Login
Login

Nyole language (Uganda)

{{Short description|Bantu language spoken in Uganda}}

{{refimprove|date=March 2018}}

{{Infobox language

|name=Nyole

|nativename=Lunyole

|states=Uganda

|region=Butaleja District

|speakers=340,000

|ethnicity=Banyole

|date=2002 census

|ref=e18

|familycolor=Niger-Congo

|fam2=Atlantic–Congo

|fam3=Volta-Congo

|fam4=Benue–Congo

|fam5=Bantoid

|fam6=Southern Bantoid

|fam7=Bantu

|fam8=Northeast Bantu

|fam9=Great Lakes Bantu

|fam10=Masaba–Luhya (J.30)

|iso3=nuj

|glotto=nyol1238

|glottorefname=Nyole

|guthrie=JE.35

|notice=IPA

}}

Nyole (also LoNyole, Lunyole, Nyuli) is a Bantu language spoken by the Banyole in Butaleja District, Uganda. There is 61% lexical similarity with a related but different Nyole language in Kenya.

Phonology

=Consonants=

class="wikitable" style=text-align:center
colspan=2|

! Labial

! Alveolar

! Palatal

! Velar

colspan=2| Nasal

|{{IPAlink|m}}

|{{IPAlink|n}}

|{{IPAlink|ɲ}}

|{{IPAlink|ŋ}}

rowspan=3| Plosive

! voiceless

|{{IPAlink|p}}

|{{IPAlink|t}}

|{{IPAlink|tʃ}}

|{{IPAlink|k}}

voiced

|{{IPAlink|b}}

|{{IPAlink|d}}

|{{IPAlink|dʒ}}

|{{IPAlink|g}}

voiced prenasalized

|{{IPA|ᵐb}}

|{{IPA|ⁿd}}

|{{IPA|ᶮdʒ}}

|{{IPA|ᵑg}}

rowspan=2| Fricative

! voiceless

|{{IPAlink|ɸ}}

|{{IPAlink|s}}

|

|{{IPAlink|x}}

voiced

|{{IPAlink|β}}

|

|

|

colspan=2| Approximant

|{{IPAlink|w}}

|{{IPAlink|l}}~{{IPAlink|ɾ}}

|{{IPAlink|j}}

|(w)

Nyole has series of voiceless, voiced, and prenasalized stops. {{IPA|/w/}} is labio-velar.

=Vowels=

class="wikitable"
! Front

! Back

align=center

! High

| i

| u

align=center

! Mid

| e

| o

align=center

! Low

| colspan="2" | a

=Historical changes=

Nyole has an interesting development from Proto-Bantu *p → Nyole {{IPA|/ŋ/}}. Schadeberg (1989) connects this sound change to rhinoglottophilia, where the sound change developed first as {{IPA|*[p]}} → {{IPA|[ɸ]}} → {{IPA|[h]}}. Then, given the acoustic similarity of {{IPA|[h]}} and breathy voice to nasalization, the sound change progressed as {{IPA|[h]}} → {{IPA|[h̃]}} → {{IPA|[ŋ]}}. The velar place of articulation development is due to velar nasals being the least perceptible of the nasals and its marginal status in (pre-)Nyole and other Bantu languages. In closely related neighboring languages, *p developed variously into {{IPA|/h/}} or {{IPA|/w/}} or was deleted.

This historical development results in so-called "crazy" alternations, like {{IPA|/n/ + /ŋ/}} resulting in {{IPA|/p/}} as in the following:

: n-ŋuliira ("hear" stem form) : puliira "I hear"

: n-ŋumula ("rest" stem form) : pumula "I rest"

In the above two words, when the first person singular subject prefix {{IPA|/n-/}} is added to the stem starting with {{IPA|/ŋ/}}, the initial consonant surfaces as {{IPA|/p/}}. In other forms (like {{IPA|/oxu-ŋuliira/}} "to hear" and {{IPA|/oxu-ŋumula/}} "to rest"), the original stem-initial {{IPA|/ŋ/}} can be seen.

Writing System

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

|+ Alphabet nyole{{sfn|Lunyole Language Association|2006}}

| a

aabbbc

| d

eeefg

| h

iiijk

| l

mnnyŋ

| o

ooprs

| t

uuuvw

| y

z

See also

References

{{Reflist}}

  • Eastman, Carol M. (1972). Lunyole of the Bamenya, JAL, 11 (3), 63-78.
  • Morris, H. F. (1963). A note on Lunyole. Uganda Journal, 27, 127-134.
  • Schadeberg, Thilo C. (1989). The velar nasal in Nyole (E. 35). Annales Aequatoria, 10, 169-179. ([https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/dspace/bitstream/1887/8821/1/5_1234891_039.pdf Available online]).
  • Wicks, Douglas (2006) A partial grammar sketch of Lunyole with an emphasis on the applicative construction ([https://www.sil.org/system/files/reapdata/11/03/06/110306484954374200776563168563044725037/Partial_grammar_sketch_of_Lunyole___D._Wicks.pdf]).

{{Languages of Uganda}}

{{Narrow Bantu languages (Zones E–H)}}

{{Narrow Bantu languages (Zones J–M)}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Languages of Uganda

Category:Luhya language