Jur language

Luwo (Luo, Dheluwo), is a language spoken by the Luo people of Bahr el Ghazal region in South Sudan. The language is predominantly spoken in the western and northern parts of Bahr el Ghazal. The Luwo form a majority in the Jur River County.

The language is part of the Luo languages of East Africa and is especially related to the languages of South Sudan such as Anyuak and Päri with whom it forms a dialect cluster.^[2]

Etymology

The Luwo language is spoken by the Luwo (or Jur Col), an ethnic group in South Sudan. Jur is exonym adopted from the local Dinka language whose speakers are the Luwo's northern and eastern neighbours.^[3] Its original Dinka usage, non-cattle-holding non-Dinka, was not particular to the Jur. Jur Col ("black Jur") is today used to disambiguate Luwo from other Jur groups.^{[citation needed]}

Status

Dhe Luwo is currently a developing language. Meaning that the language is developing its written language, standard dialect and undergoing modernization.^[4]

Phonology

Consonants

• /k/ can sometimes be heard as [ɣ] in intervocalic position.
• /ŋ/ can sometimes be heard as [h] in intervocalic position among speakers of the eastern dialects.
• /r/ can be heard as a tap [ɾ] in word-final position.
• All consonant sounds except the voiced stops /b, d̪, d, ɟ, ɡ/ and the two glides /w, j/ can occur as geminated [Cː].
• Labialization [Cʷ] may occur among all consonants except /d̪, ɟ, n̪, n, r, w, j/.
• Palatalization [Cʲ] may occur among consonants /t, c, d̪, ɡ, m, l/.^[5]

Vowels

Sample phrases

References