Nuer language
Encyclopedia
The Nuer language is a Nilo-Saharan language
of the Western Nilotic
group. It is spoken by the Nuer people of South Sudan
and in western Ethiopia
. Nuer is one of eastern and central Africa's most widely spoken languages. The Nuer nation is one of the largest in South Sudan
.
Nuer language has a Latin-based alphabet. There are also several dialects of Nuer, although all have one written standard. For example, while final /k/ is pronounced in the Jikany
dialect, this sound is dropped in other dialects despite being indicated in Nuer orthography.
. Some of the Nuer people live in Western Ethiopia. They are called Gajaak, gajiok, and Lou. The Nuer of the Nasir region are called Gajiok, and those in Waat are called Lou. There are also Gaweer and Jikueichieng.
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...
of the Western Nilotic
Western Nilotic languages
The Western Nilotic languages are one of the three primary branches of the Nilotic languages, themselves belonging to the Eastern Sudanic subfamily of Nilo-Saharan...
group. It is spoken by the Nuer people of South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
and in western Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Nuer is one of eastern and central Africa's most widely spoken languages. The Nuer nation is one of the largest in South Sudan
South Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
.
Nuer language has a Latin-based alphabet. There are also several dialects of Nuer, although all have one written standard. For example, while final /k/ is pronounced in the Jikany
Jikany Nuer
The Jikany Nuer are a section of the Nuer people who mainly live in the eastern part of Upper Nile state in South Sudan, particularly around Nasir in Nasir County.-Civil war:...
dialect, this sound is dropped in other dialects despite being indicated in Nuer orthography.
Nuer communities
There are different dialects spoken by Nuer groups living in various locations in South SudanSouth Sudan
South Sudan , officially the Republic of South Sudan, is a landlocked country located in the Sahel region of northeastern Africa. It is also part of the North Africa UN sub-region. Its current capital is Juba, which is also its largest city; the capital city is planned to be moved to the more...
. Some of the Nuer people live in Western Ethiopia. They are called Gajaak, gajiok, and Lou. The Nuer of the Nasir region are called Gajiok, and those in Waat are called Lou. There are also Gaweer and Jikueichieng.
External links
- Nuer Project - copious grammatical notes
- Ethnologue report on Nuer
- OpenRoad page on Nuer (Thok Nath)
- PanAfrican L10n page on Nuer
- Omniglot page on Nuer
- World Atlas of Language StructuresWorld Atlas of Language StructuresThe World Atlas of Language Structures is a database of structural properties of languages gathered from descriptive materials. It was first published by Oxford University Press as a book with CD-ROM in 2005, and was released as the second edition on the Internet in April 2008...
information on Nuer