Idaxo-Isuxa-Tiriki language

Last updated
Idakho, Isukha, and Tirikhi
Luidakho, Luisukha, Lutirichi
Native toKenya
Ethnicity Idakho, Isukha, Tiriki
Native speakers
600,000 (2009 census) [1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 ida
Glottolog idak1243
JE.411–413 [2]

Idakho, Isukha, and Tiriki (Luidakho, Luisukha, Lutirichi) are mutually intelligible Kenyan languages within the Luhya ethnic group. They are a set of languages closely related to some other Luhya ethnic groups like Maragoli, but less so in comparison to others, like Bukusu,Tachoni or Samia.

Contents

Tiriki

Tiriki, or known by the autoglossonym Lutirichi, is a language variety spoken in western Kenya and eastern Uganda [3] within the Luyia language family. It is the southeasternmost of the Luyia dialects, spoken primarily in Hamisi Constituency in Vihiga County, Western Province, Kenya. As reported in the 15th ed. of the Ethnologue, [4] a 1980 survey by Bernd Heine and Wilhelm Möhlig estimated there to be 100,000 speakers of Tiriki. The 17th ed. of the Ethnologue [5] indicates a Tiriki-speaking population of 210,000 based on the 2009 Kenyan census, which surveyed ethnicity not language.

Phonology

Consonants [6]
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive p t k
Prenasalized ᵐb ⁿd , ⁿz ⁿdʒ ᵑg
Affricate ts
Fricative f , β s ʃ h
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Approximant w l j
Vowels [6]
Front Central Back
High i u
Near-high ɪ ʊ
Mid e o
Low a

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References

  1. Idakho, Isukha, and Tirikhi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
  3. Kanyoro, Rachel (April 1985). "Bernd Heine, The Waata Dialect of Oromo: grammatical sketch and vocabulary, Language and Dialect Atlas of Kenya, vol. 4, Berlin: Reimer, 1981, 72 pp., DM45, paperback. - Duncan Okoth-Okombo, Dholuo Morphophonemics in Generative Framework, Language and Dialect Atlas of Kenya, supplement 2, Berlin: Reimer, 1982, 118 pp., DM50, paperback. - Lucia Ndong'a Omondi, The Major Syntactic Structures of Dholuo, Language and Dialect Atlas of Kenya, supplement 1, Berlin: Reimer, 1982, 386 pp., DM118, paperback. - Bernd Heine, The Nubi Language of Kibera: an Arabic Creole grammatical sketch and vocabulary, Language and Dialect Atlas of Kenya, vol. 3, Berlin: Reimer, 1982, 84 pp., DM43, paperback. - Bernd Heine, Boni Dialects, Language and Dialect Atlas of Kenya, vol. 10, Berlin: Reimer, 1982, 152 pp., DM118, paperback. - Chet A. Creider, Studies in Kalenjin Nominal Tonology, Language and Dialect Atlas of Kenya, supplement 3, Berlin: Reimer, 1982, 158 pp., DM68, paperback". Africa. 55 (2): 228–232. doi:10.2307/1160314. ISSN   0001-9720. JSTOR   1160314.
  4. "Ethnologue. Languages of the World". doi:10.1163/_afco_asc_441.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. "Ethnologue. Languages of the World". doi:10.1163/_afco_asc_441.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  6. 1 2 Ingonga, Lilian I. (1991). A comparative study of Ekegusii, Lulogooli, and Lwitakho: the phonological, lexical and morphosyntactic structures (Thesis). Nairobi: Kenyatta University.