the otoro language of sudan: lexical data - roger … · the otoro language of sudan: lexical data...

The Otoro language

of Sudan: lexical data [DRAFT CIRCULATED FOR COMMENT -NOT FOR CITATION WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE

AUTHOR

Roger Blench 8, Guest Road, Cambridge CB1 2AL United Kingdom Voice/Answerphone 00-44-(0)1223-560687 Mobile 00-44-(0)7967-696804 E-mail [email protected] http://rogerblench.info/RBOP.htm

This printout: July 9, 2009

R.M. Blench Otoro Wordlist Circulated for comment

i

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION 2 2. LOCATION, HISTORY AND SOCIOLINGUISTIC SITUATION 2

2.1 Nomenclature 2 2.2 Location and settlements 2 2.3 Language status 2 2.4 Otoro culture and history 2

3. PHONOLOGY 2 3.1 Vowels 2 3.2 Consonants 3 3.3 Tones 3

4. MORPHOLOGY 3 4.1 Nouns 3

GLOSS 3 5. LEXICAL COMPARISON AND THE CLASSIFICATION OF OTORO 3 6. OTORO WORDLIST 4 REFERENCES 23

TABLES Error! No table of figures entries found.

Roger Blench: Otoro Wordlist

2

1. Introduction This is an annotated wordlist of the Otoro language, spoken in Kujo in Southern Kordofan, Sudan. The wordlist was collected by Roger Blench from Mr. Tijani Tima in Kauda on the 8-11th of May 2006. The wordlist was collected as a ‘one-shot’ exercise and the transcription must therefore be regarded as preliminary. This analysis was prepared by Roger Blench, who added the comparative observations. This document is being circulated to scholars for comment. 2. Location, history and sociolinguistic situation 2.1 Nomenclature 2.2 Location and settlements 2.3 Language status 2.4 Otoro culture and history 3. Phonology The phonology of Otoro is based on rapid observations and should therefore be regarded as tentative at this stage. 3.1 Vowels Otoro probably has seven phonemic vowels;

Front Central Back

Close i uClose-Mid e (ə) o

Open-Mid ɛ ɔ Open a

The status of the /ə/ is highly uncertain, and it is probably an allophone of /a/. For the present it is transcribed as heard.


3

3.2 Consonants Otoro consonants are as follows: Bilabial Labio-

dental Alve- olar

Retroflex

Alveopalatal

Palatal Velar Labial-velar

Glottal

Plosive p b t d ʈ ɖ [c] j k g Nasal m n ɳ ŋ Trill r ɽ Fricative v [s] ʃ ʒ h Approximant y w

Lateral Approximant l 3.3 Tones 4. Morphology 4.1 Nouns

Gloss sg. pl.

5. Lexical comparison and the classification of Otoro


-4-

6. Otoro wordlist The words are classified in sections as; Nouns Pronouns Verbs Numerals Adjectives Other

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 1. Tree (generic) ware gyare 2. Leaf gani gyani cf. ‘ear’ 3. Root 4. Branch ɖərna jərna 5. Bark (of tree) giya gyiya 6. Dried bark gəmərgu jəmərgu 7. Thorn dugi jugi 8. Grass (generic) garɔm 9. Flower lawra ŋawra Kujo dial. 10. Mushroom 11. Seed/stone/pip 12. Charcoal 13. Dust 14. Ashes 15. Rubbish-heap 16. Mud 17. Clay 18. Dew 19. Stone gədɔl gyɛdɔl 20. Pebble ludoɽdoɽ ŋwudoɽdoɽ 21. Sand amuru 22. Smoke 23. Fire iga 24. Water ŋaw 25. Rain gaw 26. Cloud 27. Lightning 28. Rainy Season 29. Dry season 30. Harmattan 31. Year gidilyaŋ 32. Today gwɔnɛ 33. Yesterday krəlanyɛnɛ 34. Day before

