Kalenjin languages


The Kalenjin languages are a family of a dozen Southern Nilotic languages spoken in Kenya, eastern Uganda and northern Tanzania. The term Kalenjin comes from an expression meaning 'I say ' or 'I have told you'. Kalenjin in this broad linguistic sense should not be confused with Kalenjin as a term for the common identity the Nandi-speaking peoples of Kenya assumed halfway through the twentieth century; see Kalenjin people and Kalenjin language.

Branches

The Kalenjin languages are generally distinguished into four branches. There is less certainty regarding internal relationships within these.
Sample basic vocabulary of Kalenjin languages from van Otterloo, and Proto-Southern Nilotic from Rottland :
Languageeyeearnosetoothtonguemouthbloodbonetreewaterto eatname
Proto-Southern Nilotic*kɔːŋ, *kɔŋ*iːt*ser*keːL-ɑt*ŋɛLyɛp*kʊːt*kaːw*kɛːt*peR*kɑːRɪn
Nandiko̱ːnda̱iːtitseruːtke̱ːlde̱tŋe̱lye̱pta̱ku̱ːti̱tkorotiːkkaːweːtkeːtitbeːkkeamka̱ːyne̱ːt
Kipsigisko̱ːnda̱iːtitseruːtke̱ːlde̱tŋe̱lye̱pta̱ku̱ːti̱tkorotiːkkaːweːtkeːtitbeːkkeamka̱ːyne̱ːt
Terikko̱ːŋda̱iːtitseruːtke̱ːnde̱tŋe̱nye̱pta̱ku̱ːti̱tkorotiːkkaːweːtkeːtitbeːkkeamka̱ːyne̱ːt
Keiyoko̱ːnda̱iːtitseruːtke̱ːlde̱tŋe̱lye̱pta̱ku̱ːti̱tkorotiːkkaːweːtkeːtitbeːkkeamka̱ːyne̱ːt
South Tugenko̱ːŋda̱iːtitseruːke̱ːlde̱ŋe̱lye̱pta̱ku̱ːti̱korotiːkkaːweːkeːtbeːkkeamka̱ːyne̱ːt
North Tugenko̱ːŋiːtser̃ke̱ːla̱tŋe̱lye̱pku̱ːtkorotikaːwekeːtbeːykeamka̱ːyne̱
Kony-Sabaotko̱ːŋda̱iːtitserwutke̱ːlde̱tŋe̱lye̱pta̱ku̱ːti̱tkorotiːkkaːweːtkeːtitpeːgokeamka̱ːyne̱ːt
Cherang'anyko̱ːnda̱/ko̱ːŋiːtitseruːtke̱ːla̱tŋe̱lye̱pku̱ːtkorotiːkkaːwekeːtbeːykeamka̱ːyne̱
Talaiko̱ːŋiːtser̃ke̱ːla̱tŋa̱lya̱pku̱ːtkorotikaːwakeːtpʰeːykeamka̱ːyne̱
Endoko̱ːŋiːtser̃ke̱ːla̱tŋa̱lya̱pku̱ːtkoroti/kisunkaːwakeːtbu̱r̃keamka̱r̃e̱n
East Pokotkoːŋyiːtsa̱r̃ke̱ːla̱tŋa̱lya̱pku̱ːtkisʉnkaːwaʔkeːtpʉːɣkeamka̱ːyne̱ːt

Footnotes