Native speakers 2.0 million (2009 census) Language family Niger–CongoAtlantic–CongoBenue–CongoBantoidBantuNortheast BantuKikuyu–KambaMeru ISO 639-3 Variously:mer – Meruthk – Tharakamws – Mwimbi-Muthambicuh – Cuka Glottolog nort3214 (Meru–Tharaka–Cuka)mwim1241 | ||
Meru is the language spoken by the Meru people (Ameru) who live on the Eastern and Northern slopes of Mount Kenya, Kenya, Africa and on the Nyambene ranges. They settled in this area after centuries of migration from the north.
The Meru people are a fairly homogeneous community and all share a common ancestry. They speak the same language, Kimeru, but there are some slight regional differences, in accent and local words. The community comprises the following subdivisions; from the north to south:
As the Meru language is similar to its surrounding neighbors, the Kikuyu and Embu could have possibly adopted parts of Meru.
References
Meru language Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA