Ateso language
Encyclopedia
Ateso is a Nilo-Saharan language
, spoken by the Iteso people of Uganda
and Kenya
. It is one of the Teso–Turkana cluster of languages.
According to the 2002 Uganda population and housing census, over 1.57 million people (6.7% of the total Uganda population
) in Uganda spoke Ateso. Also an estimated 279,000 people in Kenya
speak it. Its SIL
code is TEO.
The Ateso language comes from an area called Teso
.
F,H,Q,V,H,X and Z are not used and η and NY are added. F,H,Q,V,H,X,Z only appear in loan words. The pronunciation
guides that follow are for practice only; the correct sounds can only be learned by practice from a teacher or an audio media.
(ⅱ)There are five vowels in Ateso
A, E, I, O, U.
These five letters, however, represent more than five sounds, for the letters E, I, O and U have two values each; a "close" value and an "open" value.
Close vowel
s are pronounced approximately as follows:
Open vowels are pronounced approximately as follows:
Note that whether the root vowel is "closed" or "open" affects the conjugation
of the verb.
(ⅲ) Where the vowels AI or OI stand together, they represent sounds approximating the "i" in bite and "oy" in annoy respectively. In other vowel combinations, both vowels must be given their full values. The "au" in kau -----(behind) is pronounced "kah-oo" not "kow".
(iv) All words ending in a consonant
possess a semi-mute or "shadow" vowel after the final consonant, which is not pronounced when the word stands in isolation, but which is pronounced when the word is followed by another word beginning with a consonant:
e.g. The Ateso translation of "the women go to the house" is written:
but is pronounced: elosete aηoro Togo
If the word following is normally written as one with the preceding word, the "shadow" vowel is not only pronounced but written:
Other examples are given in (vii) below.
(v) There are sixteen consonants and one semi-vowel in Ateso,
pronounced approximately as follows:
Semi vowel:
(vi) In words of foreign origin introduced into Teso the missing sound F is replaced by P and the missing sound V by B or P. Z is replaced by S.
(vii) It is an invariable rule that two consonants can never stand together in the same word. Both in speech and in writing. When word construction brings two consonants together, either one of the consonants must be dropped or the "shadow" vowel mentioned in sub-paragraph (iv) above must be inserted between the consonants.
E.g. (Omission of one consonant)
(Insertion of "shadow" vowel)
**Due to the introduction of typesetting
& word processing
machines, η is now almost entirely written NG. It is only in old literature that η still appears. The fact that in some works the two letters NG are found together in place of η is no exception to the above rules. These two letters are merely an alternative representation of the sound η, in the same way as the letters NY represent one sound. The semi-vowel W, however, can and frequently does follow a consonant
:
often carries slightly more stress
than other syllables. Stress does not,however, affect the length of the vowel stressed or its pitch
or tone
. It is equally important to note that syllable pitch plays a vital part in correct pronunciation and that many words, which are spelled identically, have a different meanings according to syllable pitch.
For example:
(ii) Recently, it is evident that the spoken language is continuing to move away from the written language especially in most parts of Uganda. This means that some aspects of orthography may well need revision soon.
(iii)While the Iteso
of Tororo
district in Uganda and Teso district in Kenya
retain the letter k
in the spoken language, the Iteso in most other areas of Uganda
tend to omit it in most of the words.
How are you? – Ijai biai (singular), Ijaasi biai (plural)
Fine, and you? – Ejokuna, arai ijo?
Fine – ejokuna
What is your name? – Ingai bo ekon'kiror?
My name is ... – Eka'kiror ...
Name ---
Ekiror
Nice to see you. ---
Eyalama ewanyun (also: Eyalama aanyun)
See you again ---
Awanyunos bobo
Book – Eitabo
Because – Naarai
The first sentence in the bible can be translated as Ageunet, abu Edeke Kosub akwap keda akuj ("In the beginning God made the earth and the heavens" lit. "the down and the up").
. For grammatical purposes all nouns in Ateso are divided into three classes or genders:(a) masculine
, ( b) feminine
and (c) neuter
.
" or "O
" are usually masculine. Those starting with "A
" are feminine while those that start with "I
" are neuter. See table below for details.
The only exception to the above rule are certain nouns denoting relationships and directions.
e.g. toto ----- mother; papa ----- father; mamai ----- uncle; inac ----- sister ; ija ----- aunt
It should, however, be noted that the noun prefix is always dropped when the noun comes after the following pronouns or adjectives and their feminine, neuter or plural forms:
The following is a general classification of most nouns.
e.g. ekiiηok – dog
(ii) Names of most trees and fruit
e.g. eloa* – mvule tree (* now generally referred to as emabule )
(iii) Names of insects:
e.g. esirut – mosquito
(iv) Names of non-indigenous liquids:
e.g. ecai ----— tea
e.g. akingok – bitch
(ii) Names of languages and countries:
e.g. Ateso ----— the Teso language
(iii) Names of indigenous liquids:
e.g. ajon ----—local cereal brew
(iv) Abstract nouns:-
e.g. ajokus----—goodness (*also ajokis, ajokisu are used depending on the area)
(v) Verbs used as nouns:
e.g. ituηanan ----- person (sex unknown)
(ii) Names of diminutive objects:
e.g. ikiηok ----- puppy
(ii) In the case of masculine nouns the noun prefix also changes as shown in the table on noun prefix above.
(iii) These changes in the endings of nouns are so irregular that it is not worth while trying to formulate rules for the formation of plurals.
(iv) Certain nouns, however, which are derived from verbs,form their plurals according to rules;
(a) Nouns denoting an agent of action (a person who does the action of the verb) form a singular ending in -an or -on and a plural ending in -ak or -ok:
e.g. ekamejan – hunter ; ikamejak – hunters; ekecokon – herdsman; ikecokok – herdsmen;
(b) Nouns denoting something which does or, is done, form a singular ending in -et or -etait and a plural ending in -eta:
e.g. elacet – (a thing which loosens) key; ilaceta – keys; arapetait – cover
arapeta -covers;
(v) Some nouns have no singular and exist only in the plural:
e.g. akipi—-water; ajony – local brew; asinge – sand; ajo – sleep; ileic – shame
Other nouns have no plural and exist only in the singular;
e.g. ekuron – ashes; akoloη—sun; adam – brain; eduan – weeds
(vi) Abstract nouns and names of diseases, as in English, have no plural.
e.g. aiyalama -happiness; amin -love.
(vii) Some nouns form their plural from other roots:
e.g. aberu – woman, aηor -women; ikoku -child, iduwe – children.
(viii) Some nouns, in addition to the normal plural, form a generic plural by adding -sinei to the plural form:
e.g. etuηanan - man, ituηa - men; ituηasinei - mankind
(i) Numbers from one to five are the basis of the whole numerical system in Ateso.
Six (6) is literally translated as 5+1 (five and one), 7 as 5+2 (five and two), etc.
In the same way 16 is 10+5+1, 17 is 10+5+2, 21 is 20+1, 26 is also 20+5+1, etc.
(ii) Numerals agree in gender
with the noun they define:
e.g. itelepai iuni three boys, ikekia iuni three doors, imeesan iuni three tables
(iii) Numerals always follow the noun. ediope (one) can however, precede, in which case the noun prefix is dropped.
e.g. edioperot (or erot ediope) one road/way; adiopeberu one woman;
††The word for zero
, esupur, is no longer used in the spoken language. In stead enoot, a loanword
derived from the English naught is generally used.
e.g. akany five, nakikanyet fifth (feminine singular)
‡ a majority of Iteso (especially those in the Ugandan districts of Soroti
, Kumi
, Amuria
, Bukedea
, Serere District
and Kaberamaido
) do not pronounce some k
s in speech.
Thus, nakikanyet is pronounced naikanyet, etc.
s, primarily from English and Swahili languages.
Words marked with an asterisk
(*) indicates that the last letter in the Ateso word is silent.
++The Ateso word for a telephone is Etelefoni, however, most Ateso speakers are familiar with the word "Esimu" which comes from Luganda.
Nilo-Saharan languages
The Nilo-Saharan languages are a proposed family of African languages spoken by some 50 million people, mainly in the upper parts of the Chari and Nile rivers , including historic Nubia, north of where the two tributaries of Nile meet...
, spoken by the Iteso people of Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
and Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. It is one of the Teso–Turkana cluster of languages.
According to the 2002 Uganda population and housing census, over 1.57 million people (6.7% of the total Uganda population
Demographics of Uganda
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Uganda, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.-Ethnic Diversity:...
) in Uganda spoke Ateso. Also an estimated 279,000 people in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
speak it. Its SIL
Ethnologue
Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
code is TEO.
