Luyana (Luyaana), also known as Luyi (Louyi, Lui, Rouyi), is a Bantu language spoken in Zambia and perhaps in small numbers in neighboring countries. It appears to be an divergent lineage of Bantu.[3] It is spoken by the Luyana people, a subgroup of the Lozi people.
Ethnologue lists Kwandi, Mbowe, Mbume, and possibly Kwangwa ("Kwanga") as dialects. Maho (2009) classifies these as distinct languages; it is not clear if any of them are part of the divergent Luyana branch of Bantu, or if they are Kavango languages.[2]
The writing system of the Luyana language was developed in 2011[4] and uses the Latin script.[4]
The language is taught in primary schools and secondary schools.[4]
Phonology
Vowels
Luyana has five simple vowels: a, e, i, o, and u.[5] o is almost always open and is rarely closed.[5] Wherever there may be hesitation between o and u, u should be used.[5]
There are no diphthongs.[5] When two vowels meet, they contract, or one is omitted.[5]
Consonants
The consonant inventory of Luyana is shown below.[6]
| Bilabial | Dental | Alveolar | Postalveolar | Palatal | Velar | Labialized Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p b | t̪ d̪ | k ɡ | ||||
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |||
| Fricative | s | ʃ | |||||
| Approximant | j | ||||||
| Affricate | dz | dʒ | |||||
| Lateral approximant | l | w |
References
- ^ a b Luyana at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ^ a b Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
- ^ Bantu Classification Archived 2012-06-24 at the Wayback Machine, Ehret, 2009.
- ^ a b c https://www.ethnologue.com/language/lyn Luyana | Ethnologue
- ^ a b c d e Jacottet, E. 1896
- ^ "Luyana sound inventory (PH)". phoible.org. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
See also
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This page was last edited on 5 March 2024, at 09:49