Jur language
Luwo (Luo, Dheluwo), is a language spoken by the Luo people of Bahr el Ghazal region in South Sudan. The language is predominantly spoken in the western and northern parts of Bahr el Ghazal. The Luwo form a majority in the Jur River County.
| Luwo | |
|---|---|
| Jur | |
| Native to | South Sudan |
| Region | Bahr el Ghazal |
| Ethnicity | Luwo people |
Native speakers | 260,000 (2017)[1] |
Nilo-Saharan?
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | lwo |
| Glottolog | luwo1239 |
The language is part of the Luo languages of East Africa and is especially related to the languages of South Sudan such as Anyuak and Päri with whom it forms a dialect cluster.[2]
Etymology
The Luwo language is spoken by the Luwo (or Jur Col), an ethnic group in South Sudan. Jur is exonym adopted from the local Dinka language whose speakers are the Luwo's northern and eastern neighbours.[3] Its original Dinka usage, non-cattle-holding non-Dinka, was not particular to the Jur. Jur Col ("black Jur") is today used to disambiguate Luwo from other Jur groups.
Status
Dhe Luwo is currently a developing language. Meaning that the language is developing its written language, standard dialect and undergoing modernization.[4]
Sample phrases
| English | Luwo |
|---|---|
| Hello (How are you?) | Mahdhia (Ni dih)? |
| I am fine (nothing bad) | Gihn me raaj tooro. |
| What is your name? | Nyingi nga'a? |
| My name is Dimo | Nyinga Dimo |
| Child | Nyithiin |
| Boy | Nyidhohg |
| Girl | Nyakuo |
| God is great | Juag Duohng |
| Good | Ber |
| Thank you | Kori |
| Am happy | Ciwnya med |
References
- Luwo at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- Reh, Mechthild (1996): Anywa Language: Description and Internal Reconstructions. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe. p.5
- Santandrea, Stefano (1968). The Luo of the Bahr el Ghazal (Sudan). Bologna: Editrice Nigrizia.
- "Language Development". Ethnologue. 2012-11-20. Retrieved 2016-10-27.