Moru–Madi languages

Moru–Madi
Geographic
distribution
CAR, Chad, South Sudan
Linguistic classificationNilo-Saharan?
Glottologmoru1252

The Moru–Madi languages of the Central Sudanic language family are a cluster of closely related languages spoken in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda. Moru is spoken by 100,000 people, and Ma'di is spoken by twice that number. The most populous languages are Aringa of Uganda, with close to a million speakers, and Lugbara, with 1.6 million.

Languages

The languages in this cluster are found across three countries: Uganda (Ma'di, Lugbara, Aringa, S. Ma'di); South Sudan (Aringa, Ma'di, Lolu'bo, Avukaya, Kaliko, Moru, and Logo); and the Democratic Republic of Congo (Lugbara, Avukaya, Kaliko, and Logo).

The name 'Madi'

The name Ma'di is used for various peoples in the region. There is a tendency, especially in the Acholi region of northern Uganda, to refer to anyone from West Nile Region as a Ma'di, even the Kakwa. The only group in this region who are never called Ma'di are the Alur.[citation needed]

Joseph Pasquale Crazzolara,[1] for example, states that "all Logbara [...] agree that they are of the Ma'di nation, that they are Ma'di. They are called Ma'di by the Alur of Okooro, their immediate neighbours, in Bunyoro and Buganda." Similarly, the linguist A. N. Tucker described the neighboring Keliko people who occupy the high plateau near the Logbara, as having the "real name Ma'di".[2] However, the Keliko regard themselves as Keliko rather than as Ma'di.

Comparative vocabulary

Sample basic vocabulary of Moru-Ma'di languages from Boone & Watson (1996):[3]

Language Dialect eye ear nose tooth tongue mouth blood bone tree water eat name
Moru Kâdiro mi bi kʊmvʊ si laɖa kala kari kʊwa ɔɲa ʌvuru
Moru Lakamadi mi bi kʊmvʊ si laɖa kala kari kʊwa icɛ, cɛ ɔɲa ʌvuru
Moru Miza mi bi kʊmvʊ si laɖa kala kari kʊwa icɛ, cɛ ɔɲa ʌvuru
Moru Âgyi mi bi kʊmvʊ si laɖa kala kari kʷa icɛ ìjí aɲa ru
Moru Ândri mi bi imvʊ si laɖa kala ari ifɛ ìjí ɔɲa ru
Moru 'Bâri'bâ mi bi imvʊ si laɖa kala ari kʷa ifɛ ìjí ɔɲa ru
Moru Wa'di mi bi kʊmvʊ si laɖa ti kari kʷa ìjí aɲa ru
Avokaya Sudan lìfí ɔ̀mvɔ̄ lànɖā àrɪ́ fɛ̄ lùmvū ɲà
Avokaya Zaïre mǐfí ɔ̀mvɔ̄ làɖā àrɪ́ fɛ̄ ɲà
Logo Ogambi, Doka, Lolia,
Obeleba, Bhagira
kɔ̀mvɔ̄ làɖā kàrɪ ɲā
Logo Bari Kanzako mìkífí ɓí kɔ̀mvɔ̄ làɖā kàrɪ̄ fɛ̄ ɲā
Logo Bari West kɔ̀mvɔ̄ làɖā kàrɪ̄ fɛ̄ ɲā
Logo Bari Mandra ɲɛ̌fɪ́ ɓí ɔ̀mvɔ̄ làɖā àrɪ́ fɛ̄ ɛ̀yí ɔ̀ɲā
Kaliko Ma'di-Didi mì, mīfí ɔ̀mvɔ̄ àɖā kàrɪ́, àrɪ̀ fā, fʌ̄tī ɲā
Kaliko Southwest mī, mīfí ɔmvɔ̄ àɖā àrɪ́ fɛ́ ɲā
Kaliko Rapa'ba ɔmvɔ̄ ālāɖā tɔ́gʊ́ àrɪ́ fɛ́ ɲā
Kaliko Ma'di-Dogo mīfí ɔ̀mvɔ̄ àɖā - - - pʌ̀tì ɲā
Kaliko Southeast ʊ̀mvʊ̄ áɖā tī, tí àrɪ́ peti yǐ, ìjí ɲā
Kaliko Omi mǐfà ɔ̀mbɔ̄ àɖā àrɪ́ fàlágɔ́ fʌ̄tī ɲā
Okollo mule ōmbʊ́ áɖā tílɛ́ àrɪ́ cɔ̀ɔ́ pʌ̄tí ɲá
Ogoko mìfī ɔ̀mvʊ̄ ɪ́ɖɛ̄ àrɪ́ cɔ̀kɔ́ pàtí ɲà
Lugbara Zaire (Lu, Zaki, Abedzu) mìlɛ̄ ɔ̀mvū aɖa àrɪ́ fàlákɔ́ pʌ̄tí ɲa
Lugbara Uganda (Vurra, Ayivu) mīlɛ́ ɔ̀mvʊ̄ āɖɛ̄ àrɪ́ fàlákɔ́ pʌ̄tí ɲa
Maracha mìfī ɔ̀mvʊ̄ ɛ̄ɖɛ̀ àrɪ́ fàlákɔ́ pʌ̀tí ɲá
Terego mìfī ɔ̀mvʊ̄ ɛ̄ɖɛ̄ àrɪ́ fàlákɔ́ pàtíkè ɲá
Aringa mīfí bílé ɔ̀mvʊ̄ ɪ̀ɖā àrɪ́ ìfà ɪ̀fɛ́ ìjí ɲá
Ma'di Uganda ɔ̀mvɔ̄ lɛ̀ɖá ti àrɪ́ hʷa kʷɛ èyí ɲā
Ma'di Lokai ɔ̀mvɔ̄ lɛ̄dá àrɪ, ari kʷà kʷɛ̄ ēyí ɲā
Ma'di Pandikeri ɔ̀mvɔ̄ lɛ̄dá ɛ̀rɪ kʷà kʷɛ̄ īyí ɲā
Lulubo ɔmbɔ̄ lɛ̄dā ɛ̀rɪ̄ kʷā kʷɛ̄ īyí ɲā

References

  1. ^ Crazzolara, J. P. (2017). A study of the Logbara (Ma'di) language: Grammar and vocabulary. Routledge. [Originally published 1960]
  2. ^ The Eastern Sudanic Languages. By A. N. Tucker. vol. I. 434 pp. Oxford University Press, 1940
  3. ^ Boone, Douglas; Richard L. Watson (editors). 1996. Moru-Ma'di survey report. Nairobi, Kenya: Summer Institute of Linguistics.
  • Nilo-Saharan list (Blench 2000)
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