Luhya languages
Encyclopedia
Luhya is a Bantu
dialect cluster spoken in the western part of Kenya
by the Luhya people. Minor populations of Luhya speakers are also found in Uganda
, especially in Busia
. Although the Luhya principally occupy the Western province of Kenya, substantial populations have settled in the Kitale
area of the Rift Valley Province. The Luhya population in Kenya is about 8,000,000, while those in Uganda and Tanzania account for about 50,000.
However, today, due to various social, economical, political and historical stimuli, people of Luhya descent also live in other parts of the country - and indeed, the world.
The Idakho, Isukha, and Tirichi speak essentially the same dialect. These are largely intelligible with Bukusu, Logoli, Nyala, and Kenyan Nyole. Other varieties with high degrees of mutual intelligibility are Ugandan Nyole and Samia; Wanga, Marama, and Kisa; Marachi and Khayo; Tachoni and Kabaras. There is a Tachoni dialect of Bukusu; it is not clear if this is the same Tachoni. Bukusu is also intelligible with Masaba
, which is not considered Luhya because its speakers are ethnically distinct.
. Sometimes, similarities exist with other languages that are not even African. A few examples are outlined below.
Bantu languages
The Bantu languages constitute a traditional sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages...
dialect cluster spoken in the western part of 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...
by the Luhya people. Minor populations of Luhya speakers are also found in 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...
, especially in Busia
Busia, Uganda
Busia is a town in Eastern Uganda. It is the main municipal, administrative and commercial center of Busia District and the district headquarters are located there. The district is named after the town.-Location:...
. Although the Luhya principally occupy the Western province of Kenya, substantial populations have settled in the Kitale
Kitale
Kitale is an agricultural town in western Kenya situated between Mount Elgon and the Cherengani Hills at an elevation of around . Its urban population was estimated at 220,000 in 2007....
area of the Rift Valley Province. The Luhya population in Kenya is about 8,000,000, while those in Uganda and Tanzania account for about 50,000.
However, today, due to various social, economical, political and historical stimuli, people of Luhya descent also live in other parts of the country - and indeed, the world.
Luhya tribes
The Luhya community is composed of 16 tribes. Each tribe speaks a dialect distinctly different from the others, though several are mutually intelligible.| Luhya tribe | Luhya variety | ISO code ISO 639-3 ISO 639-3:2007, Codes for the representation of names of languages — Part 3: Alpha-3 code for comprehensive coverage of languages, is an international standard for language codes in the ISO 639 series. The standard describes three‐letter codes for identifying languages. It extends the ISO 639-2... |
Region Region Region is most commonly found as a term used in terrestrial and astrophysics sciences also an area, notably among the different sub-disciplines of geography, studied by regional geographers. Regions consist of subregions that contain clusters of like areas that are distinctive by their uniformity... |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bukusu | Lubukusu | bxk | Bungoma Bungoma Bungoma is a town in Western Province of Kenya, bordered by Uganda in the west. Bungoma town was established as a trading centre in the early 20th century. The town is the headquarters of Kenya's Bungoma District and it hosts a municipal council... (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... ) |
| Idakho | Luidakho | ida | Kakamega Kakamega Kakamega is a town in western Kenya lying about 30 km north of the Equator. It is the headquarters of . The town has a population of 73,607 .... (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... ) |
| Isukha Isukha tribe (Luhya) The Isukha, are a tribe of the Luhya nation of Kenya. Among the Luhya, the Isukha are known as Abiisukha. They reside Kakamega District neighboured by the Idakho and the Tiriki.- References :... |
Luisukha | ida | Kakamega Kakamega Kakamega is a town in western Kenya lying about 30 km north of the Equator. It is the headquarters of . The town has a population of 73,607 .... (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... ) |
