Editing Gusii language

{{Short description|Bantu language spoken in western Kenya}}
{{For|the Abagusii or |Gusii people}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Gusii
|nativename=''Ekegusii''
|states=[[Kenya]]
|region=[[Nyanza province|Nyanza]] [[Kenya]], Kisii County & Nyamira County, [[Rift Valley Province|Southern Rift Valley]], parts of Kericho County & Bomet County
|ethnicity=[[Abagusii]]
|speakers= [[L1 speakers|L1]]: 2.2 million
|date=2009 census
|ref=e22
|speakers2= [[L2 speakers|L2]]: 500,000
|familycolor=Niger-Congo
|fam2=[[Atlantic–Congo languages|Atlantic-Congo]]
|fam3=[[Volta-Congo languages|Volta-Congo]]
|fam4=[[Benue–Congo languages|Benue–Congo]]
|fam5=[[Bantoid languages|Bantoid]]
|fam6=[[Southern Bantoid]]
|fam7=[[Bantu languages|Bantu]]
|fam8=[[Northeast Bantu]]
|fam9=[[Great Lakes Bantu]]
|fam10=[[East Nyanza languages|East Nyanza]]
|fam11=Nyanza Mara
|fam12=North Mara
|dia1=Ekegusii Proper
|dia2=Bogirango Maate
|script=[[Latin script|Latin]] (after European contact)
|iso3=guz
|glotto=gusi1247
|glottorefname=Gusii
|guthrie=JE.42
|notice=IPA
}}

The '''Gusii language''' (also known as '''Ekegusii''') is a [[Bantu language]] spoken in Kisii and Nyamira counties in [[Nyanza province|Nyanza]] [[Kenya]], whose headquarters is [[Kisii Town]] (between the Kavirondo Gulf of [[Lake Victoria]] and the border with [[Tanzania]]). It is spoken natively by 2.2 million people (as of 2009), mostly among the [[Abagusii]]. Ekegusii has only two dialects: The Rogoro (upper-side) and Maate (lower-side) dialects. Phonologically, they differ in the articulation of /t/. Most of the variations existing between the two dialects are lexical. The two dialects can refer to the same object or thing using different terms. An example of this is the word for cat. While one dialect calls a cat ''ekemoni'', the other calls it ''ekebusi (a word that comes from the sound used to call a cat in Gusii culture)''. Another illustrating example can be found in the word for sandals. While the Rogoro word for sandals is ''chisiripasi (a loanword from the English word "slippers")'', the Maate dialect word is ''chitaratara (adapted from the sound made by sandals when one walks while wearing them)''. Many more lexical differences manifest in the language. The Maate dialect is spoken in Tabaka and Bogirango. Most of the other regions use the Rogoro dialect, which is also the standard dialect of Ekegusii.

==Sounds==
===Vowels===
Gusii has seven vowels. [[Vowel length]] is contrastive, i.e. the words 'bóra' ''to miss'' and 'bóóra' ''to say'' are distinguished by vowel length only.

{| class="wikitable IPA"
|+ Phonetic inventory of vowels in Gusii
! !![[Front vowel|Front]]!![[Central vowel|Central]]!![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-align=center
|align=right|[[Close vowel|Close]]
|i|| ||u
|-align=center
|align=right|[[Close-mid vowel|Close-mid]]
|e|| ||o
|-align=center
|align=right|[[Open-mid vowel|Open-mid]]
|ɛ|| ||ɔ
|-align=center
|align=right|[[Open vowel|Open]]
| || a ||
|}

===Consonants===
In the table below, [[orthography|orthographic]] symbols are included between brackets if they differ from the [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] symbols. Note especially the use of ‘y’ for IPA {{IPA|/j/}}, common in African orthographies. When symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a voiced consonant.

{|  class="wikitable IPA"
|+Phonemic inventory of consonants in Gusii
|-  
!  
!  <small>labial</small>
!  <small>alveolar</small>
!  <small>palatal</small>
!  <small>velar</small>
|- 
! <small>plosive</small>
| &nbsp;
| t
| &nbsp;
| k &nbsp; 
|- 
!  <small>affricate</small>
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| tʃ
| &nbsp;
|- 
!  <small>fricative</small>
| β
| s
| &nbsp;
| ɣ
|- 
! <small>nasal</small>
| m
| n
| ɲ
| ŋ
|- 
! <small>tap</small>
| &nbsp;
| ɾ
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|- 
!  <small>approximant</small>
| w
| &nbsp;
| j
| &nbsp;
|}

