Dhopadhola

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Dhopadhola Adhola, Jopadhola, Ludama
Spoken in:	Uganda
Region:	Tororo District, Uganda
Total speakers:	~250,000
Language family:	Nilo-Saharan  Eastern Sudanic   Nilotic    Western Nilotic     Luo      Southern Luo       Dhopadhola
Language codes
ISO 639-1:	none
ISO 639-2:	ssa
ISO/FDIS 639-3:	adh
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-​based pronunciation key.

Dhopadhola is the language of the Jopadhola (aka Badama) ethnic group in Uganda. Dhopadhola is mutually intelligible (more or less) with Acholi language, Lango language, Kumam language and Alur language of Uganda and Dholuo language of Kenya.

The prefix dho means "language of". It can be attached to a nationality or speech community to imply the language of such a people. jo means "people of". The infix pa means possessive 'of'.

Dhopadhola thus means the language spoken in Padhola.
Padhola is the area or region where Dhopadhola is spoken.
Jopadhola is the plural of Japadhola - a person who speaks Dhopadhola. Hence, Jopadhola are speakers of Dhopadhola.

Ja is a prefix meaning the 'doer' or a person belonging to a particular place or position. The plural is Jo. That is, people who do something or belong to a particular place or organisation.

For instance
Jafwonji means a teacher.
Jofwonji means teachers.
Jawer means a singer.
Jower means singers.
Janywol means a parent.
Jonywol means parents.
Japach means a carpenter.
Jopach means carpenters.