Pökoot language
Encyclopedia
Pökoot is a language spoken in western Kenya
and eastern Uganda
by the Pokot
people. Pökoot is classified as the Northern branch of the Kalenjin languages
found in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The Pökoot are usually called Kimukon by the other Kalenjin peoples. A 1994 figure of SIL puts the total number of speakers at 264 000, while the only little more recent Schladt (1997:40) gives the more conservative estimate of 150 000 people, presumably based on the figures found in Rottland (1982:26) who puts the number at slightly more than 115 000.
The Pökoot area is bordered to the north by the Eastern Nilotic
language Karimojong. Turkana
, another Eastern Nilotic language, is found to the northeast. To the east, the Maa languages
Samburu
and Camus (on Lake Baringo
) are spoken, and to the south, the other Kalenjin languages Tugen
and Markweta
are found, which show considerable influence from Pökoot.
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...
and eastern 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...
by the Pokot
Pokot
The Pokot people live in the West Pokot and Baringo Districts of Kenya and in eastern Karamoja in Uganda. They speak Pökoot, language of the Southern Nilotic language family...
people. Pökoot is classified as the Northern branch of the Kalenjin languages
Kalenjin languages
The Kalenjin languages are a group of twelve related Southern Nilotic languages spoken in Kenya, eastern Uganda and northern Tanzania. The term Kalenjin comes from a Nandi expression meaning 'I say '...
found in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The Pökoot are usually called Kimukon by the other Kalenjin peoples. A 1994 figure of SIL puts the total number of speakers at 264 000, while the only little more recent Schladt (1997:40) gives the more conservative estimate of 150 000 people, presumably based on the figures found in Rottland (1982:26) who puts the number at slightly more than 115 000.
The Pökoot area is bordered to the north by the Eastern Nilotic
Eastern Nilotic languages
The Eastern Nilotic languages are one of the three primary branches of the Nilotic languages, themselves belonging to the Eastern Sudanic subfamily of Nilo-Saharan; they are believed to have begun to diverge about 3,000 years ago, and have spread southwards from an original home in Equatoria in...
language Karimojong. Turkana
Turkana language
Turkana is the language of the Turkana people of Kenya, numbering about 340,000.It is one of the Eastern Nilotic languages, and is closely related to Karamojong, Jie and Teso of Uganda, to Toposa spoken in the extreme southeast of Sudan, and to Nyangatom in the Sudan/Ethiopia Omo valley borderland;...
, another Eastern Nilotic language, is found to the northeast. To the east, the Maa languages
Maa languages
The Maa languages are a group of closely related Eastern Nilotic languages spoken in parts of Kenya and Tanzania by more than a million speakers altogether. They are subdivided into North and South Maa...
Samburu
Samburu language
Samburu is the Eastern Nilotic, North Maa language spoken by the Samburu in the highlands of northern Kenya. The Samburu number about 128,000 . Samburu is closely related to Camus and to the South Maa language Maasai...
and Camus (on Lake Baringo
Lake Baringo
Lake Baringo is, after Lake Turkana, the most northern of the Great Rift Valley lakes of Kenya, with a surface area of about and an elevation of about . The lake is fed by several rivers, El Molo, Perkerra and Ol Arabel, and has no obvious outlet; the waters are assumed to seep through lake...
) are spoken, and to the south, the other Kalenjin languages Tugen
Tugen language
Tugen is the language spoken by the about 200 000 Tugen people of the broader Kalenjin group in Kenya. As a part of the Kalenjin dialect cluster, it is most closely related to such varieties as Kipsigis and Nandi....
and Markweta
Markweta language
Markweta is a Kalenjin language of Kenya. The regional terms Endo and Sambirir have been used for northern and southern Markweta, but they are not distinct dialects....
are found, which show considerable influence from Pökoot.