The Ateso language comes from an area called Teso
Teso
Teso or TESO may refer to:In places:* Têso, a Portuguese hamlet* Teso District, Kenya, an administrative district in the Western Province of KenyaTeso District* Teso District, Uganda, a district in Uganda now known as Teso sub-regionIn language:...
.
The alphabet
(ⅰ) There are twenty two letters in the Ateso alphabetAlphabet
An alphabet is a standard set of letters—basic written symbols or graphemes—each of which represents a phoneme in a spoken language, either as it exists now or as it was in the past. There are other systems, such as logographies, in which each character represents a word, morpheme, or semantic...
F,H,Q,V,H,X and Z are not used and η and NY are added. F,H,Q,V,H,X,Z only appear in loan words. The pronunciation
Pronunciation
Pronunciation refers to the way a word or a language is spoken, or the manner in which someone utters a word. If one is said to have "correct pronunciation", then it refers to both within a particular dialect....
guides that follow are for practice only; the correct sounds can only be learned by practice from a teacher or an audio media.
(ⅱ)There are five vowels in Ateso
A, E, I, O, U.
These five letters, however, represent more than five sounds, for the letters E, I, O and U have two values each; a "close" value and an "open" value.
Close vowel
Close vowel
A close vowel is a type of vowel sound used in many spoken languages. The defining characteristic of a close vowel is that the tongue is positioned as close as possible to the roof of the mouth without creating a constriction that would be classified as a consonant.This term is prescribed by the...
s are pronounced approximately as follows:
- E as in beg (French é): aipet----- to kick
- I as in seat: aidip----- to hit
- O as in ScottishScots languageScots is the Germanic language variety spoken in Lowland Scotland and parts of Ulster . It is sometimes called Lowland Scots to distinguish it from Scottish Gaelic, the Celtic language variety spoken in most of the western Highlands and in the Hebrides.Since there are no universally accepted...
pronunciation of bone (FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
eau): aimor----- to insult, to abuse - U as in fool: aikut----- to scratch the earth, to scoop something
Open vowels are pronounced approximately as follows:
- E as in beg (French è): aipet ----- to lay out
- I as in sit: ailid----- to fasten
- O as in gone (or in glory when long): aimor----- to share
- U as in full: aikut -----to blow
- A is pronounced as in art (never short as in ram)
- abal 'to say'
Note that whether the root vowel is "closed" or "open" affects the conjugation
Grammatical conjugation
In linguistics, conjugation is the creation of derived forms of a verb from its principal parts by inflection . Conjugation may be affected by person, number, gender, tense, aspect, mood, voice, or other grammatical categories...
of the verb.
(ⅲ) Where the vowels AI or OI stand together, they represent sounds approximating the "i" in bite and "oy" in annoy respectively. In other vowel combinations, both vowels must be given their full values. The "au" in kau -----(behind) is pronounced "kah-oo" not "kow".
(iv) All words ending in a consonant
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
possess a semi-mute or "shadow" vowel after the final consonant, which is not pronounced when the word stands in isolation, but which is pronounced when the word is followed by another word beginning with a consonant:
e.g. The Ateso translation of "the women go to the house" is written:
- elosete aηor togo ----- the women are going to the house
but is pronounced: elosete aηoro Togo
If the word following is normally written as one with the preceding word, the "shadow" vowel is not only pronounced but written:
- e.g. elosete aηoroke togo ----- his women are going to the house
Other examples are given in (vii) below.
(v) There are sixteen consonants and one semi-vowel in Ateso,
pronounced approximately as follows:
- B as in bat: bobo -----again
- C as in chat (never as in cat): elacet ----- key
- D as in dog: edou ----- rain
- G as in get (never as in geology): agasia rubbish/trash
- J as in jam: aijar life
- K as in king: ekek door
- L as in let: alalau width
- M as in mat: mam ----- no
- N as in nut: ainu ------ to hug
- η** as in hanger (never as in finger): iηai ----- who
- NY as in SpanishSpanish languageSpanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
SeñoritaSenoritaSeñorita is the Spanish honorific equivalent of Miss.Other uses:*Señorita banana, a banana cultivar from the Philippines.*Señorita Colombia, Colombian beauty contest*Señorita EP, a five-song extended play from Superdrag...
: anya ----- grass (plural) - P as in put: papa ----- father
- R as in rat (should be well rolled): erute ----- gate
- S as in service : aisab ----- to tell lies
- T as in toss: toto ----- mother
- y as in yellow: yoga ----- hello
Semi vowel:
- W as in win: awasia ----- the end, aiwosa ----- to prosecute
(vi) In words of foreign origin introduced into Teso the missing sound F is replaced by P and the missing sound V by B or P. Z is replaced by S.
- Thus mesa -----table (Kiswahili) becomes e-mesa
- oki-fuga -----to rule (Luganda) becomes ai-puga
(vii) It is an invariable rule that two consonants can never stand together in the same word. Both in speech and in writing. When word construction brings two consonants together, either one of the consonants must be dropped or the "shadow" vowel mentioned in sub-paragraph (iv) above must be inserted between the consonants.
E.g. (Omission of one consonant)
- Nen-pe-nen 'just there' is written and pronounced nepenen.
(Insertion of "shadow" vowel)
- ηon-tuηa-nan 'every man' is written and pronounced: ηonituηanan
- Elacet-kon 'your key' is written and pronounced elacetekon
**Due to the introduction of typesetting
Typesetting
Typesetting is the composition of text by means of types.Typesetting requires the prior process of designing a font and storing it in some manner...
& word processing
Word processing
Word processing is the creation of documents using a word processor. It can also refer to advanced shorthand techniques, sometimes used in specialized contexts with a specially modified typewriter.-External links:...
machines, η is now almost entirely written NG. It is only in old literature that η still appears. The fact that in some works the two letters NG are found together in place of η is no exception to the above rules. These two letters are merely an alternative representation of the sound η, in the same way as the letters NY represent one sound. The semi-vowel W, however, can and frequently does follow a consonant
Consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
:
- aswam work
- ekwam air
Pronunciation
The correct pronunciation of these letters when formed into words can only be learned by practice. As a general rule, all syllables should be given equal stress, though the stem or root syllableSyllable
A syllable is a unit of organization for a sequence of speech sounds. For example, the word water is composed of two syllables: wa and ter. A syllable is typically made up of a syllable nucleus with optional initial and final margins .Syllables are often considered the phonological "building...
often carries slightly more stress
Stress (linguistics)
In linguistics, stress is the relative emphasis that may be given to certain syllables in a word, or to certain words in a phrase or sentence. The term is also used for similar patterns of phonetic prominence inside syllables. The word accent is sometimes also used with this sense.The stress placed...
than other syllables. Stress does not,however, affect the length of the vowel stressed or its pitch
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
or tone
Tone (linguistics)
Tone is the use of pitch in language to distinguish lexical or grammatical meaning—that is, to distinguish or inflect words. All verbal languages use pitch to express emotional and other paralinguistic information, and to convey emphasis, contrast, and other such features in what is called...
. It is equally important to note that syllable pitch plays a vital part in correct pronunciation and that many words, which are spelled identically, have a different meanings according to syllable pitch.
For example:
- __ ↗ __ élípì ----- I am praying
- ___ ___ ‿ elìpǐ ----- I was praying
- ___ ___ ↗ elipí ----- he/she was praying
Orthography
(i) The spelling used in most of the first published Ateso books is in accordance with the official orthography agreed upon by the Ateso Orthography Committee in 1947. It was then accepted as a general principle that all words should be written in full even though normally contacted in speech. It should be particularly noted that a short -a or -e at the end of a word is dropped in speech when the word is followed by a word beginning with a vowel.- e.g. ekitabo loka etelepat ----- the book of the boy
- is pronounced ekitabo lok' etelepat.
(ii) Recently, it is evident that the spoken language is continuing to move away from the written language especially in most parts of Uganda. This means that some aspects of orthography may well need revision soon.
(iii)While the Iteso
Iteso
The Teso are an ethnic group in eastern Uganda and western Kenya. Teso refers to the traditional homeland of the Iteso, and Ateso is their language.-Uganda:...
of Tororo
Tororo
Tororo is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of Tororo District. The district was named after the town.-Location:...
district in Uganda and Teso district in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
retain the letter k
K
K is the eleventh letter of the English and basic modern Latin alphabet.-History and usage:In English, the letter K usually represents the voiceless velar plosive; this sound is also transcribed by in the International Phonetic Alphabet and X-SAMPA....
in the spoken language, the Iteso in most other areas of Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
tend to omit it in most of the words.
- E.g.
