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 classified within the Glottolog database as follows:
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