Region Uganda Native speakers 20 (2011) Glottolog nyan1313 | Ethnicity 15,000 (2002 census) ISO 639-3 nyp | |
Language family Nilo-Saharan?
Kuliak
Nyangia | ||
Nyangia (Nyang'i) is the nearly extinct Kuliak language of the Nyangea hunter-gatherers of northeastern Uganda. The 15,000 Nyangia have shifted to speaking Karamojong.
Contents
The name is variously spelled Gyangiya, Ngangea, Ngiangeya, Nuangeya, Nyangeya, Nyangiya, Nyuangia, and is also known as Poren (Ngapore, Niporen, Nipori, Upale).
Classification
Nilo-Saharan, Eastern Sudanic, Kuliak, Ngangea-So
History
According to “Ik Language Assessment Report,” the Ik separated into three groups after migrating from Ethiopia. The three groups were: Tepes, Nyangia (who moved to the Nyang’i mountains), and Ik. Driberg reported (1932) that the Nyangiya tribe had dwindled down to only a few hundred members who were forgetting their language even then, and preferred speaking “Dododh, a Nilo-Hamitic tongue akin to Karamojong”. Driberg states that Nyangiya is largely influenced by Dododh, and they also have a few words in common with their neighbors, the Acholi, who lived to the west. He suggests that the Acholi’s language is a purer form of Nyangiya. By 1975, it was reported by Heine that Nyang’i was only spoken by 100 people, and that most speakers had shifted to “Dodoth,” a dialect of Karamojong.
Nyang'i and Thathi are believed to have worked together in their respective rituals of sacrifice to ensure abundant rainfall and the health and vigor of children and livestock. The Nyang'i are known as "people of the rain" because they sacrificed solely for rain to secure a good harvest. Nyang'i sacrifice sought to ensure a "period of peace," marked by rains and intensive cultivation creating a successful harvest. The Nyan'i people were known to use magic in their sacrifice.
Geographic distribution
Nilo-Saharan, Eastern Sudanic,Kuliak, Ngangea-So
Dialect
A separate language from Ik.
Grammar
According to Driberg, there is an absence of grammatical gender in the Nyang'i language.
Vocabulary/Lexis
Swadesh list
List of vocabulary (pages 604-5)
Writing system
No writing system