Ateso in Teso, Kenya & Tororo, Uganda Ateso in Amuria district, Uganda English meaning Akilip lok'asuban ailip loasuban to pray to the creator akinyam atap ainyam atap to eat bread akimat akile aimat akile to drink milk ekitabo lok'alaunan eitabo loalaunan a holy book akimo inyamen aimo ainyamat to look for food
Basic lexicon
Hello – yogaHow are you? – Ijai biai (singular), Ijaasi biai (plural)
Fine, and you? – Ejokuna, arai ijo?
Fine – ejokuna
What is your name? – Ingai bo ekon'kiror?
My name is ... – Eka'kiror ...
Name ---
Ekiror
Nice to see you. ---
Eyalama ewanyun (also: Eyalama aanyun)
See you again ---
Awanyunos bobo
Book – Eitabo
Because – Naarai
The first sentence in the bible can be translated as Ageunet, abu Edeke Kosub akwap keda akuj ("In the beginning God made the earth and the heavens" lit. "the down and the up").
Gender and noun prefix
As with many other languages, Ateso words have grammatical genderGrammatical gender
Grammatical gender is defined linguistically as a system of classes of nouns which trigger specific types of inflections in associated words, such as adjectives, verbs and others. For a system of noun classes to be a gender system, every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be...
. For grammatical purposes all nouns in Ateso are divided into three classes or genders:(a) masculine
Masculine
Masculine or masculinity, normally refer to qualities positively associated with men.Masculine may also refer to:*Masculine , a grammatical gender*Masculine cadence, a final chord occurring on a strong beat in music...
, ( b) feminine
Feminine
Feminine, or femininity, normally refers to qualities positively associated with women.Feminine may also refer to:*Feminine , a grammatical gender*Feminine cadence, a final chord falling in a metrically weak position...
and (c) neuter
Neuter
Neuter is a Latin adjective meaning "neither", and can refer to:* Neutering, the sterilization of an animal* The neuter grammatical gender-See also:*Trap-Neuter-Return , an alternative to euthanasia for managing feral cat and dog populations...
.
Noun prefix
Every noun in Ateso has a prefix which varies according to the gender of the noun or according to whether the noun is singular or plural. Nouns (in the singular) starting with "EE
E is the fifth letter and a vowel in the basic modern Latin alphabet. It is the most commonly used letter in the Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Hungarian, Latin, Norwegian, Spanish, and Swedish languages.-History:...
" or "O
O
O is the fifteenth letter and a vowel in the basic modern Latin alphabet.The letter was derived from the Semitic `Ayin , which represented a consonant, probably , the sound represented by the Arabic letter ع called `Ayn. This Semitic letter in its original form seems to have been inspired by a...
" are usually masculine. Those starting with "A
A
A is the first letter and a vowel in the basic modern Latin alphabet. It is similar to the Ancient Greek letter Alpha, from which it derives.- Origins :...
" are feminine while those that start with "I
I
I is the ninth letter and a vowel in the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:In Semitic, the letter may have originated in a hieroglyph for an arm that represented a voiced pharyngeal fricative in Egyptian, but was reassigned to by Semites, because their word for "arm" began with that sound...
" are neuter. See table below for details.
| masculine | feminine | neuter | |
|---|---|---|---|
| singular | e,o | a | i |
| plural | i,o | a | i |
| e.g. | etelepat → itelepai (boy → boys) |
apese → apesur (girl → girls) |
ikoku → iduwe (child → children) |
The only exception to the above rule are certain nouns denoting relationships and directions.
e.g. toto ----- mother; papa ----- father; mamai ----- uncle; inac ----- sister ; ija ----- aunt
- kide ----- east; too ----- west; ηalakimak (or nyakoi) ----- south; agolitomei ----- north
It should, however, be noted that the noun prefix is always dropped when the noun comes after the following pronouns or adjectives and their feminine, neuter or plural forms:
| pronoun or adjective | examples |
|---|---|
| ece, ace, ice – other, another; ηol,ηon (m) or ηin (f,n) – every edio (m), adio (f), idio (n) – any, some ediope (m), adiope (f) – one |
ecetuηanan – another man; aceberu – another woman; icetuηanan -another person; icetuηa -other people etuηanan – a man; ηolituηanan (or ηinituηanan) -every man; aberu – a woman; ηiniberu – every woman ediotuηanan -any man; adiopese -any girl; idiokoku – any child adiopeberu – one woman; ediope kiliokit bon -only one man |
The following is a general classification of most nouns.
