Dhopadhola

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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 639-3: adh

Dhopadhola is the language of the Jopadhola (a.k.a. Badama) ethnic group in Uganda. Dhopadhola is generally mutually intelligible 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.