{|  class="wikitable IPA"
|+Phonetic inventory of consonants in Gusii
|-  
!  
!  <small>labial</small>
!  <small>alveolar</small>
!  <small>palatal</small>
!  <small>velar</small>
|- 
! <small>plosive</small>
| p &nbsp; b
| t &nbsp; d
|
| k &nbsp; ɡ
|- 
!  <small>affricate</small>
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
| tʃ
| &nbsp;
|- 
!  <small>fricative</small>
| β
| s
| &nbsp;
| ɣ
|- 
! <small>nasal</small>
| m
| n
| ɲ
| ŋ
|- 
! <small>tap</small>
| &nbsp;
| ɾ
| &nbsp;
| &nbsp;
|- 
!  <small>approximant</small>
| w
| &nbsp;
| j
| &nbsp;
|}

The following [[morphophonology|morphophonological alternations]] occur:
* n+r = {{IPA|[ⁿd]}}
* n+b = {{IPA|[ᵐb]}}
* n+g = {{IPA|[ᵑɡ]}}
* n+k = {{IPA|[ᵑk]}}
* n+c = {{IPA|[ⁿtʃ]}}
* n+s = {{IPA|[ⁿs]}}
* n+m = {{IPA|[mː]}}

The Gusii language has the consonant 'b' not realized as the bilabial stop as in 'bat' but as bilabial fricative as in words like baba, baminto, abana.

==Ekegusii language Alphabet==

{|class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"
|-
!
! colspan="27" | Ekegusii alphabet (Kenya)<ref>Rhonda L. Hartell, ed. 1993. The Alphabets of Africa. Dakar: UNESCO and Summer Institute of Linguistics</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Nyauma|first=Shem|date=2014|title=A Phonological Reconstruction Of Ekegusii And Egekuria Nouns: A Comparative Analysis|url=http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11295/99544/Nyauma_A%20Phonological%20Reconstruction%20of%20Ekegusii%20and%20Egekuria%20Nouns-a%20Comparative%20Analysis.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y|journal=Masters Thesis, University of Nairobi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Alphabets of Africa|publisher=UNESCO Regional Office in Dakar (BREDA)|year=1993|editor-last=Hartell|editor-first=Rhonda|url=https://archive.org/details/rosettaproject_kuj_ortho-1|pages=186|isbn=((92-9091-020-3))}}</ref>

|-----
! Ekegusii Alphabet
| A || B || C || D || E || Ë || G || H || I || K || M || N ||  O || Ö || R || S || T || U || W || Y || ei || ie || io || oi || - || - || - || - || -
|-----
! Ekegusii Consonants
| Mb || Bw || mbw || Ch || Nch || Chw || Nchw || Nd || Ndw ||  Ng || Gw || Ngw || Ng' || Ng'w || Ny || Nyw || Nk || Kw || Nkw || Mw || Nw || Rw || Ns || Sw || Nsw || Nt || Tw || Ntw || Yw 
|-----
|}

==Ekegusii Noun Classes==
=== Samples 1 ===

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="6" |Ekegusii Noun Class
|-
!
!Class
!Singular
!Gloss
!Plural
!Gloss
|-
|1
|omo-aba
|omonto
|person/human
|abanto
|people/humans
|-
|2
|omo-eme
|omotwe
|head
|emetwe
|head
|-
|3
|e-ch
|eng'ombe
|cow
|chiombe
|cows
|-
|4
|ege-ebi
|egekombe
|cup
|ebikombe
|cups
|-
|5
|ri-ama
|ritunda
|fruit
|amatunda
|fruits
|-
|6
|o-o
|obwoba
|cowardness
|obwoba
|cowardness
|-
|7
|e-e
|ekegusii
|ekegusii
| -----------
| -----------
|-
|8
|ama-ama
|amabere
|milk
|amabere
|milk
|-
|9
|omo-i-seke
|omoiseke
|girl 
|aba-i-seke
|girls
|
|-
|10
|
|
|
| --------------
| ------------
|}

==Ekegusii Numeral System==
===Sample 2===

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="6" |Ekegusii Numeral System
|-
!Number 
!Reading
!Meaning
!Number
!Reading
!Meaning
|-
|1
|eyemo
|1
|11
|ikomi nemo
|10+1
|-
|2
|ibere
|2
|12
|ikomi na ibere
|10+2
|-
|3
|isato
|3
|13
|ikomi na isato
|10+3
|-
|4
|inye
|4
|14
|ikomi na inye
|10+4
|-
|5
|isano
|5
|15
|ikomi na isano
|10+5
|-
|6
|isano nemo
|5+1
|16
|ikomi na isano nemo
|10+5+1
|-
|7 
|isano na ibere
|5+2
|17
|ikomi na isano na ibere
|10+5+2
|-
|8
|isano na isato
|5+3
|18
|ikomi na isano na isato
|10+5+3
|-
|9
|kianda
|9
|19
|ikomi na kianda
|10+9
|-
|10
|ikomi
|10
|20
|emerongo ebere
|20
|}