(a) Masculine nouns are
(i) Names of male beings:e.g. ekiiηok – dog
- ekoroi ----- he-goat
- emong ----- bull
- etelepat ----- boy
- Ekuwe ----—fox
- Ekokor ----—cockerel
(ii) Names of most trees and fruit
e.g. eloa* – mvule tree (* now generally referred to as emabule )
- enimu ----— lemon
- etaget ----— banana
- emucuga ----— an orange
(iii) Names of insects:
e.g. esirut – mosquito
- emukuny ----— black ant
- ekolonyet ----— beetle
- ecwaranit ----— bed-bug
- eidepit ----—fleaFleaFlea is the common name for insects of the order Siphonaptera which are wingless insects with mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood...
(iv) Names of non-indigenous liquids:
e.g. ecai ----— tea
- ekawa** ----— coffee (** derived from the Arabic word qahwa; akawa is also accepted, )
- ebia ----— beer
- ebino** ----— wine (** ewain is also accepted )
(c) Feminine nouns are
(i) Names of female beings:e.g. akingok – bitch
- akinei ----— she-goat
- apese ----— girl
- Akokor ----—hen
(ii) Names of languages and countries:
e.g. Ateso ----— the Teso language
- Amusugun ----— the English languageEnglish languageEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
- Alulatin ----— the Latin Language
- Amugana ----—The Ganda language language (or Ganda women)
(iii) Names of indigenous liquids:
e.g. ajon ----—local cereal brew
- akipi ----— waterWaterWater is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
- akile ----— milkMilkMilk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
- acece ----—soupSoupSoup is a generally warm food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables with stock, juice, water, or another liquid. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ingredients in liquids in a pot until the flavors are extracted, forming a broth.Traditionally,...
- akima ----—porridgePorridgePorridge is a dish made by boiling oats or other cereal meals in water, milk, or both. It is usually served hot in a bowl or dish...
(also akuma)
(iv) Abstract nouns:-
e.g. ajokus----—goodness (*also ajokis, ajokisu are used depending on the area)
- amin ----- loveLoveLove is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
- aojau ----—height
- alalau ----—width
- ajijim ----—tastiness
- apianis ----—tastelessness
- anyunyura ----—angerAngerAnger is an automatic response to ill treatment. It is the way a person indicates he or she will not tolerate certain types of behaviour. It is a feedback mechanism in which an unpleasant stimulus is met with an unpleasant response....
(v) Verbs used as nouns:
- e.g. alosit ----- going
- abunere ----- coming
- aisiom ----- reading
- aisom ----- jumping
(c) Neuter nouns are
(i) Names of neuter or generic objects:e.g. ituηanan ----- person (sex unknown)
- irotin ----- roads/ways
(ii) Names of diminutive objects:
e.g. ikiηok ----- puppy
- ipese ----- baby girl
- Imoru ----- pebble
- imiot ----- chick
- imukeru ----- baby
plural
(i) To form the plural the ending of the noun is changed. This change may consist of the omission of the last syllable, the addition of another syllable or syllables, or the alteration of the last syllable or syllables:| Plural formation | example |
|---|---|
| omission: | amukat (shoe) -amuk (shoes); atipet (bead) – atipe (beads); |
| addition: | akan (hand) – akanin (hands); akwap (country)- akwapin (countries) |
| alteration: | apese (girl) – apesur (girls); ekek (door)- ikekia (doors); |
(ii) In the case of masculine nouns the noun prefix also changes as shown in the table on noun prefix above.
(iii) These changes in the endings of nouns are so irregular that it is not worth while trying to formulate rules for the formation of plurals.
(iv) Certain nouns, however, which are derived from verbs,form their plurals according to rules;
(a) Nouns denoting an agent of action (a person who does the action of the verb) form a singular ending in -an or -on and a plural ending in -ak or -ok:
e.g. ekamejan – hunter ; ikamejak – hunters; ekecokon – herdsman; ikecokok – herdsmen;
- ekadukon -a builder; ikadukok -builders; ekatubon – judge; ikatubok -judges.
(b) Nouns denoting something which does or, is done, form a singular ending in -et or -etait and a plural ending in -eta:
e.g. elacet – (a thing which loosens) key; ilaceta – keys; arapetait – cover
arapeta -covers;
(v) Some nouns have no singular and exist only in the plural:
e.g. akipi—-water; ajony – local brew; asinge – sand; ajo – sleep; ileic – shame
Other nouns have no plural and exist only in the singular;
e.g. ekuron – ashes; akoloη—sun; adam – brain; eduan – weeds
(vi) Abstract nouns and names of diseases, as in English, have no plural.
e.g. aiyalama -happiness; amin -love.
