Dha-Anywaa
Anuak
Nilo-Saharan
Anuak (Anywaa, autonymously Dha-Anywaa) is a Western Nilotic Lwoo language of the lower Sobat River basin straddling South Sudan (Upper Nile State, Pochalla County) and Ethiopia (Gambela Region). The Anuak community of approximately 250,000 people are traditionally cattle-keeping floodplain agriculturalists, distinguished from neighbouring Nuer (nus) by their settled-village social organisation around hereditary chiefs (kwaaro). Linguistically, Anuak shares Lwoo Western Nilotic features with sister languages Acholi (ach), Lango (laj), and Luo (luo) — including ATR vowel harmony with two harmonic sets, a complex tone system (typically 3-4 tone register), and verbal aspect-mood morphology. Reh's 1996 Anywa Language: Description and Internal Reconstructions is the major modern academic documentation. The Anuak community of Gambela Region was severely affected by the 2003 Gambela massacre and ongoing tensions with the Ethiopian state.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Anuak
Water
pii
/piː/
Fire
mac
/matʃ/
Sun
ceeŋ
/tʃeːŋ/
Moon
dwee
/dweː/
Star
lɛɛr
/lɛːr/
Mother
min
/min/
Father
waad
/waːd/
I
än
/an/
You
in
/in/
Name
nyiŋ
/ɲiŋ/
Eye
waang
/waːŋ/
Hand
cing
/tʃiŋ/
Heart
cuny
/tʃuɲ/
Love
mar
/mar/
Tree
yat
/jat/
House
ot
/ot/
Dog
guok
/ɡuok/
Cat
nyamur
/ɲamur/
Eat
cam
/tʃam/
Drink
maath
/maːt̪/
One
acel
/atʃel/
Two
aryew
/arjɛw/
Hello
mali
/mali/
Thank you
apwoyo
/apwojo/
Good
ber
/ber/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Nilo-Saharan languages
| Meaning | Anuak | Acholi | Lango | Luo | Nuer | Dinka | Jingpo (Kachin) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | pii /piː/ | pii /piː/ | pii /piː/ | pi /pi/ | pi /pi/ | piu /piu/ | hka /kʰaː˧/ |
| Fire | mac /matʃ/ | mac /matʃ/ | mac /matʃ/ | mach /matʃ/ | mäc /mɛtʃ/ | mac /matʃ/ | wan /waːn˧/ |
| Sun | ceeŋ /tʃeːŋ/ | ceng /tʃeŋ/ | ceŋ /tʃeŋ/ | chieng' /tʃieŋ/ | caŋ /tʃaŋ/ | akɔ̈l /akɔl/ | jan /dʒan˧/ |
| Moon | dwee /dweː/ | dwe /dwe/ | dwe /dwe/ | dwe /dwe/ | pay /paj/ | pɛɛi /pɛːi/ | shata /ʃata˧/ |
| Star | lɛɛr /lɛːr/ | lakalatwe /lakalatwe/ | lakalatwe /lakalatwe/ | sulwe /sulwe/ | räl /ral/ | kuel /kwɛl/ | shagan /ʃəɡan/ |
| Mother | min /min/ | mego /meɡo/ | mego /meɡo/ | mama /mama/ | maar /maːr/ | man /man/ | nu /nu˧/ |
| Father | waad /waːd/ | baba /baba/ | papo /papo/ | baba /baba/ | gwaar /ɡwaːr/ | wun /wun/ | wa /wa˧/ |
| I | än /an/ | an /an/ | an /an/ | an /an/ | ɣän /ɣan/ | ɣɛn /ɣɛn/ | ngai /ŋai/ |
| You | in /in/ | in /in/ | yin /jin/ | in /in/ | jin /jin/ | yïn /jɪn/ | nang /naŋ/ |
| Name | nyiŋ /ɲiŋ/ | nying /ɲiŋ/ | nying /ɲiŋ/ | nying /ɲiŋ/ | ciot /tɕɔːt/ | rin /rin/ | mying /mjiŋ/ |
| Eye | waang /waːŋ/ | wang /waŋ/ | waŋ /waŋ/ | wang' /waŋ/ | waŋ /waŋ/ | nyin /ɲin/ | myi /mji˧/ |
| Hand | cing /tʃiŋ/ | cing /tʃiŋ/ | cing /tʃiŋ/ | lwedo /lwedo/ | tet /tet/ | cin /tʃin/ | lata /lata˧/ |
| Heart | cuny /tʃuɲ/ | cwiny /tʃwiɲ/ | cwiny /tʃwiɲ/ | chuny /tʃuɲ/ | lëŋ /lɛŋ/ | piöu /piɔu/ | salum /salum/ |
| Love | mar /mar/ | mar /mar/ | amara /amara/ | hera /hera/ | nhok /nok/ | nhiär /n̪iar/ | tsaw ra /tsau˧ra˧/ |
| Tree | yat /jat/ | yat /jat/ | yat /jat/ | yath /jaθ/ | jïath /dʒiat̪/ | tim /tim/ | hpun /pʰun˧/ |
| House | ot /ot/ | ot /ot/ | ot /ot/ | ot /ot/ | dööl /dɔːl/ | ɣöt /ɣɔt/ | nta /nta˧/ |
| Dog | guok /ɡuok/ | gwok /ɡʷok/ | gwok /ɡwok/ | guok /ɡuok/ | jiek /dʒiek/ | jɔ̈ŋ /dʒɔŋ/ | gwi /ɡwi˧/ |
| Cat | nyamur /ɲamur/ | ngabu /ŋabu/ | mbweko /mbweko/ | paka /paka/ | gec /ɡetʃ/ | gec /ɡetʃ/ | nyaung /ɲauŋ˧/ |
| Eat | cam /tʃam/ | cam /tʃam/ | camo /tʃamo/ | chiemo /tʃiemo/ | cam /tʃam/ | cam /tʃam/ | sha /ʃa˧/ |
| Drink | maath /maːt̪/ | mat /mat/ | matho /matʰo/ | madho /maðo/ | math /mat̪/ | dek /dek/ | lu /lu˧/ |
| One | acel /atʃel/ | acel /atʃel/ | acel /atʃel/ | achiel /atʃiel/ | kɛl /kɛl/ | tök /tɔk/ | langai /laŋai˧/ |
| Two | aryew /arjɛw/ | aryo /arjo/ | aryo /arjo/ | ariyo /arijo/ | rew /rɛw/ | rou /rou/ | lahkawng /ləkʰoŋ/ |
| Hello | mali /mali/ | itye nining /itje niniŋ/ | itye nining /itje niniŋ/ | misawa /misawa/ | malɛ /malɛ/ | ke yïn /ke jin/ | kaja i /kadʒa˧i˧/ |
| Thank you | apwoyo /apwojo/ | apwoyo /apwojo/ | apwoyo /apwojo/ | erokamano /erokamano/ | lɛrnyä /lɛɾɲa/ | alanyiek /alaɲiek/ | chyeju kaba /tʃedʒu˧kaba˧/ |
| Good | ber /ber/ | ber /ber/ | ber /ber/ | maber /maber/ | gɔaa /ɡɔaː/ | piath /piat̪/ | kaja /kadʒa˧/ |
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