yesterday krəlanyɛnɛ gwɔgware

35. Tomorrow gəlaganu 36. Day after

tomorrow abre or gəlaganu gwegwe

37. Morning


-5-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 38. Evening 39. Dawn 40. Day anyɛnɛ 41. Night gilyaŋ or kilyaŋ. Also ‘day of 24 hours’ 42. Moon/month uwa luwa 43. Sun anyɛn janyɛn 44. Star(s) lɔrrɔm ŋwɔrrɔm 45. Wind dɽon 46. God 47. Sky 48. World 49. Ground gwiyam 50. Large River 51. Stream koy kəjoy 52. Lake, pond 53. Forest 54. Mountain 55. Hill lɛrrgwɔm ŋurrgwɔm 56. Bush I gɛdɔ 57. Bush II gyareganɔ 58. Farm 59. Field 60. Market* 61. Compound 62. Room 63. Wall (of room) 64. Thatch roof 65. Granary ŋuluŋ nyuluŋ 66. Well 67. Road day ɖay 68. Path 69. Village/settlement guɽuɽ juɽuɽ 70. River-bank 71. Swamp/wetland 72. Place 73. Person/people guji liji 74. Man g(w)ɔmiya lɔmiya 75. Woman gwa la 76. Child/son/daughte

r ŋare nyare

77. Husband 78. Wife


-6-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 79. Widow 80. Young man 81. Young girl 82. Old person dɔrmɔcɔ ɖɔrmɔcɔ 83. Old woman gaburu gyaburu Kujo dialect 84. Father baba babaŋŋa 85. Mother nana nanaŋŋa 86. Barren woman 87. Relations 88. Ancestors 89. Grandparents 90. Grandchild 91. Brother 92. Sister 93. Friend gwɔra lɔra 94. Stranger gurɔpɔr ‘unknown person’. Also guji kɔr kaja 95. King/chief/ruler gwɛlɛŋ lɛlɛŋ 96. Hunter 97. Thief 98. Kujur miya limiya 99. rainmaker guji gwaθigaw liji lagaw 100. Witch 101. Corpse 102. Blacksmith kɔrɔt this is a place name, where blacksmiths operate 103. Woodworker 104. Priest gijigiji < Arabic gisis 105. Slave 106. Prophesy 107. Shame 108. Fear/fright 109. Bravery/courage 110. Laughter 111. Wisdom 112. Guilt 113. Anger 114. Darkness krim 115. Light gwawra now archaic 116. Race/running 117. Suffering 118. Death 119. Name 120. Grave 121. Song


-7-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 122. Proverb 123. Story 124. Word 125. Lie 126. News 127. Hunger 128. Horn 129. Tail 130. Egg 131. Wing 132. Beak 133. Nest 134. Feather 135. Gum/glue 136. Ant-hill 137. Hole in ground 138. Hole in tree 139. Smell 140. Poison 141. Load 142. Bundle 143. Firewood 144. Stick 145. Yam-heap 146. War 147. Work 148. Divination (types) 149. Medicine

(generic)

150. Money 151. Shadow 152. Thing 153. Strength 154. Length 155. Land/country 156. Smithy ɖiteda 157. Sleep 158. Disease(generic) 159. Smallpox 160. Diarrhoea 161. Eczema 162. Goitre 163. Boil


-8-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 164. Wound dɛri ɖɛri 165. Sore lutudur ŋwutudur 166. Leprosy 167. Head ɽa ŋɽwa 168. Eye gay jey 169. Face 170. Cheek 171. Forehead 172. Nose gaɖlo gyaɖlo 173. Ear gani nani 174. Mouth lunyu ŋwunyu 175. Tooth 176. Tongue dɛŋla ɖɛŋla 177. Neck/Throat gwolo lolo 178. Jaw 179. Chin 180. Shoulder 181. Armpit 182. Fist 183. Arm dey ɖey 184. Hand gərgɛ nərgɛ 185. Finger lamɔn ŋwamɔn 186. Leg lara ŋwara 187. Foot gamade gyamade 188. Thigh lɛrr ŋwərr 189. Knee lərkɔ ŋwərkɔ 190. Calf dɛrɛŋ ŋwɔrɛŋ 191. Nail (Finger/toe) 192. Female breast awu ja(w)u 193. Stomach gare nare 194. Chest gambaŋ gyambaŋ 195. Navel 196. Back 197. Buttocks gutu yutu 198. Penis 199. Vagina 200. Skin galbur gyalbur 201. Bone loya ŋoya 202. Rib 203. Vein 204. Blood ŋawɛn 205. Breath


