
Igembe dialect
Niger–Congo?
  • Igembe dialect
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
Glottologigem1238  Igembe

The dialects are mostly spoken in Miraa or Khat growing areas of Muthara, Karama, Kangeta, Maua, Laare and Mutuati in Meru County.

Sample phrases

[edit]
English TIgania/Igembe
How are you Muua
Give me water to drink Nkundia Rũĩ
Home Mucie/Mucii
Get out Tũra
Get Inside Unkuma
Today Ruarii
Tomorrow Rũũ/Rũyũ
Come here Ĩya haa/iyu haa
I will phone you Ngakũringira thimũ

Tharaka dialect

[edit]
Tharaka dialect
Niger–Congo?
  • Tharaka dialect
Language codes
ISO 639-3thk
Glottologthar1283  Tharaka

The dialect is more closely related to the Kamba and Tigania dialects. It is most common in Tharaka areas of Tharaka Nithi County.

Sample phrases

[edit]
English Tharaka
How are you Muuga
Give me water to drink Nkundia rũũyĩ
Home Mũciĩ
Get out Uma nja
Get Inside Thũngĩra
Today Ĩmunthĩ
Tomorrow Rũũ
Come here Ncũ aga
I will phone you Ngakũringĩra thimũ

Phonology

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Consonants

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Consonants of the ImentI, Igoji, Mwimbi, Muthambi & Tharaka dialects[3]
Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar
Stop p b t d c ɟ k ɡ
Fricative (β) ð ʝ (ɣ)
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Trill r
Approximant w j
Consonants of the Chuka dialect[3]
Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar
Stop b t d c ɟ k ɡ
Fricative (β) ð (ɣ)
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Trill r
Approximant w j

Prenasalized sounds may also occur in word-medial and word-initial positions.

Fricatives [β, ɣ] occur mostly as allophones of stops /b, d/ in intervocalic positions.

/d/ may also be heard as [ɾ] in intervocalic positions.

Vowels

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Front Central Back
Close i iː u uː
Close-mid e eː o oː
Open-mid ɛ ɛː ɔ ɔː
Open a aː

Alphabet

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Kimeru is written in a Latin alphabet. It does not use the letters f p q s v x z, and adds the letters ĩ and ũ.[4] The Kimeru alphabet is:

Majuscule forms (also called uppercase or capital letters)
A B C D E G H I Ĩ J K M N O R T U Ũ W Y
Minuscule forms (also called lowercase or small letters)
a b c d e g h i ĩ j k m n o r t u ũ w y

Noun Classes

Kimeru has sixteen noun classes as tabulated below. the classes are grammatical and represent how words fit into sentences. Of the noun classes, classes 1, 3, 4, 9 and ten are irregular while the rest are regular. This implies that verbal, adjectival and conjunction concords are not the same.

Example class 1 verses class 2. class 1- Muntü üjü müraja auma Nairobi. class 2- Antü baba baraja bauma Nairobi.

Class 1-This tall person has come from Nairobi. Class 2. These tall people have come from Nairobi. In class 1 demonstrative 'this' is üjü, with ü as its concord. The adjective -raja has mü as its concord and the verb uma has a as its concord hence 'auma'. on the other hand in class two each of the above cases have ba as a concord. the difference is only in üjü and baba as demonstratives is that all strong classes use double concords as demonstratives.

Noun class Exam This/These Adjectival Verbal
1- Mü Mükürü Üjü Mü-raja A-kwija
2-Ba Akürü Baba Ba-raja Ba-kwija
3-Mü Müti üü/üjü Mü-raja ü-kügwa
4-Mï Mïtï ïjï/ïno Mï- raja ï- kügwa
5- Ri Riitho Rïrï Rï-nene Rï-kwona
6- Ma Meetho Jaja/Mama Ma-nene Ma-kwona
7-Kï Kïara Gïkï Kï-nene Gï-kworonta
8-Bï Bïara Bïbi Bï-nene Bï-kworonta
9-Ng' Ng'ombe Ïjï/Ïno Ï-nene Ï-güküra
10-Ng' Ng'ombe Ijï/Ino I-nene I-güküra
11-Rü Rüreme Rürü Rü-raja Rü-gücuna
10- Ng' Ndeme Ijï/Ino I- ndaja I-gücuna
12-Ka Kana Gaka Ka-nini Ga-gükena
13-Tü Twana Tütü Tü-nini Tü-gükena
14- Bü Ücürü Bübü Bü-rüru Bü-küthira
15-Kü Kügürü Gükü Gü-künene Gü-gükinya
16-A Antü Aja/aa A-nene A-kürïmwa

Kimeru follows Dahl's law thus a "K" syllable cannot follow a "K' syllable.

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A Kenyan musical group known as High Pitch Band Afrika based in Meru County has done a cover of the Luis Fonsi's popular hit single Despacito in Kimeru language. The Kimeru cover was uploaded on YouTube on July 10, 2017, and has generated over 500,000 views since then.

In Media the Kimeru language is used as the primary broadcast language of several Radio and TV stations in Kenya. Some include: Meru Fm, Muuga Fm, Weru Fm, Weru TV, Baite TV, Thiiri Fm among many others.

References

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  1. ^ Meru at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023) Closed access icon
  2. ^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
  3. ^ a b Erastus, Fridah Kanana (2011). Meru Dialects: The Linguistic Evidence. In Nordic Journal of African Studies 20(4): Kenyatta University, Kenya. pp. 300–327.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. ^ "5 Steps to get you Writing Kimeru like a Njuri Ncheke Editor - The Ameru". The Ameru. 2017-11-08. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
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