Luyana language
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.[4] It is spoken by the Luyana people, a subgroup of the Lozi people.
| Luyana | |
|---|---|
| Esiluyana | |
| Native to | Zambia; immigrants in Namibia, Angola |
| Region | Okavango River |
Native speakers | 480 Luyana proper in Zambia (2010 census)[1] perhaps 7,500 in Botswana (no date; not clear if Luyana proper)[2] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | lyn |
| Glottolog | luya1241 |
K.31[3] | |
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.[3]
The writing system of the Luyana language was developed in 2011[5] and uses the Latin script.[5]
The language is taught in primary schools and secondary schools.[5]
Phonology
Vowels
Luyana has five simple vowels: a, e, i, o, and u.[6] o is almost always open and is rarely closed.[6] Wherever there may be hesitation between o and u, u should be used.[6]
There are no diphthongs.[6] When two vowels meet, they contract, or one is omitted.[6]
Consonants
The Luyana consonant system has approximately 25 phonemes. The consonant inventory of the language is shown below.[7]
| Bilabial | Dental | Alveolar | Postalveolar | Palatal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p b | t̪ d̪ | k ɡ | |||
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ||
| Fricative | s | ʃ | ||||
| Approximant | j | |||||
| Lateral approximant | l |
References
- Luyana at Ethnologue (16th ed., 2009)
- Botswana at Ethnologue
- Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
- Bantu Classification Archived 2012-06-24 at the Wayback Machine, Ehret, 2009.
- https://www.ethnologue.com/language/lyn Luyana | Ethnologue
- Jacottet, E. 1896
- "Luyana sound inventory (PH)". phoible.org. Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2018.