-9-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 206. Tear 207. Saliva ŋwɔn 208. Sweat 209. Urine 210. Faeces 211. Hair aɽu 212. Beard 213. Liver awe jawe 214. Heart digwɔrr ɖigwɔrr 215. Lung abɔt jɛbɔtbɔt 216. Intestines 217. Body aŋənɔ jaŋənɔ 218. Meat jidi 219. Animal (Bush) 220. Camel kamla gyamla 221. Cow ŋumrɔ nyumrɔ 222. Bull ŋindiri nyindiri 223. Calf galaŋjal gyalaŋjal 224. Goat ŋɔrɔ jɔrɔ 225. He-goat ŋɔ nyɔ 226. Castrated goat 227. Sheep gɔŋɔl gyɔŋɔl 228. Ram ɽɔmɔ ləɽɔmɔ 229. Castrated sheep 230. Dog ŋiin nyiin 231. Cat I ŋawre nyawre Kujo dial. 232. Cat II vəla ləvəla Urila dial. 233. Pig gudur gyudur 234. Horse mərtaŋ ləmərtaŋ 235. Donkey ŋariŋa nyariŋa 236. Elephant dɔŋɔr ɖɔŋɔr


-10-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 237. Buffalo jamus < Ar. 238. Rhino kwaŋ laŋ 239. Lion lema ŋwema 240. Leopard kəba ciba 241. Hyena1 tole dole 242. Civet cat2 243. Jackal3 I ŋwarr nywarr 244. Jackal II ŋɔm nyɔm 245. Wart-hog4 246. Antelope pɔn ləpɔn 247. Porcupine5 248. Baboon kuɽaŋar leɽaŋar 249. Patas monkey6 250. Small monkey ŋalaŋ nyalaŋ 251. Black monkey lɔra ŋwɔra 252. Abu shok Ar. kɔn lukwɔn 253. Squirrel (ground) 254. Squirrel (tree) 255. Rat (generic) kɛrɛ cɛrɛ 256. Bush-rat I guri luri 257. Bush-rat black ɔl cɔl 258. Bush-rat longtail anacir janacir 259. Hedgehog7 260. Shrew guju juju 261. Hare8

1 (Crocuta crocuta) 2 (Viverra civetta) 3 (Canis aureus) 4 (Phacochoerus aethiopus) 5 (Hystrix cristata) 6 (Erythrocebus patas) 7 (Atelerix albiventris) 8 (Lepus Crawshayi)


-11-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 262. House-bat 263. Fruit-bat 264. Nile crocodile 265. Chameleon 266. Agama lizard 267. Skink 268. Gecko 269. Monitor lizard 270. Toad 271. Frog 272. Tortoise 273. Snake (Generic) 274. Spitting cobra 275. Python 276. Turtle 277. Crab 278. Fish (generic) 279. Tilapia (spp.) 280. Catfish (spp.)9 281. Nile Perch10 282. Electric fish11 283. Bird (generic) 284. Chicken kagəro gyagəro 285. Cock 286. Duck (Domestic) bat < Ar. 287. Pigeon (Domestic) lamam ŋwamam < Ar. hamam 288. Ostrich gotɔmbɔ lotɔmbɔ 289. Guinea-fowl 290. Hooded Vulture12

9 (Synodontis spp.) 10 (Lates niloticus) 11 (Malapterurus electricus) 12 (Neophron monachus)