(vii) Some nouns form their plural from other roots:
e.g. aberu – woman, aηor -women; ikoku -child, iduwe – children.
(viii) Some nouns, in addition to the normal plural, form a generic plural by adding -sinei to the plural form:
e.g. etuηanan - man, ituηa - men; ituηasinei - mankind
- akwap - country, akwapin - countries, akwapisinei - the world (n dropped for euphonyEuphonyPhonaesthetics is the claim or study of inherent pleasantness or beauty or unpleasantness of the sound of certain words and sentences. Poetry is considered euphonic, as is well-crafted literary prose...
).
Article
There is no definite or indefinite article in Teso. Aberu means "a woman" or "the woman" according to the context.Numerals
Ateso numerals are from ones place to hundredth place. Numerals upwards from one thousand are borrowed from other languages.(i) Numbers from one to five are the basis of the whole numerical system in Ateso.
Six (6) is literally translated as 5+1 (five and one), 7 as 5+2 (five and two), etc.
In the same way 16 is 10+5+1, 17 is 10+5+2, 21 is 20+1, 26 is also 20+5+1, etc.
(ii) Numerals agree in gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
with the noun they define:
e.g. itelepai iuni three boys, ikekia iuni three doors, imeesan iuni three tables
- apesur auni three girls, aturo auni three flowers, iduwe iuni three children
(iii) Numerals always follow the noun. ediope (one) can however, precede, in which case the noun prefix is dropped.
e.g. edioperot (or erot ediope) one road/way; adiopeberu one woman;
- angor auni three women, irotin iuni three roads/ways
††The word for zero
0 (number)
0 is both a numberand the numerical digit used to represent that number in numerals.It fulfills a central role in mathematics as the additive identity of the integers, real numbers, and many other algebraic structures. As a digit, 0 is used as a placeholder in place value systems...
, esupur, is no longer used in the spoken language. In stead enoot, a loanword
Loanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
derived from the English naught is generally used.
Cardinal numbers
| Numeral | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ediope(t) | adiope(t) | yenidiope(t) |
| 2 | iyarei | aarei | as in masculine |
| 3 | iuni | auni | ” |
| 4 | ioηon | aoηon | ” |
| 5 | ikany | akany | ” |
| 6 | ikany-kape | akany-kape | ” |
| 7 | ikany-kaare | akany-kaare | ” |
| 8 | ikanykauni | akany-kauni | ” |
| 9 | Eikanykaoηon | akanyaaηon | ” |
| 10 | itomon | atomon | ” |
| 11 | itomon-kanu-diope | atomon-kanu-diope | ” |
| 12 | itomon'aare | atomon'aare | ” |
| 13 | itomon'auni | atomon'auni | ” |
| 14 | itomon'aaηon | atomon'aaηon | ” |
| 15 | itomon'akany | atomon'aakany | ” |
| 16 | itomon akany'kape | atomon akany'kape | ” |
| 17 | itomon akany'kaare | atomon akany'kaare | ” |
| 18 | itomon akanyauni | atomon akanyauni | ” |
| 19 | itomon akany aoηon | atomon akany aoηon | ” |
| 20 | akais aare | as in masculine | ” |
| 21 | akais aarei kanudiope | ” | ” |
| 30 | akais auni | ” | ” |
| 40 | akais aangon | ” | ” |
| 50 | akais akany | ” | ” |
| 60 | akais akany kapei | ” | ” |
| 100 | akwatat (adiope) | ” | ” |
| 101 | akwatat kanu diope | ” | ” |
| 200 | akwat aarei | ” | ” |
| 500 | akwat akany | ” | ” |
| 1,000 | elukumit ediope | ” | ” |
| 10,000 | ilukumin itomon | ” | ” |
| 1,000,000 | emilionit ediope | ” | ” |
| 100,000,000 | imilionin akwatat | ” | ” |
Ordinal numbers
Ordinal numbers are formed from cardinal numbers by prefixing the relative forms lok- (m), nak- (f), yenik-(n) as appropriate, to the masculine form of the numeral and by adding -et after the numeral.e.g. akany five, nakikanyet fifth (feminine singular)
- iuni three, lokiuniet third (masculine singular)
- iyarei two, yenikiyareit second (neuter singular)
| No. | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | losodit | nasodit | yenisodit |
| 2nd | lokiareit | nakiyareit | yenikiyareit |
| 3rd | louniet | nauniet | yeniuniet |
| 4th | lowoηonet | nawoηonet | yeniwoηonet |
| 5th | loikanyet | naikanyet | yenikanyet |
| 6th | loikanyet ape | naikanyet ape | yenikanyet ape |
| 7th | loikanyetaare | naikanyetaare | yenikanyetaare |
| 8th | loikanyetauni | naukanyetauni | yenikanyetauni |
| 9th | loikanyetaaηonet | naikanyetaaηonet | yenikanyetaaηonet |
| 10th | loitomonet | naitomonet | yenitomonet |
| 11th | loitomonetadipe | naitomonet adiope | yenitomonetadiope |
| 50th | loakaisakany | nakaisakany | yenakaisakany |
