Jur language

Last updated
Luwo
Jur
Native to South Sudan
Region Bahr el Ghazal
Ethnicity Luwo people
Native speakers
260,000 (2017) [1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 lwo
Glottolog luwo1239

Luwo (Luo, Dheluwo), is a language spoken by the Luo people of Bahr el Ghazal region in South Sudan. The language is predominantly spoken in the western and northern parts of Bahr el Ghazal. The Luwo form a majority in the Jur River County.

Contents

The language is part of the Luo languages of East Africa and is especially related to the languages of South Sudan such as Anyuak and Päri with whom it forms a dialect cluster. [2]

Etymology

The Luwo language is spoken by the Luwo (or Jur Col), an ethnic group in South Sudan. Jur is exonym adopted from the local Dinka language whose speakers are the Luwo's northern and eastern neighbours. [3] Its original Dinka usage, non-cattle-holding non-Dinka, was not particular to the Jur. Jur Col ("black Jur") is today used to disambiguate Luwo from other Jur groups.[ citation needed ]

Status

Dhe Luwo is currently a developing language. Meaning that the language is developing its written language, standard dialect and undergoing modernization. [4]

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Nasal mnɲŋ
Plosive voicelessptckʔ
voicedbdɟg
Trill r
Lateral l
Approximant wj

Vowels

Oral vowels
+ATR -ATR
Front Central Back Front Central Back
Close i iːu uːɪ ɪːʊ ʊː
Mid e eːʌ̈ ʌ̈ːo oːɛ ɛːɔ ɔː
Open a aː
Breathy vowels
+ATR -ATR
Front Central Back Front Central Back
Close i̤ i̤ːṳ ṳːɪ̤ ɪ̤ːʊ̤ ʊ̤ː
Mid e̤ e̤ːʌ̤̈ ʌ̤̈ːo̤ o̤ːɛ̤ ɛ̤ːɔ̤ ɔ̤ː
Open a̤ a̤ː

Sample phrases

EnglishLuwo
Hello (How are you?)Mahdhia (Ni dih)?
I am fine (nothing bad)Gihn me raaj tooro.
What is your name?Nyingi nga'a?
My name is Dimo.Nyinga Dimo.
ChildNyithiin
BoyNyidhohg
GirlNyakuo
God is great.Juag Duohng.
GoodBer
Thank you!Kori!
I am happy.Ciwnya med.

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References

  1. Luwo at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed Access logo transparent.svg
  2. Reh, Mechthild (1996): Anywa Language: Description and Internal Reconstructions. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe. p.5
  3. Santandrea, Stefano (1968). The Luo of the Bahr el Ghazal (Sudan). Bologna: Editrice Nigrizia.
  4. "Language Development". Ethnologue. 2012-11-20. Retrieved 2016-10-27.
  5. Storch, Anne (2014). A Grammar of Luwo: An anthropological approach. Amsterdam/Philadelphia, Amsterdam: John Benjamins.