-12-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 291. Village Weaver13 292. Cattle-egret14 293. Black kite15 294. Owl (various spp.) 295. Grey Parrot16 296. Senegal Coucal17 297. Bush-fowl 298. Swallow 299. Pied crow18 300. Woodpecker 301. Insect (Generic) 302. Scorpion dimu timu 303. Butterfly 304. Dragon-fly 305. Mosquito lawa ŋawa also lava pl. ŋava 306. Spider19 gɔdlɔŋ gyɔdlɔŋ 307. Mason wasp20 308. Bee gwaya laya 309. Sweat-fly 310. Sandfly 311. Housefly lalum ŋwalum 312. Ant (Generic) 313. Louse (Human) 314. Millipede 315. Cockroach 316. Termite 13 (Ploceus cucullatus) 14 (Ardeola ibis) 15 (Milvus migrans) 16 (Poicephalus senegalus) 17 (Centropus spp.) 18 (Corvus albus) 19 (Acarina spp.) 20 (Belenogaster spp.)


-13-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 317. Flying-ant 318. Grasshopper 319. Praying mantis 320. Firefly 321. Giant Cricket 322. Earthworm 323. Giant Snail 324. Soap (Traditional) 325. Oil 326. Fat/grease 327. Salt 328. Soup/stew 329. Porridge 330. Sorghum-beer 331. Palm-wine 332. Peelings 333. Filter 334. Rag 335. Floor-beater 336. Handle (of tool) 337. Threshing stick luwore ŋwore 338. Sickle 339. Cutlass gamboro gyamboro 340. Iron 341. Axe ŋɔɽe nyɔɽe 342. Adze 343. Hoe I gilit gyilit < Ar. Jaraya 344. Hoe II 345. Planting stick ləbre ŋwəbre 346. Stick used to clean

ground dara ɖara

347. Hammer 348. Knife ganda gyanda 349. Comb 350. Broom 351. Bag 352. Sack 353. Fireplace 354. Shoe 355. Cloth 356. Grindstone (top) 357. Grindstone

(lower) ele gyele


-14-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 358. Mortar (wood) 359. Pestle 360. Pot (generic) gidi jidi 361. Pot I wera lera for cooking flour 362. Pot II lebeen jebeen < Irish ‘shebeen’ 363. Pot III 364. Pot IV 365. Head-pad gəmbəri gyəmbəri 366. Basket (generic) ŋuniŋ nyuniŋ 367. Basket I 368. Basket II 369. Winnowing tray 370. Mat (generic) birish < Ar. 371. Needle 372. Spear ŋere nyere 373. Spear barbed nyamnyam 374. Spear big tabiga ? Ar. kabira 375. Throwing stick tuwaɽ luwaɽ 376. Shield laru ŋwəru 377. Bow 378. Arrow 379. Quiver 380. Gun I almundu jalmundu < Ar. al-bunduq 381. Gun II iga jiga cf. ‘fire’ 382. Chain 383. Rope 384. Stool 385. Wooden bed gumbur jumbur 386. Rope bed aɽaŋar gyaɽaŋar 387. Wooden door 388. Fence 389. Bridge 390. Ladder 391. Paddle 392. Bee-hive 393. Fish-Net 394. Fish-trap I 395. Fish-trap II 396. Fish-trap III 397. Snare 398. One wɛdɔŋ Cf. Ɛrɛ wɛtɛ and Urila wɛtɛdɔŋ 399. Two gwitan 400. Three tɛrɛl


-15-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 401. Four kɔɽɔŋ 402. Five tɔɖ(a)ne 403. Six ¯aɽal 404. Seven kɔɽɔŋ tɛrɛl 4 + 3 405. Eight lubaŋ 406. Nine tɔɖ(a)ne kɔɽɔŋ 5 + 4 407. Ten ɖi Archaic form ɖuri 408. Eleven ɖi na wɛdɔŋ 10 + 1 409. Twenty aɽyal Archaic form ɖuri ɖitan 410. Thirty aɽyal na ɖi 20 + 10. Archaic ɖuri tɛrɛl 411. Forty aɽyal itan 412. Hundred aɽyal tɔɖ(a)ne 413. Black 414. White 415. Red 416. Sweet 417. Bitter 418. Half 419. Hot 420. Cold 421. Old 422. New 423. Wet 424. Dry 425. Smooth 426. Add to 427. Answer (question) 428. Arrive 429. Ask a question 430. Ask/beg for

something

431. Awaken (s.o.) 432. Bark (dog) 433. Be bent 434. Be heavy 435. Be on (s.t.) 436. Be rotten 437. Be short 438. Beat (drum) 439. Beat (s.o.) 440. Become dry 441. Begin


