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Katla language

{{Short description|Katla language of Sudan}}

{{Infobox language

|name=Katla

|nativename=Kaalak

|states=Sudan

|region=Nuba Hills

|ethnicity=Katla, Gulud

|speakers=25,000 Julud

|date=2009

|ref = e25

|speakers2=Possibly 14,000 Katla (1984){{e17|kcr}}

|familycolor=Niger-Congo

|fam2=Kordofanian

|fam3=Katla

|dia1=Katla-Cakom

|dia2=Katla-Kulharong

|dia3=Julud

|iso3=kcr

|glotto=katl1237

|glottoname=Katla

|glotto2=julu1237

|glottoname2=Julud

}}

Katla (also Kaalak or Kwaalak) is a Katla language, closely related to a neighbouring language called Tima. Katla is generally classified as Kordofanian, which is not a uniform branch, and is native to the Nuba Mountains.{{sfn|Birgit Hellwig|2013|p=238}}{{Citation not found|date=January 2025}} While Jalad is seen a dialect there is a clear distinction between the two groups. Similarly one can distinguish Katla into east and west Katla dialects,{{sfn|Birgit Hellwig|2013|p=238}}{{Citation not found|date=January 2025}} it is believed to be spoken in 11 villages around Jebel Katla and their ethnicity is kàlàk.{{sfn|Birgit Hellwig|2013|p=238}}{{Citation not found|date=January 2025}}

The variety Julud is mutually intelligible with Katla-Kulharong but not with Katla-Cakom.

Phonology

= Consonants =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

! colspan="2" |

!Labial

! style="max-width:4em" |Dental

!Alveolar

!Post-
alveolar

!Velar

! style="max-width:4em" |Labial-
velar

!Glottal

rowspan="3" |Plosive

!voiceless

|

|{{IPA link|t̪}}

|{{IPA link|t}}

|({{IPA link|c}})

|{{IPA link|k}}

|{{IPA link|k͡p}}

|({{IPA link|ʔ}})

voiced

|{{IPA link|b}}

|{{IPA link|d̪}}

|{{IPA link|d}}

|{{IPA link|ɟ}}

|{{IPA link|ɡ}}

|{{IPA link|ɡ͡b}}

|

prenasal

|{{IPA link|ᵐb}}

|{{IPA link|ⁿd̪}}

|{{IPA link|ⁿd}}

|{{IPA link|ᶮɟ}}

|{{IPA link|ᵑɡ}}

|

|

colspan="2" |Fricative

|

|

|{{IPA link|s}}

|({{IPA link|ʃ}})

|

|

|{{IPA link|h}}

colspan="2" |Nasal

|{{IPA link|m}}

|

|{{IPA link|n}}

|{{IPA link|ɲ}}

|{{IPA link|ŋ}}

|

|

colspan="2" |Rhotic

|

|

|{{IPA link|r}}

|{{IPA link|ɽ}}

|

|

|

colspan="2" |Approximant

|{{IPA link|w}}

|

|{{IPA link|l}}

|{{IPA link|j}}

|

|

|

Sounds [c] and [ʃ] occur as realizations of /s/.{{Cite book |last1=Tucker |first1=Archibald N. |title=The Katla Group |last2=Bryan |first2=Margaret A. |publisher=London: Oxford University Press |year=1966 |location=In Linguistic Analyses: The Non-Bantu Languages of North-Eastern Africa}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Consonants in the Julut dialect{{Cite book |last=Nüsslein |first=Ulrike |title=A Grammar of Kordofanian Julut with Particular Consideration of the Verbal Morphology |publisher=Köln: Köppe |year=2020 |pages=30–31}}

