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
20 core words in Anuak
Water
pii
/piː/
Fire
mac
/matʃ/
Sun
ceeŋ
/tʃeːŋ/
Moon
dwee
/dweː/
Mother
min
/min/
Father
waad
/waːd/
Eat
cam
/tʃam/
Drink
maath
/maːt̪/
Love
mar
/mar/
Heart
cuny
/tʃuɲ/
Tree
yat
/jat/
House
ot
/ot/
Dog
guok
/ɡuok/
Cat
nyamur
/ɲamur/
Hand
cing
/tʃiŋ/
Eye
waang
/waːŋ/
Hello
mali
/mali/
Thank you
apwoyo
/apwojo/
One
acel
/atʃel/
Good
ber
/ber/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Nilo-Saharan languages
| Meaning | Anuak | Acholi | Lango | Luo | Nuer | Dinka | Luba-Kasai |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | pii /piː/ | pii /piː/ | pii /piː/ | pi /pi/ | pi /pi/ | piu /piu/ | mâyi /maːji/ |
| Fire | mac /matʃ/ | mac /matʃ/ | mac /matʃ/ | mach /matʃ/ | mäc /mɛtʃ/ | mac /matʃ/ | kapia /kapia/ |
| Sun | ceeŋ /tʃeːŋ/ | ceng /tʃeŋ/ | ceŋ /tʃeŋ/ | chieng' /tʃieŋ/ | caŋ /tʃaŋ/ | akɔ̈l /akɔl/ | dîba /diːba/ |
| Moon | dwee /dweː/ | dwe /dwe/ | dwe /dwe/ | dwe /dwe/ | pay /paj/ | pɛɛi /pɛːi/ | ngondo /ŋɡondo/ |
| Mother | min /min/ | mego /meɡo/ | mego /meɡo/ | mama /mama/ | maar /maːr/ | man /man/ | mâmu /maːmu/ |
| Father | waad /waːd/ | baba /baba/ | papo /papo/ | baba /baba/ | gwaar /ɡwaːr/ | wun /wun/ | tâtu /taːtu/ |
| Eat | cam /tʃam/ | cam /tʃam/ | camo /tʃamo/ | chiemo /tʃiemo/ | cam /tʃam/ | cam /tʃam/ | kudia /kudia/ |
| Drink | maath /maːt̪/ | mat /mat/ | matho /matʰo/ | madho /maðo/ | math /mat̪/ | dek /dek/ | kunua /kunua/ |
| Love | mar /mar/ | mar /mar/ | amara /amara/ | hera /hera/ | nhok /nok/ | nhiär /n̪iar/ | dinanga /dinaŋɡa/ |
| Heart | cuny /tʃuɲ/ | cwiny /tʃwiɲ/ | cwiny /tʃwiɲ/ | chuny /tʃuɲ/ | lëŋ /lɛŋ/ | piöu /piɔu/ | mucima /mut͡ʃima/ |
| Tree | yat /jat/ | yat /jat/ | yat /jat/ | yath /jaθ/ | jïath /dʒiat̪/ | tim /tim/ | mutshi /mut͡ʃi/ |
| House | ot /ot/ | ot /ot/ | ot /ot/ | ot /ot/ | dööl /dɔːl/ | ɣöt /ɣɔt/ | nzubu /nzubu/ |
| Dog | guok /ɡuok/ | gwok /ɡʷok/ | gwok /ɡwok/ | guok /ɡuok/ | jiek /dʒiek/ | jɔ̈ŋ /dʒɔŋ/ | mbwa /mbwa/ |
| Cat | nyamur /ɲamur/ | ngabu /ŋabu/ | mbweko /mbweko/ | paka /paka/ | gec /ɡetʃ/ | gec /ɡetʃ/ | nyao /ɲao/ |
| Hand | cing /tʃiŋ/ | cing /tʃiŋ/ | cing /tʃiŋ/ | lwedo /lwedo/ | tet /tet/ | cin /tʃin/ | tshianza /t͡ʃianza/ |
| Eye | waang /waːŋ/ | wang /waŋ/ | waŋ /waŋ/ | wang' /waŋ/ | wäk /wɛk/ | nyin /ɲin/ | dîsu /diːsu/ |
| Hello | mali /mali/ | itye nining /itje niniŋ/ | itye nining /itje niniŋ/ | misawa /misawa/ | malɛ /malɛ/ | ke yïn /ke jin/ | moyo /mojo/ |
| Thank you | apwoyo /apwojo/ | apwoyo /apwojo/ | apwoyo /apwojo/ | erokamano /erokamano/ | lɛrnyä /lɛɾɲa/ | alanyiek /alaɲiek/ | tuasakidila /tuasakidila/ |
| One | acel /atʃel/ | acel /atʃel/ | acel /atʃel/ | achiel /atʃiel/ | kɛl /kɛl/ | tök /tɔk/ | umue /umue/ |
| Good | ber /ber/ | ber /ber/ | ber /ber/ | maber /maber/ | gɔaa /ɡɔaː/ | piath /piat̪/ | bimpe /bimpe/ |
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