Karo Bari
Bari
Nilo-Saharan
Bari (Karo Bari, "the Bari speech") is an Eastern Nilotic language of the Bari cluster, spoken across the South Sudan-Uganda border region. The Bari people are pastoral cattle-herders of the Equatorial Nile region, with their cultural homeland centered on Juba, the South Sudan capital. The Bari cluster (Bari, Mandari, Kakwa, Pojulu, Kuku) shows mutual intelligibility but distinct ethnopolitical identities. Linguistically, Bari shares Eastern Nilotic features with Maasai (mas) and Samburu (saq): tonal (high/low/mid), focus markers, masculine/feminine gender, and SVO constituent order. Italian Comboni missionaries developed the standard orthography in the 19th century; Bari has a substantial Bible translation tradition.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Bari
Water
piong
/piɔŋ/
Fire
kima
/kima/
Sun
kolong
/koloŋ/
Moon
nyepo
/ɲepo/
Mother
mama
/mama/
Father
baba
/baba/
Eat
nyo
/ɲo/
Drink
mwoi
/mwoi/
Love
ondu
/ondu/
Heart
lo
/lo/
Tree
kute
/kute/
House
kadi
/kadi/
Dog
ngoʼlo
/ŋoʔlo/
Cat
lupa
/lupa/
Hand
kindiyo
/kindijo/
Eye
kongi
/koŋɡi/
Hello
gwon
/ɡwon/
Thank you
mungari
/muŋɡari/
One
kelo
/kelo/
Good
ru
/ru/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Nilo-Saharan languages
| Meaning | Bari | Ateso | Sango | Maasai | Luo | Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl | Rwa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | piong /piɔŋ/ | akipi /akipi/ | ngu /ŋɡu/ | ɛŋare /ɛŋare/ | pi /pi/ | atl /atɬ/ | mende /mende/ |
| Fire | kima /kima/ | akim /akim/ | wa /wa/ | ɛnkima /ɛŋkima/ | mach /matʃ/ | titl /titɬ/ | msika /msika/ |
| Sun | kolong /koloŋ/ | akolong /akoloŋ/ | lâ /la/ | enkolong /eŋkoloŋ/ | chieng' /tʃieŋ/ | tonatih /tonatih/ | mlao /mlao/ |
| Moon | nyepo /ɲepo/ | elap /elap/ | nzë /nzɛ/ | olapa /olapa/ | dwe /dwe/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | mwere /mwere/ |
| Mother | mama /mama/ | toto /toto/ | mama /mama/ | yieyio /jiejio/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ |
| Father | baba /baba/ | papa /papa/ | babâ /baba/ | papa /papa/ | baba /baba/ | tata /tata/ | baba /baba/ |
| Eat | nyo /ɲo/ | akinyam /akiɲam/ | te /te/ | anya /aɲa/ | chiemo /tʃiemo/ | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ | kuria /kuria/ |
| Drink | mwoi /mwoi/ | akimat /akimat/ | nyon /ɲon/ | oŋg /oŋɡ/ | madho /maðo/ | atli /atɬi/ | kunyua /kuɲua/ |
| Love | ondu /ondu/ | akimina /akimina/ | ndoyê /ndojɛ/ | eitalu /eitalu/ | hera /hera/ | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | lumbo /lumbo/ |
| Heart | lo /lo/ | etau /etau/ | bê /bɛ/ | oltau /oltau/ | chuny /tʃuɲ/ | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | ngiti /ŋɡiti/ |
| Tree | kute /kute/ | ekitoi /ekitoi/ | kêkê /kɛkɛ/ | olchani /oltʃani/ | yath /jaθ/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitɬ/ | mte /mte/ |
| House | kadi /kadi/ | ekal /ekal/ | dâ /da/ | eng'aji /ɛŋadʒi/ | ot /ot/ | calli /kalːi/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ |
| Dog | ngoʼlo /ŋoʔlo/ | ekingok /ekiŋɡok/ | mbo /mbo/ | oldia /oldia/ | guok /ɡuok/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | mboha /mboha/ |
| Cat | lupa /lupa/ | ekapa /ekapa/ | nyao /ɲao/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | mizton /miston/ | paka /paka/ |
| Hand | kindiyo /kindijo/ | akan /akan/ | maboko /maboko/ | ɛŋaina /ɛŋaina/ | lwedo /lwedo/ | maitl /maitl/ | mkono /mkono/ |
| Eye | kongi /koŋɡi/ | akongu /akoŋɡu/ | lê /lɛ/ | ɛŋɔŋu /ɛŋɔŋu/ | wang' /waŋ/ | ixtli /iʃtli/ | liso /liso/ |
| Hello | gwon /ɡwon/ | yoga /joɡa/ | bara mo /bara mo/ | sopa /sopa/ | misawa /misawa/ | nimitzpaca /nimitspaka/ | kira /kiɾa/ |
| Thank you | mungari /muŋɡari/ | eyalama /ejalama/ | singila /siŋɡila/ | ashe /aʃe/ | erokamano /erokamano/ | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | asante /asante/ |
| One | kelo /kelo/ | ediopet /ediopet/ | oko /oko/ | obo /obo/ | achiel /atʃiel/ | ce /se/ | mongo /moŋɡo/ |
| Good | ru /ru/ | ejok /edʒok/ | nzöni /nzəni/ | sidai /sidai/ | maber /maber/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ | kya /kja/ |
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