Tu banner alternativo

Lendu language

In today's world, Lendu language is an issue that affects us all in one way or another. Whether it is personal, professional or social life, Lendu language has a significant impact on our lives. That is why it is crucial to understand more about this topic, to be able to make informed decisions and act consciously. In this article, we will explore different aspects related to Lendu language, from its origins to its relevance today. We will also analyze the implications it has in different contexts and the possible solutions that are being proposed. Join us on this tour through the fascinating world of Lendu language!

Tu banner alternativo
Lendu
Balendru
Native toDemocratic Republic of Congo
EthnicityLendu, Hema, Alur, Okebu
Native speakers
(760,000, including Ndrulo cited 1996)[1]
Dialects
  • Badha
Language codes
ISO 639-3led
Glottologlend1245
Linguasphere03-BAD

The Lendu language is a Central Sudanic language spoken by the Balendru, an ethno-linguistic agriculturalist group residing in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in the area west and northwest of Lake Albert, specifically the Ituri Province. It is one of the most populous of the Central Sudanic languages. There are three-quarters of a million Lendu speakers in the DRC. A conflict between the Lendu and the Hema was the basis of the Ituri conflict.[2]

Besides the Balendru, Lendu is spoken as a native language by a portion of the Hema, Alur, and Okebu. In Uganda, the Lendu tribe live in the districts of Nebbi and Zombo districts, northwest of Lake Albert.[citation needed]

Names

Ethnologue gives Bbadha as an alternate name of Lendu, but Blench (2000) lists Badha as a distinct language. A draft listing of Nilo-Saharan languages, available from his website and dated 2012, lists Lendu/Badha.

Phonology

Vowels

Front Central Back
Close i u
Near-close ɪ ʊ
Mid ɛ ə ɔ
Open a

Consonants

Labial Dental/
Alveolar 		Post-
alveolar 		Palatal Velar Labial-
velar 		Glottal
central sibilant
Nasal m n ɲ (ŋ)
Stop/
Affricate 		voiceless p t t͡s t͡ʃ k k͡p ʔ
voiced b d d͡z d͡ʒ ɟ ɡ ɡ͡b
prenasal ᵐb ⁿd ᶮd͡ʒ ᵑɡ ᵑᵐɡ͡b
vl. implosive ɓ̥ ɗ̥ ʄ̊
vd. implosive ɓ ɗ ʄ
Fricative voiceless f θ s ʃ h
voiced v ð z ʒ
prenasal ⁿz
Rhotic r ɽ
Approximant plain l j w
glottalized ʼw
  • is mainly heard as an allophone of /n/ when preceding velar consonants.

Implosives

Demolin (1995)[3] posits that Lendu has voiceless implosives, /ɓ̥ ɗ̥ ʄ̊/ (/ƥ ƭ ƈ/). However, Goyvaerts (1988)[4] had described these as creaky-voiced implosives /ɓ̰ ɗ̰ ʄ̰/, as in Hausa, contrasting with a series of modally voiced implosives /ɓ ɗ ʄ/ as in Kalabari, and Ladefoged judges that this seems to be a more accurate description.[5]

References

  1. ^ Lendu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ "AFRICA | 101 Last Tribes - Lendu people". www.101lasttribes.com. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  3. ^ Demolin, Didier. 1995. The phonetics and phonology of glottalized consonants in Lendu. In Connell, Bruce and Arvaniti, Amalia (eds.), Phonology and Phonetic Evidence. Papers in Laboratory Phonology IV, 368-385. Cambridge Univ. Press.
  4. ^ Goyvaerts, Didier L. 1988. Glottalized Consonants a New Dimension. Belgian Journal of Linguistics 3. 97-102. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins Publishing Company.
  5. ^ Ladefoged, Peter; Maddieson, Ian (1996). The Sounds of the World's Languages. Oxford: Blackwell. pp. 87–89. ISBN 0-631-19815-6.
  • Kutsch-Lojenga, Constance. 1989. The Secret behind Vowelless Syllables in Lendu. Journal of African Languages and Linguistics 11. 115–126. Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter.
  • Tucker, Archibald N. 1940. Lendu. In The Eastern Sudanic Languages: Volume I, 380–418. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Trifkovic, Mirjana. 1977. Tone preserving vowel reduction in Lendu. Studies in African Linguistics 8. 121–125.
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia