Nyala language (Sudan)

Nyala, also known as Dar Fur, Darfur Daju, Daju Darfur, Beke, Dagu, Daju Ferne and Fininga, is an Eastern Sudanic language of Darfur, Sudan, one of three closely related languages in the area called "Daju" (the other two being the Daju Mongo language and the Sila language). It is spoken near Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province by the Dar Fur Daju people. There are two divergent dialects: Nyala and Lagowa.

Nyala
Darfur Daju
Native toSudan
RegionWest Darfur, South Darfur, South Kordofan
Ethnicity Dar Fur Daju
Native speakers
98,000 (2017)[1]
Dialects
  • Nyala
  • Lagowa
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3daj
Glottologdarf1239

The Lagowa dialect of South Kordofan is spoken in Dar el Kabira, Jebel Miheila, Lagawa, Nyukri, Silecce, Tamanyik, and Warina area villages (Ethnologue, 22nd edition).

Phonology

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive voiceless p t c k
voiced b d ɟ ɡ
implosive ɓ ɗ ʄ
Fricative (f) s ʃ h
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Trill r
Approximant w l j
  • /p/ can also be realized as [f]
  • /r/ can be heard as a trill [r] or a flap [ɾ] in free variation.

Vowels
Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid e ə o
Open a
  • Vowels /o, u/ can also be realized as [ɒ, ʊ].[2][3]

References
  1. Nyala at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) closed access
  2. Thelwall, Robin (1981). Lexicostatistical subgrouping and lexical reconstruction of the Daju group. In T. Schadeberg and L. Bender (eds.), Nilo-Saharan: Dordrecht: Dordrecht/Cinnaminson: Foris. pp. 167–184.
  3. Thelwall, Robin E.W. (1981). The Daju Language Group. Systematic Phonetics, Lexicostatistics and Lexical Reconstruction. School of Humanities of the New University of Ulster. pp. 22–40.


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