Puneet Varma (Editor)

Luhya language

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Native to
  
Kenya

Ethnicity
  
Luhya people

Native speakers
  
1.2 million, incl. West Nyala (2009 census)

Language family
  
Niger–Congo Atlantic–Congo Benue–Congo Southern Bantoid Bantu Northeast Bantu Great Lakes Bantu Masaba–Luhya (J.30) Luhya

ISO 639-3
  
luy – inclusive code (includes all languages spoken by ethnic Luhya, not just the following) Individual codes: lrm – Marama lwg – Wanga (Hanga) lks – Kisa lto – Tsotso lkb – Kabras nle – (East) Nyala

Glottolog
  
cent2288  (Central Luyia (incl. some Nyore)) kabr1240  (Kabras)

Luhya (/ˈluːjə/; also Luyia, Luhia or Luhiya) is a Bantu language of western Kenya.

Contents

Dialects

The various Luhya tribes speak several related languages and dialects, though some of them are no closer to each other than they are to neighboring non-Luhya languages. For example, the Bukusu people are ethnically Luhya, but the Bukusu dialect is a variety of Masaba. (See Luhya people for details.) However, there is a core of mutually intelligible dialects that comprise Luhya proper:

  • Hanga (OluWanga)
  • Tsotso (OluTsotso)
  • Marama (OluMarama)
  • Kisa (OluShisa)
  • Kabras (LuKabarasi)
  • East Nyala (LuNyala)

    • Comparison

    A comparison between two dialects of Luhya proper, and to two other Bantu languages spoken by the Luhya:

    References

    Luhya language Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA