Nyole language (Uganda)

Nyole (also LoNyole, Lunyole, Nyuli) is a Bantu language spoken by the Luhya people in Tororo District, Uganda near Lake Kyoga. There is 61% lexical similarity with a related but different Nyole language in Kenya.

Phonology

Consonants

Nyole has series of voiceless, voiced, and prenasalized stops. /w/ is labio-velar.

Vowels

Historical changes

Nyole has an interesting development from Proto-Bantu *p → Nyole /ŋ/. Schadeberg (1989) connects this sound change to rhinoglottophilia, where the sound change developed first as *[p] → [ɸ] → [h]. Then, given the acoustic similarity of [h] and breathy voice to nasalization, the sound change progressed as [h] → [h̃] → [ŋ]. The velar place of articulation development is due to velar nasals being the least perceptible of the nasals and its marginal status in (pre-)Nyole and other Bantu languages. In closely related neighboring languages, *p developed variously into /h/ or /w/ or was deleted.

This historical development results in so-called "crazy" alternations, like /n/ + /ŋ/ resulting in /p/ as in the following:

n-ŋuliira ("hear" stem form) : puliira "I hear"

n-ŋumula ("rest" stem form) : pumula "I rest"

In the above two words, when the first person singular subject prefix /n-/ is added to the stem starting with /ŋ/, the initial consonant surfaces as /p/. In other forms (like /oxu-ŋuliira/ "to hear" and /oxu-ŋumula/ "to rest"), the original stem-initial /ŋ/ can be seen.

See also

• Luhya language

References

• Eastman, Carol M. (1972). Lunyole of the Bamenya, JAL, 11 (3), 63-78.
• Morris, H. F. (1963). A note on Lunyole. Uganda Journal, 27, 127-134.
• Schadeberg, Thilo C. (1989). The velar nasal in Nyole (E. 35). Annales Aequatoria, 10, 169-179. (Available online).

Languages of Uganda Official languages English Swahili Ugandan Sign Language Indigenous languages Bantu Amba Gungu Khayo Gwere Khayo Kiga Kinyarwanda Luganda Luhya Marachi Masaba Nkore Nkore-Kiga Nyole Nyoro Ruuli Samia Singa Soga Talinga Tooro Nilo-Saharan Acholi Adhola Alur Aringa Bari Elgon Ik Karamojong Kuku Lango Lugbara Nyangia Pökoot Southern Luo Tepes Teso Others Kitara Nubi Oropom