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Taita

Taita is an Atlantic-Congo language spoken in Kenya and Tanzania.

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Taita · 3.8°S 38.6°E

Taita is a Bantu language spoken in the Taita Hills of Kenya. It is closely related to the Chaga languages of Kenya and Tanzania. The Saghala (Sagala, Sagalla) variety is distinct enough to be considered a language separate from the Dawʼida and Kasigau dialects.

Dawʼida and Saghala contain loanwords from two different South Cushitic languages, called Taita Cushitic, which are now extinct. It is likely that the Cushitic speakers were assimilated fairly recently, since lateral obstruents in the loanwords were still pronounced as such within living memory. However, those consonants have now been replaced by Bantu sounds.

The Taveta language was mistaken for Dawʼida by Jouni Maho in his (2009) classification of Bantu languages. However, it is a distinct language, lexically and grammatically closest to Chasu (Pare).

From Wikipedia · Taita language · CC BY-SA 4.0

Words in Taita

MeaningWordRomanization
personndu*
namerina*
eyeriso*
eardu*
nosebua*
toothghegho*
tonguemi*
bloodpagha*
bonendi*
skinkanda*
kneetemberu*
breastyodo*
liverdima*
watermachi
sunrubha*
staryeri5eri*
stonegho*
mountainghondi*
treedi*
leaflemba*
nighto*
dogSi*
fishluma*
lousenda*
onemweri*
twoibhi*
drinknywa*
seebhona*
hearsikira*
diefwa*

* in the simplified ASJP transcription

Most similar languages

Vocabulary

  • TavetaAtlantic-Congo62% alike
  • SagallaAtlantic-Congo47% alike
  • AsuAtlantic-Congo36% alike
  • MachameAtlantic-Congo33% alike
  • MeruAtlantic-Congo32% alike
  • MochiAtlantic-Congo32% alike

Vocabulary compares 40 basic words (ASJP); grammar compares 195 features (Grambank). Similar is not always related.

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Elsewhere

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Glottolog · tait1250 · Wikipedia (English) · Ethnologue · dav