Gusii language
The Gusii language is a Bantu language spoken in Kisii and Nyamira counties in western Kenya, whose headquarters is Kisii town,. It is spoken natively by 2.2 million people, mostly among the Abagusii.Sounds
Vowels
Gusii has seven vowels. Vowel length is contrastive, i.e. the words 'bór' to miss and 'bóór' to say are distinguished by vowel length only.
| Front | Central | Back |
| Close | i | | u |
| Near-close | e | | o |
| Open-mid | ɛ | | ɔ |
| Open | | a | |
Consonants
In the table below, orthographic symbols are included between brackets if they differ from the IPA symbols. Note especially the use of ‘y’ for IPA, common in African orthographies. When symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a voiced consonant.
| bilabial | alveo-palatal | palatal | velar |
| plosive | p b | t | c | k ɡ |
| fricative | | s | | |
| affricate | | | cç | |
| nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ |
| trill | | r | | |
| approximant | w | | j | |
The following morphophonological alternations occur:
- n+r = nd
- n+b = mb
- n+g = ŋg
- n+k = ŋk
- n+m = m:
The gusii language has the consonant ' b' not realized as the bilabial stop as in 'bat' but as bilabial fricative as in words like baba, baminto, abana.Ekegusii language Alphabet
Examples of [Ekegusii] words
- Ekegusii
•Good morning - Bwakire buya
•Goodnight - Obotuko obuya
•One - eyemo
•Two - Ibere
•Three - Isato
•Four-Inye
•Five - Isano
•Nine - Kianda
•Twenty - Emerongo ebere
•Ten - Ikomi
•Head - Omotwe
•Ear - Ogoto
•Water - Amache
•Earth - Ense
•Dwell - Menya
•Homeland - Inka
•Today - Rero
•Sun - Risase
•Dog - Esese
•Red - Embariri
•Stand - Tenena
•Know - Manya
•See - Rora
•Upside/Northern/Hillside - Rogoro
•Lake/Sea - Enyancha
•Desert - Eroro
•Fighter - Omorwani
•Roll over - Garagara
•Milk - Amabere
•She Goat - Esibeni
•Cowdung - Esike
•Lady - OmosubatiListening