==Sample phrases==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! English !! Ekegusii
|-
|''Good Morning''||''Bwakire buya''
|-
|''Good night''||''Obotuko obuya''
|-
|''Head''||''omotwe'' 
|-
|''Ear''||''ogoto''
|-
|''Water''||''amache''
|-
|''evening''||''magoroba''
|-
|''grandfather''||''sokoro''
|-
|''to know''||''komanya''
|-
|''to milk''||''gokama''
|-
|''donkey''||''etigere/ebunda''
|-
|''Earth''||''ense''
|-
|''Dwell''||''menya''
|-
|''Homeland''||''inka''
|-
|''Today''||''rero''
|-
|''Sun''||''risase/omobaso''
|-
|''Dog''||''esese''
|-
|-Red || embariri
|-
|''Stand''||''-tenena''
|-
|''Know''||''-manya''
|-
|''See''||''-rora''
|-
|''Upperside/Hillside''||''rogoro''
|-
|''Lake/Sea''||''enyancha''
|-
|Desert||eroro
|-
|Fighter||omorwani
|-
|Roll Over||-garagara
|-
|Milk||amabere
|-
|She goat||esibeni
|-
|Cowdung||esike
|-
|Lady||omosubati
|-
|Harvest (verb/noun)||gesa/rigesa
|-
|Cry||rera 
|-
|Walk||tara
|-
|Look||Rigereria
|-
|Tomorrow||mambia

|}

==Bibliography==

=== Bickmore, Lee ===
*1997. Problems in constraining High tone spread in Ekegusii. ''Lingua'', vol. 102, pp.&nbsp;265–290.
*1998. Metathesis and Dahl’s Law in Ekegusii. ''Studies in the Linguistic Sciences'', vol. 28:2, pp.&nbsp;149–168.
*1999. High Tone Spreading in Ekegusii Revisited: An Optimality Theoretic Account. ''Lingua'', vol. 109, pp.&nbsp;109–153.

=== Cammenga, Jelle ===
* 2002 ''Phonology and morphology of Ekegusii: a Bantu language of Kenya''. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.

=== Mreta, Abel Y. ===
* 2008. ''Kisimbiti: Msamiati wa Kisimbiti-Kiingereza-Kiswahili na Kiingereza-Kisimbiti-Kiswahili / Simbiti-English-Swahili and English-Simbiti-Swahili Lexicon''. Languages of Tanzania Project, LOT Publications Lexicon Series 7, 106 pp., {{ISBN|9987-691-09-9}}.

=== Nash, Carlos M. ===

* 2011. ''Tone in Ekegusii: A Description of Nominal And Verbal Tonology''. University of California, Santa Barbara.

=== Nyauncho, Osinde K. ===

* 1988. ''Ekegusii morphophonology: an analysis of the major consonantal processes''. University of Nairobi.

=== Whiteley, Wilfred H. ===
* 1956 ''A practical introduction to Gusii''. Dar es Salaam/Nairobi/Kampala: [[East African Literature Bureau]]. [http://troyspier.com/A%20Practical%20Introduction%20to%20Gusii%20-%20Whiteley%20(1956).pdf Available Here]
* 1960 ''The tense system of Gusii''. Kampala: East African Institute of Social Research.
* 1974 ''Language in Kenya''. Nairobi: Oxford University Press.

=== Omonyi, Moses Mark. ===
* 2020 ''Local languages-Ekegusii''. Kibabii University

==See also==
* [[Languages of Kenya]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*  [http://www.gusii.com Gusii.com] The Gusii Language Blog
* [http://www.suttonelms.org.uk/ekegusii2.html Ekegusii Encyclopedic Project] & {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110207212728/http://www.ekegusiiencyclopedia.com/Ensaki/ online Encyclopedia/Dictionary]}}
*[https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-01-25/american-soft-power-has-helped-kenyan-mans-efforts-ensure-future-his-mother American soft power has helped this Kenyan man's efforts to ensure a future for his mother tongue]—report by Patrick Cox for [[Public Radio International]] (January 26, 207)

===Listening===
* [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5371609 National Public Radio story about Kisii language] (from ''All Things Considered'' program, April 29, 2006)

{{Languages of Kenya}}
{{Narrow Bantu languages (Zones E–H)}}
{{Narrow Bantu languages (Zones J–M)}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Kisii| ]]
[[Category:Great Lakes Bantu languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Kenya]]