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
31 core words in Bari
Water
piong
/piɔŋ/
Fire
kima
/kima/
Sun
kolong
/koloŋ/
Moon
nyepo
/ɲepo/
Star
toŋ
/toŋ/
Mother
mama
/mama/
Father
baba
/baba/
I
nan
/nan/
You
do
/do/
Name
karin
/karin/
Eye
kongi
/koŋɡi/
Hand
kindiyo
/kindijo/
Heart
lo
/lo/
Love
ondu
/ondu/
Tree
kute
/kute/
House
kadi
/kadi/
Dog
ngoʼlo
/ŋoʔlo/
Cat
lupa
/lupa/
Eat
nyo
/ɲo/
Drink
mwoi
/mwoi/
One
kelo
/kelo/
Two
ŋaba
/ŋaba/
Hello
gwon
/ɡwon/
Thank you
mungari
/muŋɡari/
Good
ru
/ru/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Nilo-Saharan languages
| Meaning | Bari | Sango | Ateso | Maasai | Eastern Huasteca Nahuatl | Luo | Samburu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | piong /piɔŋ/ | ngu /ŋɡu/ | akipi /akipi/ | ɛŋare /ɛŋare/ | atl /atɬ/ | pi /pi/ | nkare /ŋkaɾe/ |
| Fire | kima /kima/ | wa /wa/ | akim /akim/ | ɛnkima /ɛŋkima/ | tlitl /tɬitɬ/ | mach /matʃ/ | nkima /ŋkima/ |
| Sun | kolong /koloŋ/ | lâ /la/ | akolong /akoloŋ/ | enkolong /eŋkoloŋ/ | tonatih /tonatih/ | chieng' /tʃieŋ/ | lakwa /lakʷa/ |
| Moon | nyepo /ɲepo/ | nzë /nzɛ/ | elap /elap/ | olapa /olapa/ | metztli /metstɬi/ | dwe /dwe/ | lapa /lapa/ |
| Star | toŋ /toŋ/ | tongoro /toŋɡoro/ | akoloit /akoloit/ | olakira /olakira/ | sitlalij /siˈtlalih/ | sulwe /sulwe/ | lakira /lakira/ |
| Mother | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | toto /toto/ | yieyio /jiejio/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | yieyo /jiejo/ |
| Father | baba /baba/ | babâ /baba/ | papa /papa/ | papa /papa/ | tata /tata/ | baba /baba/ | papa /papa/ |
| I | nan /nan/ | mbi /mbi/ | eong /eɔŋ/ | nanʉ /nanʊ/ | na /na/ | an /an/ | nanu /nanʊ/ |
| You | do /do/ | mo /mo/ | ijo /idʒo/ | iyie /ijie/ | ta /ta/ | in /in/ | iye /ije/ |
| Name | karin /karin/ | iri /iri/ | ekiror /ekiror/ | enkarna /eŋkarna/ | tocaxtli /toˈkaʃtli/ | nying /ɲiŋ/ | nkarna /ŋkarna/ |
| Eye | kongi /koŋɡi/ | lê /lɛ/ | akongu /akoŋɡu/ | ɛŋɔŋu /ɛŋɔŋu/ | ixtli /iʃtli/ | wang' /waŋ/ | nkoŋu /ŋkoŋu/ |
| Hand | kindiyo /kindijo/ | maboko /maboko/ | akan /akan/ | ɛŋaina /ɛŋaina/ | maitl /maitl/ | lwedo /lwedo/ | nkaina /ŋkaina/ |
| Heart | lo /lo/ | bê /bɛ/ | etau /etau/ | oltau /oltau/ | yollotl /jolːotɬ/ | chuny /tʃuɲ/ | ltau /ltau/ |
| Love | ondu /ondu/ | ndoyê /ndojɛ/ | akimina /akimina/ | eitalu /eitalu/ | tlazohtla /tɬasoʔtɬa/ | hera /hera/ | eitalu /eitalu/ |
| Tree | kute /kute/ | kêkê /kɛkɛ/ | ekitoi /ekitoi/ | olchani /oltʃani/ | cuahuitl /kʷawitɬ/ | yath /jaθ/ | lchani /ltʃani/ |
| House | kadi /kadi/ | dâ /da/ | ekal /ekal/ | eng'aji /ɛŋadʒi/ | calli /kalːi/ | ot /ot/ | nkang /ŋkaŋ/ |
| Dog | ngoʼlo /ŋoʔlo/ | mbo /mbo/ | ekingok /ekiŋɡok/ | oldia /oldia/ | itzcuintli /itskʷintli/ | guok /ɡuok/ | ldia /ldia/ |
| Cat | lupa /lupa/ | nyao /ɲao/ | ekapa /ekapa/ | paka /paka/ | mizton /miston/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ |
| Eat | nyo /ɲo/ | te /te/ | akinyam /akiɲam/ | anya /aɲa/ | tlacua /tɬakʷa/ | chiemo /tʃiemo/ | anya /aɲa/ |
| Drink | mwoi /mwoi/ | nyon /ɲon/ | akimat /akimat/ | oŋg /oŋɡ/ | atli /atɬi/ | madho /maðo/ | oŋg /oŋɡ/ |
| One | kelo /kelo/ | oko /oko/ | ediopet /ediopet/ | obo /obo/ | ce /se/ | achiel /atʃiel/ | obo /obo/ |
| Two | ŋaba /ŋaba/ | ûse /use/ | iarei /iarei/ | aare /aːre/ | ome /ˈome/ | ariyo /arijo/ | aare /aːre/ |
| Hello | gwon /ɡwon/ | bara mo /bara mo/ | yoga /joɡa/ | sopa /sopa/ | nimitzpaca /nimitspaka/ | misawa /misawa/ | sopa /sopa/ |
| Thank you | mungari /muŋɡari/ | singila /siŋɡila/ | eyalama /ejalama/ | ashe /aʃe/ | tlazohcamati /tɬasoʔkamati/ | erokamano /erokamano/ | ashe /aʃe/ |
| Good | ru /ru/ | nzöni /nzəni/ | ejok /edʒok/ | sidai /sidai/ | cualli /kʷalːi/ | maber /maber/ | supat /supat/ |
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