Kipsigis language

Kipsigis
Native toKenya
EthnicityKipsigis
Native speakers
1.9 million (2009 census)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3sgc
Glottologkips1239

Kipsigis (or Kipsikii, Kipsikiis) is part of the Kenyan Kalenjin dialect cluster,[1] It is spoken mainly in Kericho and Bomet counties in Kenya. The Kipsigis people are the most numerous tribe of the Kalenjin in Kenya, accounting for 60% of all Kalenjin speakers. Kipsigis is closely related to Nandi, Keiyo (Keyo, Elgeyo), South Tugen (Tuken), and Cherangany.

The Kipsigis territory is bordered to the south and southeast by the Maasai. To the west, Gusii (a Bantu language) is spoken. To the north-east, other Kalenjin people are found, mainly the Nandi. East from the Kipsigis, in the Mau forests, live some Okiek speaking tribes.

Phonology

Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Stop p t (c) k
Affricate tʃ
Fricative s
Rhotic r
Lateral l
Approximant j w
  • /r/ can be heard as either a trill [r] or a tap [ɾ].
  • /tʃ/ may also be realized as a palatal stop [c].
  • /k/ may also have a voiced allophone [ɡ], as well as become spirantized as a voiced fricative [ɣ].[2]

Vowels

+ATR -ATR
Front Back Front Back
Close i iː u uː i̙ i̙ː u̙ u̙ː
Mid e eː o oː e̙ e̙ː o̙ o̙ː
Open a aː a̙ a̙ː

Double vowels

Usually, the pronunciation of a double vowel does not mean a repetition of that vowel sound but rather an elongation of that particular vowel sound. An exception to that generalization shows up with the double ee.

Normally, the elongated vowel sounds follow the Latin vowel sounds. A few examples are given in the table below

Vowel As Kipsigis As in English
aa Kaap mama, mark, margin, sharp
ii Asiis piece, peace, freeze, sneeze
oo igoondiit

roopta

gone

robe

uu piyuut root, boot

The sound of the double ee may vary in pronunciation. For example:

As in Kipsigis As in English
akweet 'flock' wet
beek 'water' bake
meet 'death' for this word, there are two sounds, as in lay-ette

See also

Kipsigis language test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator

Notes

  1. ^ See Kalenjin languages and Nandi–Markweta languages for a clarification of the Nandi/Kalenjin nomenclature.

References

  1. ^ Kipsigis at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Kouneli, Maria (2019). The Syntax of Number and Modification: An Investigation of the Kipsigis DP. New York University.


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