| 100th | loakwatat | naakwatat | yenakwatat |
| last | lo agolon | nagolon | yenagolon |
‡ a majority of Iteso (especially those in the Ugandan districts of Soroti
Soroti
Soroti is the main municipal, commercial and administrative centre of Soroti District in Eastern Uganda, lying near Lake Kyoga. It is known for the rock formation near the town as well as a variety of Muslim mosques, Hindu temples, Sikh gurdwaras as well as several churches that meet in various...
, Kumi
Kumi
Kumi is a Japanese word and also not commonly known a Persian name with the meaning 'group'. It is also a common feminine name.-Possible writings in Japanese:Kumi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:...
, Amuria
Amuria
Amuria is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the chief municipal, administrative and commercial center of Amuria District, in the Teso sub-region. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
, Bukedea
Bukedea
Bukedea is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the chief municipal, administrative and commercial center of Bukedea District and the district headquarters are located there. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
, Serere District
Serere
Serere is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the chief political, administrative and commercial town in Serere District, and the district headquarters are located there. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
and Kaberamaido
Kaberamaido District
Kaberamaido is a district in Eastern Uganda. Like most other Ugandan districts, it is named after its 'chief town', Kaberamaido, where the district headquarters are located.-Location:...
) do not pronounce some k
K
K is the eleventh letter of the English and basic modern Latin alphabet.-History and usage:In English, the letter K usually represents the voiceless velar plosive; this sound is also transcribed by in the International Phonetic Alphabet and X-SAMPA....
s in speech.
Thus, nakikanyet is pronounced naikanyet, etc.
Loanwords
Ateso has taken a number of loanwordLoanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
s, primarily from English and Swahili languages.
Words marked with an asterisk
Asterisk
An asterisk is a typographical symbol or glyph. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often pronounce it as star...
(*) indicates that the last letter in the Ateso word is silent.
| English | Ateso | |
|---|---|---|
| Car Automobile An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor... |
Emotoka | |
| Television Television Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound... |
Etelevision | |
| Radio Radio Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space... |
Eredio | |
| Fax Machine Fax Fax , sometimes called telecopying, is the telephonic transmission of scanned printed material , normally to a telephone number connected to a printer or other output device... |
Afakis Mashin | |
| E-mail E-mail Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the... |
E-emeilo * | |
| Internet Internet The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide... |
E-intanet | |
| Computer Computer A computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem... |
Akompiuta | |
| Telephone Telephone The telephone , colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sounds, usually the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk to each other... ++ |
Etelefoni * | |
| Record Player Phonograph The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds... |
Arekod puleya | |
| CD Player Compact disc player A Compact Disc player , or CD player, is an electronic device that plays audio Compact Discs. CD players are often a part of home stereo systems, car audio systems, and personal computers. They are also manufactured as portable devices... |
Asidi puleya | |
| DVD player DVD player A DVD player is a device that plays discs produced under both the DVD-Video and DVD-Audio technical standards, two different and incompatible standards. These devices were invented in 1997 and continue to thrive... |
Adividi puleya | |
| disc Optical disc In computing and optical disc recording technologies, an optical disc is a flat, usually circular disc which encodes binary data in the form of pits and lands on a special material on one of its flat surfaces... |
Adisiki * | |
++The Ateso word for a telephone is Etelefoni, however, most Ateso speakers are familiar with the word "Esimu" which comes from Luganda.