Nalu
Native toGuinea, Guinea-Bissau
Native speakers
23,000 (2017–2018)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3naj
Glottolognalu1240
ELPNalu

Nalu (nalɛ, nul;[2] also spelled Nalou[3]) is an Atlantic language of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, spoken by the Nalu people, a West African people who settled the region before the arrival of the Mandinka in the 14th or 15th centuries.[4] It is spoken predominantly by adults. It is estimated to be spoken by a range of 10,000 to 25,000 people,[3] whereas Wilson (2007) reports that there are around 12,000 speakers.[2] It is considered an endangered language due to its dwindling population of speakers.[5]

Classification

Contrary to prior classifications, Güldemann (2018) classifies Nalu as unclassified within Niger-Congo. It also does not form a subgroup with the Rio Nunez languages.[6]

Nalu is traditionally classified as Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Mbulugish-Nalu.[7][8]

History

The Nalu people who speak Nalu have been described as settling in West Africa before the Mandinka people.[9] This would place them as existing in West Africa between the 14th and 15th centuries. Wilson (2007) reports that the Nalu people had originally come from Guinea-Bissau.[2]

Today, the Nalu speakers are shifting toward the Susu language which is gaining more popularity in Guinea.[10] It has a predominantly adult-speaking population. The next generation is being passed on the language, however, in a few remote villages around Katoufoura.

Geographic distribution

Nalu is spoken predominantly on the littorals, or shore regions, of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.[11] Most Nalu speakers in Guinea live north of the Nuñez River on the Tristão islands, in the sub-prefecture of Kanfarandé which is the prefecture of Boké. In Guinea-Bissau, most speakers of Nalu live in the Cacine estuary in the Tombali region.[12]

Phonology

Consonants[2]
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Labiovelar
Plosive p b t d c g gb
Fricative f θ, s h
Nasal m n ŋ
Approximant w r, l j
Vowels[2]
Front Central Back
High i iː u uː
Mid-high e eː o oː
Mid-low ɛ ɛː ɔ ɔː
Low a aː
  • It is unclear whether vowel length is phonemic.

Vocabulary

Nalu underwent a sound change in its language.[13] Sound change generally occurs due to what sounds require less effort for the speaker. These sound changes are usually limited to each dialect in a language and examples of the Nalu language sound changes are in the section below. Nalu has six dialects. Three are spoken in Guinea-Conakry and three are spoken in Guinée-Bissau.[13] However, the relationship between the dialects is unknown.

Examples

Nouns [13][14]

English Nalu
man be-cel
dirty/black m-balax
cold m-hon
arrow n-kiam
axe n-wōfañ
blood a-nyak
bow m-firl
brother n-wōke
chief/king m-fem/be-fem
devil/evil spirit m-banjon
medicine man (doctor) mi-let
fire met
god gu-dana
moon m-bilañ
night fot
slave m-bōl
snake mi-sis

Verbs[14]

English Nalu
to come m-ba
to kill rama
to die n-ref

Sound Changes Over Time[13]

English Pre-Sound Change Nalu Post-Sound Change Nalu
bone nhol a-hol
mouth n-sol a-sol
to kill m-rama rama
man nlam-cel be-cel
eye n-cet a-cet

References

  1. ↑ Nalu at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Wilson, William André Auquier. 2007. Guinea Languages of the Atlantic group: description and internal classification. (Schriften zur Afrikanistik, 12.) Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.
  3. 1 2 "Did you know Nalu is vulnerable?". Endangered Languages. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
  4. ↑ Seidel, Frank (2012). "Language Documentation of Nalu in Guinea, West Africa" (PDF). Center for African Studies Research Report: 18.
  5. ↑ Hair, P. E. H. (1967). "Ethnolinguistic Continuity on the Guinea Coast". The Journal of African History. 8 (2): 253. doi:10.1017/s0021853700007040. JSTOR 179482. S2CID 161528479.
  6. ↑ Güldemann, Tom (2018). "Historical linguistics and genealogical language classification in Africa". In Güldemann, Tom (ed.). The Languages and Linguistics of Africa. The World of Linguistics series. Vol. 11. Berlin: De Gruyter Mouton. pp. 58–444. doi:10.1515/9783110421668-002. ISBN 978-3-11-042606-9. S2CID 133888593.
  7. ↑ "Nalu". The Endangered Languages Project. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
  8. ↑ Simons, G. & Fennig, C. "Nalu". Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Retrieved 2017-03-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ↑ Rodney, Walter (1970). A History of the Upper Guinea Coast. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  10. ↑ Seidel, Frank (2017). "Nalu Language Archive". Endangered Languages Archive. Retrieved 2017-03-07.
  11. ↑ Appiah, K. & Gates, H. (2010). Encyclopedia of Africa. Oxford University Press. p. 213.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  12. ↑ "Project Gallery". Endangered Language Documentation Programme. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Voeltz, F. K. Erhard (1996). "Les Langues de la Guinée". Cahiers d'Étude des Langues Guinéennes. 1: 24–25.
  14. 1 2 Johnston, H (1919). A Comparative Study of the Bantu and Semi-Bantu Languages. Clarendon Press: Oxford. pp. 750–772).
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