Dholuo
Luo
Nilo-Saharan (Western Nilotic)
Luo (Dholuo) is the language of the Luo people around Lake Victoria, the third-largest Kenyan ethnic group (after Kikuyu and Luhya), with ~4M speakers in western Kenya (Nyanza) and northwestern Tanzania (Mara). Part of the Western Nilotic Nilo-Saharan family, related to Acholi, Lango, Alur, and the Luo of South Sudan (Anyuak, Shilluk). Has tone, vowel harmony based on ATR (advanced tongue root), and a four-way perfective/imperfective aspectual contrast unusual among Nilo-Saharan languages. Famous Luo speakers include US President Barack Obama (his father's family) and Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai (Kenyan environmentalist).
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Luo
Water
pi
/pi/
Fire
mach
/matʃ/
Sun
chieng'
/tʃieŋ/
Moon
dwe
/dwe/
Mother
mama
/mama/
Father
baba
/baba/
Eat
chiemo
/tʃiemo/
Drink
madho
/maðo/
Love
hera
/hera/
Heart
chuny
/tʃuɲ/
Tree
yath
/jaθ/
House
ot
/ot/
Dog
guok
/ɡuok/
Cat
paka
/paka/
Hand
lwedo
/lwedo/
Eye
wang'
/waŋ/
Hello
misawa
/misawa/
Thank you
erokamano
/erokamano/
One
achiel
/atʃiel/
Good
maber
/maber/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Nilo-Saharan (Western Nilotic) languages
| Meaning | Luo | Acholi | Lango | Anuak | Machame | Shambala | Nuer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | pi /pi/ | pii /piː/ | pii /piː/ | pii /piː/ | mringa /mɾiŋɡa/ | mazi /mazi/ | pi /pi/ |
| Fire | mach /matʃ/ | mac /matʃ/ | mac /matʃ/ | mac /matʃ/ | mòò /moːʔ/ | moto /moto/ | mäc /mɛtʃ/ |
| Sun | chieng' /tʃieŋ/ | ceng /tʃeŋ/ | ceŋ /tʃeŋ/ | ceeŋ /tʃeːŋ/ | ìsùwà /isuwa/ | zuwa /zuwa/ | caŋ /tʃaŋ/ |
| Moon | dwe /dwe/ | dwe /dwe/ | dwe /dwe/ | dwee /dweː/ | mwezi /mwezi/ | mwezi /mwezi/ | pay /paj/ |
| Mother | mama /mama/ | mego /meɡo/ | mego /meɡo/ | min /min/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | maar /maːr/ |
| Father | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | papo /papo/ | waad /waːd/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | gwaar /ɡwaːr/ |
| Eat | chiemo /tʃiemo/ | cam /tʃam/ | camo /tʃamo/ | cam /tʃam/ | ìlya /iʎa/ | kuya /kuja/ | cam /tʃam/ |
| Drink | madho /maðo/ | mat /mat/ | matho /matʰo/ | maath /maːt̪/ | ìnyo /iɲo/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | math /mat̪/ |
| Love | hera /hera/ | mar /mar/ | amara /amara/ | mar /mar/ | ìkwenda /ikwenda/ | kwenda /kwenda/ | nhok /nok/ |
| Heart | chuny /tʃuɲ/ | cwiny /tʃwiɲ/ | cwiny /tʃwiɲ/ | cuny /tʃuɲ/ | mòyò /mojo/ | mwoyo /mwojo/ | lëŋ /lɛŋ/ |
| Tree | yath /jaθ/ | yat /jat/ | yat /jat/ | yat /jat/ | mtí /mti/ | mti /mti/ | jïath /dʒiat̪/ |
| House | ot /ot/ | ot /ot/ | ot /ot/ | ot /ot/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | dööl /dɔːl/ |
| Dog | guok /ɡuok/ | gwok /ɡʷok/ | gwok /ɡwok/ | guok /ɡuok/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | jiek /dʒiek/ |
| Cat | paka /paka/ | ngabu /ŋabu/ | mbweko /mbweko/ | nyamur /ɲamur/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | gec /ɡetʃ/ |
| Hand | lwedo /lwedo/ | cing /tʃiŋ/ | cing /tʃiŋ/ | cing /tʃiŋ/ | kùoòko /kuoːko/ | ukono /ukono/ | tet /tet/ |
| Eye | wang' /waŋ/ | wang /waŋ/ | waŋ /waŋ/ | waang /waːŋ/ | rítiò /ɾitio/ | izo /izo/ | wäk /wɛk/ |
| Hello | misawa /misawa/ | itye nining /itje niniŋ/ | itye nining /itje niniŋ/ | mali /mali/ | máshàlòmà /maʃaloma/ | nashukuru /naʃukuɾu/ | malɛ /malɛ/ |
| Thank you | erokamano /erokamano/ | apwoyo /apwojo/ | apwoyo /apwojo/ | apwoyo /apwojo/ | ahsànte /ahsante/ | asante /asante/ | lɛrnyä /lɛɾɲa/ |
| One | achiel /atʃiel/ | acel /atʃel/ | acel /atʃel/ | acel /atʃel/ | ìmwí /imwi/ | imo /imo/ | kɛl /kɛl/ |
| Good | maber /maber/ | ber /ber/ | ber /ber/ | ber /ber/ | ìchá /itʃa/ | hedi /hedi/ | gɔaa /ɡɔaː/ |
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