-16-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 442. Bite 443. Blow (flute etc.) 444. Boil 445. Build (house etc.) 446. Burn (fire burns) 447. Bury 448. Buy 449. Call (to someone) 450. Carry 451. Carve (wood etc.) 452. Catch 453. Chew 454. Choose 455. Climb 456. Close 457. Come 458. Come out (of

room)

459. Continue (to do s.t.)

460. Cook 461. Cough 462. Count 463. Cover 464. Cut down (tree) 465. Cut in two 466. Cut off (head etc.) 467. Dance 468. Die 469. Dig (earth etc.) 470. Divide/share 471. Do/make 472. Drag 473. Draw water 474. Dream 475. Drink 476. Drop 477. Dry in sun 478. Eat 479. Enter 480. Extinguish 481. Fall (rain) 482. Fall over


-17-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 483. Fear 484. Feel (cold etc.) 485. Fight (in war) 486. Fill 487. Finish (a task) 488. Float 489. Flog 490. Flow (water etc.) 491. Fly (birds) 492. Fold (cloth etc.) 493. Follow 494. Forget 495. Fry (in oil) 496. Gather/collect 497. Get 498. Give 499. Give birth 500. Go 501. Go out/exit 502. Grind 503. Grow (plants) 504. Hatch (egg) 505. Have 506. Hear 507. Hit/strike (drum) 508. Hoe 509. Hunt 510. Jump 511. Kill 512. Kneel 513. Know 514. Laugh 515. Learn 516. Lick 517. Lie down 518. Listen 519. Lose s.t. 520. Marry 521. Mix 522. Mould (pot) 523. Mount 524. Open 525. Pierce/stab


-18-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 526. Plait (hair) 527. Plant (crop etc.) 528. Play 529. Pound (in mortar) 530. Pour (liquid) 531. Pull 532. Push 533. Put on (clothes) 534. Receive 535. Refuse 536. ‘Remain’ 537. Remember 538. Resemble 539. Return 540. Ride (horse etc.) 541. Roast on coals 542. Rub 543. Run 544. Say/speak 545. Scatter 546. See 547. Seek 548. Sell 549. Send 550. Set trap 551. Sew 552. Shake 553. Sharpen 554. Shoot (arrow,

gun)

555. Sing 556. Sit down 557. Slaughter (animal) 558. Sleep 559. Smash 560. Smell 561. Snap in two 562. Sow seeds 563. Spit 564. Split 565. Stand 566. Steal 567. Stir (soup)


-19-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 568. Suck (breast etc.) 569. Surpass 570. Swallow 571. Sweep 572. Swell 573. Swim 574. Take 575. Tear (cloth etc.) 576. Tell 577. Throw 578. Tie 579. Touch 580. Twist (rope etc.) 581. Untie 582. Uproot (tuber) 583. Vomit 584. Walk 585. Want/need 586. Wash 587. Wear 588. Weave 589. Weed 590. Weep 591. Wipe 592. Work 593. Yawn 594. I 595. You 596. He/she/it 597. we 598. you pl. 599. They


-20-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 600. Who? 601. Which? 602. What? 603. When? 604. Where? Edible and Useful Plants NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 605. Aerial yam21 606. Taro (Old cocoyam)22 607. Cassava*23 608. Sweet potato*24 609. Sorghum25 ŋwɔn 610. Sorghum I gwajimani 611. Sorghum II gwoje 612. Sorghum III cɛɽɛ 613. Bulrush millet26 614. Eleusine*27 615. Maize I kwa tə bew 616. Maize II gwədəgu 617. Rice*28 618. Cowpea29 lətaŋ ŋotaŋ 619. Other beans I 620. Other beans II 621. Other beans III