! colspan="2" |

!Labial

! style="max-width:4em" |Dental/ Alveolar

!Retroflex

!Palatal

!Velar

! style="max-width:4em" |Labial-velar

rowspan="3" |Plosive

!voiceless

|

|{{IPA link|t̪}}

|{{IPA link|ʈ}}

|

|{{IPA link|k}}

|{{IPA link|k͡p}}

voiced

|{{IPA link|b}}

|{{IPA link|d̪}}

|{{IPA link|ɖ}}

|{{IPA link|ɟ}}

|{{IPA link|ɡ}}

|{{IPA link|ɡ͡b}}

prenasal

|{{IPA link|ᵐb}}

|{{IPA link|ⁿd̪}}

|{{IPA link|ᶯɖ}}

|{{IPA link|ᶮɟ}}

|{{IPA link|ᵑɡ}}

|

colspan="2" |Fricative

|{{IPA link|f}}

|{{IPA link|s}}

|

|{{IPA link|ʃ}}

|

|

colspan="2" |Nasal

|{{IPA link|m}}

|{{IPA link|n}}

|

|{{IPA link|ɲ}}

|{{IPA link|ŋ}}

|

colspan="2" |Rhotic

|

|{{IPA link|r}}

|{{IPA link|ɽ}}

|

|

|

colspan="2" |Approximant

|{{IPA link|w}}

|{{IPA link|l}}

|

|{{IPA link|j}}

|

|

= Vowels =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

!

! style="max-width:4em" |Front

! style="max-width:4em" |Central

! style="max-width:4em" |Back

Close

|{{IPA link|i}}

|

|{{IPA link|u}}

rowspan="2" |Mid

|{{IPA link|e}}

| rowspan="2" |{{IPA link|ə}}

|{{IPA link|o}}

{{IPA link|ɛ}}

|{{IPA link|ɔ}}

Open

|

|{{IPA link|a}}

|

/i, u/ can also be realized as [ɪ, ʊ].

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

|+Vowels in the Julut dialect

!

! style="max-width:4em" |Front

! style="max-width:4em" |Central

! style="max-width:4em" |Back

rowspan="2" |Close

|{{IPA link|i}}

|

|{{IPA link|u}}

{{IPA link|ɪ}}

|

|{{IPA link|ʊ}}

rowspan="2" |Mid

|{{IPA link|e}}

| rowspan="2" |{{IPA link|ə}}

|{{IPA link|o}}

{{IPA link|ɛ}}

|{{IPA link|ɔ}}

rowspan="2" |Open

|

|{{IPA link|ɐ}}

|

|{{IPA link|a}}

|

Nouns

= Plural =

Most of the time nouns in Katla do not have a plural, either numbers are put in front of the word or a quantifier is used. Often loanwords do not follow this rule and therefore change in their plural form.{{sfn|Meinhof|1917|p=219}}

= Genitive case =

In some cases Katla places the genitive after the subject, as in other Sudanese languages: ‚u gbalana‘ " the dog’s owner ". Usually this is avoided and put in between both nouns: ‚gas i gu‘ „the dog’s head“.{{sfn|Meinhof|1917|p=221}}

= Subjective case =

The subjective case is put infringement of the verb. In the case of multiple objects each one gets a case:

‘gu šekemole retet’ “The dog bit the gazelle”{{sfn|Meinhof|1917|p=221}}

Pronouns

class="wikitable"
{{sfn|Meinhof|1917|p=212-235}}

! singular

! plural

1st person

| Ṇ-

| Ni-, N-, Ń-

2nd person

| Dj-

| Dj-

3rd person

| Y-

| Y-

Numbers

Source:{{sfn|Meinhof|1917|p=212-235}}

  1. tẹták
  2. sẹk
  3. hātẹd
  4. agálam
  5. jẹgwūlẹn
  6. djọltẹn
  7. djolēk
  8. taṅgẹl
  9. djalbatẹn
  10. rākwẹs

Dialects and locations

Dialects and village locations:

  • Julud dialect: Kabog, Kabog North, Kabosh, Kambai, Karkando, Karkarya, Kary, Kimndang, Kitanngo, Kolbi, Koto Kork, Octiang, Rumber, Sabba, and Tolot
  • Katla dialect: Bombori, Karoka, Kateik, Kiddu, Kirkpong, and Koldrong

References

{{Reflist}}

Bibliography

  • {{cite book |last1=Meinhof |first1=Carl |year=1917 |title=Sprachstudien im egyptischen Sudan 14: Katla. Zeitschrift für Kolonialsprachen VII}}

{{Languages of Sudan}}

{{Kordofanian languages}}

Category:Katloid languages

{{Kordofanian-lang-stub}}