| Kabras Kabras tribe (Luhya) The Kabras, or Kabarasi, are a tribe of Luhya people of Kenya. They reside in Malava, in the Kabras Division of Kakamega District neighboured by the Isukha, Banyala, Tsotso and the Tachoni. The Kabras dialect is similar to Tachoni.... |
Lukabarasi | lkb | Kakamega Kakamega Kakamega is a town in western Kenya lying about 30 km north of the Equator. It is the headquarters of . The town has a population of 73,607 .... (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... ) |
| Khayo Khayo tribe (Luhya) The Khayo are a tribe of the Luhya people of Kenya. They reside in Busia District, by the Kenya-Uganda border. Their fellow Luhya neighbours are the Samia, Marachi, Wanga and Bukusu... |
Olukhayo | lko | Busia Busia Busia may refer to the following:Places*Busia District, Kenya*Busia District, Uganda*Busia, Uganda, the Ugandan town on the border with Kenya*Busia, Kenya, the Kenyan town on the border with UgandaPeople... (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... ) |
| Kisa Kisa tribe (Luhya) The Kisa, also known as Abakisa or Abashisa, are one of the sixteen tribes of the Luhya nation of Kenya. They occupy Kisa location in Khwisero division of Butere-Mumias district. The Kisa are sandwiched between the Marama of Butere, the Idakho of Kakamega and the Nyore of Vihiga district... |
Olushisa | lks | Butere/Mumias Butere/Mumias District Butere/Mumias District is an administrative district in the Western Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Butere. The district has a population of 476,928 and an area of 939 km² .The district has four constituencies:*Butere Constituency... (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... ) |
| Maragoli | Lulogooli | rag | Maragoli Maragoli The Maragoli, or Logoli , are the second largest tribe of the 6 million-strong Luhya nation in Kenya, after the Bukusu. The dialect they speak is called Llogoli, Urulogoli, or Maragoli.... , Vihiga Vihiga -Geography:The town is along the road between Kisumu and Kakamega, and only five kilometres north of the equator. Vihiga bears the same name as its district, Vihiga District, which is one of the eight districts in Kenya's Western Province... (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... ) |
| Marachi Marachi tribe (Luhya) The Marachi are one of sixteen tribes of the Luhya people of Kenya. Nestled between the Samia, Khayo and Wanga, the Marachi occupy a land area comparatively smaller than the other Luhya tribes in Busia District... |
Olumarachi | lri | Busia Busia Busia may refer to the following:Places*Busia District, Kenya*Busia District, Uganda*Busia, Uganda, the Ugandan town on the border with Kenya*Busia, Kenya, the Kenyan town on the border with UgandaPeople... (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... ) |
| Marama Marama tribe (Luhya) The Marama, also known as Abamarama, are a Luhya tribe occupying Marama Location in Kakamega District of the western province of Kenya. The town of Butere is located in west Marama and is a significant trading centre in Kakamega.... |
Olumarama | lrm | Butere/Mumias Butere/Mumias District Butere/Mumias District is an administrative district in the Western Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Butere. The district has a population of 476,928 and an area of 939 km² .The district has four constituencies:*Butere Constituency... (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... ) |
| Nyala | Lunyala Nyala dialect (Luhya) Nyala is a Luhya dialect spoken by the Nyala tribe of the Luhya people of Busia District in Kenya. It is spoken by 35 000 people.... |
nle | Busia Busia Busia may refer to the following:Places*Busia District, Kenya*Busia District, Uganda*Busia, Uganda, the Ugandan town on the border with Kenya*Busia, Kenya, the Kenyan town on the border with UgandaPeople... (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... ) |
| Nyole Nyole tribe (Luhya) The Nyole, also known as Nyore, are a tribe of the Luhya nation from Bunyore in Western Kenya. Native speakers of the Nyole dialect of Luhya refer to themselves as Abanyole.In Swahili, they are known as Wanyore... |
Ugandan Nyole, Kenyan Nyole |
nuj, nyd |
Vihiga Vihiga -Geography:The town is along the road between Kisumu and Kakamega, and only five kilometres north of the equator. Vihiga bears the same name as its district, Vihiga District, which is one of the eight districts in Kenya's Western Province... (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... ), 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:... (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... ) |
| Samia Samia tribe (Luhya) Samia speaking people live in Western Kenya and Eastern Uganda. they are composed of several clans which include, but not limited to avahulo, avakangala, avangale, avanyanga,Avaburi, avahone, avamurembo etc. Their ancient economic activities include fishing [in Lake Victoria and other rivers like... |
Lusamia | lsm | Busia Busia Busia may refer to the following:Places*Busia District, Kenya*Busia District, Uganda*Busia, Uganda, the Ugandan town on the border with Kenya*Busia, Kenya, the Kenyan town on the border with UgandaPeople... , Kakamega Kakamega Kakamega is a town in western Kenya lying about 30 km north of the Equator. It is the headquarters of . The town has a population of 73,607 .... - 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... |
| Tachoni Tachoni tribe (Luhya) The Tachoni are a Luhya tribe of Western Kenya, sharing land with the Bukusu. They live mainly in Webuye, Chetambe Hills, Ndivisi - of the newly created Bungoma East district - and Lugari District in the former larger Kakamega District. Most Tachoni clans living in Bungoma speak 'Lubukusu' dialect... |
Lutachoni | lts | Lugari Lugari Lugari is a town in the Western Province of Kenya. It is the capital of Lugari District. The town is located 10 kilometres east of Webuye. Lugari has an urban population of 5000 .... , Malava (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... ) |
| Tiriki Tiriki tribe (Luhya) The Tiriki are one of sixteen tribes of the Luhya people. The word Tiriki is also used to refer to their geographical location in Vihiga district, Hamisi Division in the Western province of Kenya... |
Lutirichi | ida | Vihiga Vihiga -Geography:The town is along the road between Kisumu and Kakamega, and only five kilometres north of the equator. Vihiga bears the same name as its district, Vihiga District, which is one of the eight districts in Kenya's Western Province... (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... ) |
| Tsotso Tsotso tribe (Luhya) The Tsotso or Abatsotso are a tribe of the Luhya nation in Kenya. They occupy three locations in Lurambi division of Kakamega District. The three locations are Bukura, north Butsotso and south Butsotso.- References :... |
Olutsotso | lto | Kakamega Kakamega Kakamega is a town in western Kenya lying about 30 km north of the Equator. It is the headquarters of . The town has a population of 73,607 .... (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... ) |
| Wanga | Oluwanga | lwg | Butere/Mumias Butere/Mumias District Butere/Mumias District is an administrative district in the Western Province of Kenya. Its capital town is Butere. The district has a population of 476,928 and an area of 939 km² .The district has four constituencies:*Butere Constituency... (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... ) |
The Idakho, Isukha, and Tirichi speak essentially the same dialect. These are largely intelligible with Bukusu, Logoli, Nyala, and Kenyan Nyole. Other varieties with high degrees of mutual intelligibility are Ugandan Nyole and Samia; Wanga, Marama, and Kisa; Marachi and Khayo; Tachoni and Kabaras. There is a Tachoni dialect of Bukusu; it is not clear if this is the same Tachoni. Bukusu is also intelligible with Masaba
Masaba language
Masaba , sometimes known as Gisu after one of its dialects, is a Bantu language spoken by about 1,500,000 people in eastern Uganda in the administrative region of Bugisu on the border to Kenya. The language is closely related to, and mutually intelligible with Bukusu, spoken in western Kenya...
, which is not considered Luhya because its speakers are ethnically distinct.
Vocabulary
All Luhya dialects have similarities as well as differences as with all Bantu languagesBantu languages
The Bantu languages constitute a traditional sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages...
. Sometimes, similarities exist with other languages that are not even African. A few examples are outlined below.
Comparison between Luhya dialects
| English English language English 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... |
Kisa Kisa Kisa or KISA may refer to the following:* KISA, A heavy rock n roll band formed in Louisville, KY, USA in 2003 as the Knights In Shively Armor* kisa, Icelandic for she-cat* kisa, Lingala for to sit... |
Maragoli Maragoli The Maragoli, or Logoli , are the second largest tribe of the 6 million-strong Luhya nation in Kenya, after the Bukusu. The dialect they speak is called Llogoli, Urulogoli, or Maragoli.... |
Nyole Nyole Nyole language can refer:*Nyole tribe speaking Olunyole dialect – a Luhya language from Bantu group spoken in Kenya... |
Wanga Wanga The ojeda are a tribe of the Luhya people of Kenya. They mainly occupy Butere-Mumias and Kakamega Districts, two of the 8 districts of Kenya's Western Province.... |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I (me) | eshie | nzi/ inze | ise | esie |
| words | amakhuwa | makuva | amang'ana, amakhuwa | amakhuwa |
| chair | eshifumbi | indeve/ endeve | indebe | eshisala |
| head | omurwe | mutwi | omurwe | om'rwe |
| money | amapesa | mang'ondo | amang'ondo, am'mondo, etsilupia | amapesa, irupia |
Comparison of Luhya with some other Bantu languages
| English English language English 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... |
Luhya | Ganda | Swahili Swahili language Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia... |
Kikuyu Gikuyu language Gikuyu or Kikuyu is a language of the Bantu family spoken primarily by the Kikuyu people of Kenya. Numbering about 6 million , they are the largest ethnic group in Kenya. Gikuyu is spoken in the area between Nyeri and Nairobi. Gikuyu is one of the five languages of the Thagichu subgroup of the... |
Lingala Lingala language Lingala, or Ngala, is a Bantu language spoken throughout the northwestern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a large part of the Republic of the Congo , as well as to some degree in Angola and the Central African Republic. It has over 10 million speakers... |
Shona Shona language Shona is a Bantu language, native to the Shona people of Zimbabwe and southern Zambia; the term is also used to identify peoples who speak one of the Shona language dialects: Zezuru, Karanga, Manyika, Ndau and Korekore... |
Zulu Zulu language Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| person or someone | mundu, omundu | muntu | mtu | mũndũ | moto | munhu | umuntu |
| children | abana, baana, otwana, orwana, vaana | baana, abaana | wana | twana | bana | abantwana | umntwana |
| dog | imbwa | mbwa, embwa | mbwa | ngui | mbwa | mbwa, Imbwa | inja |
Comparison of Maragoli with other world languages
| Luhya language (e.g. Maragoli) | Same Word in Other Language | English Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Kindiki | Sindika (Italian Italian language Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia... ) |
A response given when summoned (like 'What is it?') |
| Nya | Nya (Hungarian Hungarian language Hungarian is a Uralic language, part of the Ugric group. With some 14 million speakers, it is one of the most widely spoken non-Indo-European languages in Europe.... ) |
Mother |
| Achi | Bochi (Kurd Kürd Kürd or Kyurd or Kyurt may refer to:*Kürd Eldarbəyli, Azerbaijan*Kürd Mahrızlı, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Goychay, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Jalilabad, Azerbaijan*Kürd, Qabala, Azerbaijan*Qurdbayram, Azerbaijan... ) |
Why |
| Yaha | Yaha Hindi Hindi Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi... |
Here |
| i-Hale | Hale Russian Russian language Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics... |
Far |
| i-Mesa | Mesa (Spanish Spanish language Spanish , 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... ) |
Table |
| Bulahe/ Vulahi | Belehe (Arabic) | Good tidings/ Stay well |
| Ikala | Ikala (Zulu Zulu The Zulu are the largest South African ethnic group, with an estimated 10–11 million people living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Small numbers also live in Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique. Their language, Zulu, is a Bantu language; more specifically, part of the Nguni subgroup. The... ) |
Sit |
| Asande | Asante (Swahili Swahili language Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia... ) |
Thanks |