Luhya (/ˈluːjə/; also Luyia, Luhia or Luhiya) is a Bantu language of western Kenya.
Luhya | |
---|---|
Luyia | |
Oluluhya | |
Native to | Kenya |
Ethnicity | Luhya people |
Native speakers | 15 million, incl. West Nyala (2019 census)[1] |
Language family | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | luy – inclusive code (includes all languages spoken by ethnic Luhya, not just the following)[2]Individual codes: lrm – Maramalwg – Wanga (Hanga)lks – Kisalto – Tsotsolkb – Kabrasnle – (East) Nyala |
Glottolog | cent2288 Central Luyia (incl. some Nyore)kabr1240 Kabras |
JE.32 [3] |
The various Luhya tribes speak several related languages and dialects, though some of them are no closer to each other than they are to neighboring non-Luhya languages. For example, the Bukusu people are ethnically Luhya, but the Bukusu dialect is a variety of Masaba. (See Luhya people for details.) However, there is a core of mutually intelligible dialects that comprise Luhya proper:[4]
A comparison between two dialects of Luhya proper, and to two other Bantu languages spoken by the Luhya:
English | Kisa | Logoli | Nyole | Wanga |
---|---|---|---|---|
I (me) | eshie | nzi/ inze | ise | esie |
words | amakhuwa | makuva | amang'ana, amakhuwa | amakhuwa |
chair | eshifumbi | indeve/ endeve | indebe | eshisala |
head | omurwe | mutwi | omurwe | om'rwe |
money | amapesa | mang'ondo | amang'ondo, am'mondo, etsilupia | amapesa, irupia |
English | Luhya | Kikuyu | Kinyarwanda | Lingala | Luganda | Shona | Swahili | Zulu |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
children | abana, baana, otwana, orwana, vaana | twana | abana | bana | baana, abaana | vana | wana | abantwana |
dog | imbwa | ngui (pron. gui) | imbwa | mbwa | mbwa, embwa | mbwa, imbwa | mbwa | inja |
fire | omuliro | mwaki | umuriro | moto | omuliro | moto | moto | umlilo |
The following is the phonology of the Luwanga dialect:[5]
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i iː | u uː | |
Mid | e eː | o oː | |
Open | a aː |
Bilabial | Labio- dental |
Alveolar | Post- alveolar |
Palatal | Velar | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Stop | plain | p | t | k | |||
prenasal | ᵐb | ⁿd | ᶮɟ | ᵑɡ | |||
Affricate | ts | tʃ | |||||
Fricative | plain | β | f | s | ʃ | x | |
prenasal | ⁿz | ||||||
Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |||
Trill | r | ||||||
Approximant | l | j | w |
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Note: The Guthrie classification is geographic and its groupings do not imply a relationship between the languages within them. |
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