21 (Dioscorea bulbifera) 22 (Colocasia esculenta) 23 (Manihot esculenta) 24 (Ipomoea batatas) 25 (Sorghum bicolor) 26 (Pennisetum spp.) 27 (H. tamba) (Eleusine coracana) 28 (Oryza sativa/ glaberrima) 29 (Vigna unguiculata)


-21-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 622. Bambara groundnut30 latura ŋwatura 623. Groundnut (Peanut)31 apandina pandina 624. Tiger-nut32 625. Garden egg33 626. Okra34 gignu — 627. Chili pepper* (large)35 628. Birdseye chili*36 629. Onion (Allium cepa) 630. Garlic37 631. Tomato38 632. Cucumber karo naro 633. Melon (sweet)39 garbole gyarbole 634. Edible squash40 gukulu gyukulu 635. Sorrel/roselle41 kərtɛdɛ gyɛrtɛdɛ 636. Jews' mallow I 42 gawi 637. Jews' mallow II luca 638. Kenaf43 639. Sesame44 ŋɔrcit 640. Bamboo 641. Pawpaw*45 642. Gourd (Generic) 643. Gourd-bottle46 30 (Vigna subterranea) 31 (Arachis hypogaea) 32 (Cyperus esculentus) 33 (Solanum melongena) 34 (Abelmoschus esculentus) 35 (Capsicum frutescens) 36 (Capsicum annuum) 37 (Allium sativum) 38 (Lycopersicon esculentum) 39 (Cucumis spp) 40 (Cucurbita pepo) 41 (H. yakuwa) (Hibiscus sabdariffa) 42 (H. lalo)(Corchorus olitorius) 43 (H. rama) (Hibiscus cannabinus) 44 (H. Riëii) (Sesamum indicum) 45 (Carica papaya) 46 (Lagenaria siceraria)


-22-

NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 644. Gourd (spherical)47 645. Other gourds 646. Cotton 647. Tobacco* 648. Sugar-cane* 649. Loofah48 (H. soso) 650. Raphia palm49 651. Fan-palm50 652. Wild date-palm51 653. Baobab52 654. Silk-cotton tree53 655. Tamarind54 dura lura 656. Sodom apple55 657. Terminalia sp. 658. Ar. jemes kwataŋ yataŋ 659. Ar. arat gwudiŋ gyidiŋ Musical Instruments NO. Gloss Singular Plural Commentary 660. Drum I nogara < Ar. 661. Drum II indra jindra Kujo dial. 662. Flute 663. Lyre I rababa 664. Lyre II bɛrɛbɛrɛ jɛrɛbɛrɛ < Ar. 665. Transverse horn loba ŋwoba 666. Gourd-rattle 667. Ankle rattles ŋwobaganya 47 (Cucurbita maxima) 48 (Luffa cylindrica) 49 (Raphia spp.) 50 (Borassus aethiopum) 51 (Phoenix reclinata) 52 (Adansonia digitata) 53 (Ceiba pentandra) 54 (Tamarindus indica) 55 (Calotropis procera H. tumfafiya)


-23-

References Bendor-Samuel, J. ed. 1989. The Niger-Congo languages. Lanham: University Press of America. Blench, R.M. 1996. Is Niger-Congo simply a branch of Nilo-Saharan? In: Proceedings of the Fifth Nilo-Saharan

Linguistics Colloquium, Nice, 1992. ed. R. Nicolai and F. Rottland. 68-118. Köln: Rudiger Köppe. Westermann, D. 1927. Die Westlichen Sudansprachen und ihre Beziehungen zum Bantu. Berlin: de Gruyter.

the otoro language of sudan: lexical data - roger … · the otoro language of sudan: lexical data...

Documents