Nyole language (Uganda)

Nyole (also LoNyole, Lunyole, Nyuli) is a Bantu language spoken by the Banyole in Butaleja District, Uganda. There is 61% lexical similarity with a related but different Nyole language in Kenya.

Nyole
Lunyole
Native toUganda
RegionButaleja District
EthnicityBanyole
Native speakers
340,000 (2002 census)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3nuj
Glottolognyol1238
JE.35[2]

Phonology

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Plosive voiceless p t tʃ k
voiced b d dʒ g
voiced prenasalized ᵐb ⁿd ᶮdʒ ᵑg
Fricative voiceless ɸ s x
voiced β
Approximant w l~ɾ j (w)

Nyole has series of voiceless, voiced, and prenasalized stops. /w/ is labio-velar.

Vowels
Front Back
High i u
Mid e o
Low a

Historical changes

Nyole has an interesting development from Proto-Bantu *p → Nyole /ŋ/. Schadeberg (1989) connects this sound change to rhinoglottophilia, where the sound change developed first as *[p] → [ɸ] → [h]. Then, given the acoustic similarity of [h] and breathy voice to nasalization, the sound change progressed as [h] → [h̃] → [ŋ]. The velar place of articulation development is due to velar nasals being the least perceptible of the nasals and its marginal status in (pre-)Nyole and other Bantu languages. In closely related neighboring languages, *p developed variously into /h/ or /w/ or was deleted.

This historical development results in so-called "crazy" alternations, like /n/ + /ŋ/ resulting in /p/ as in the following:

n-ŋuliira ("hear" stem form) : puliira "I hear"
n-ŋumula ("rest" stem form) : pumula "I rest"

In the above two words, when the first person singular subject prefix /n-/ is added to the stem starting with /ŋ/, the initial consonant surfaces as /p/. In other forms (like /oxu-ŋuliira/ "to hear" and /oxu-ŋumula/ "to rest"), the original stem-initial /ŋ/ can be seen.

Writing System
Alphabet nyole[3]
aaabbbc deeefg hiiijk lmnnyŋ oooprs tuuuvw yz

See also

References
  1. Nyole at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
  3. Lunyole Language Association 2006.
  • Eastman, Carol M. (1972). Lunyole of the Bamenya, JAL, 11 (3), 63-78.
  • Morris, H. F. (1963). A note on Lunyole. Uganda Journal, 27, 127-134.
  • Schadeberg, Thilo C. (1989). The velar nasal in Nyole (E. 35). Annales Aequatoria, 10, 169-179. (Available online).
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