Nuer language

The Nuer language (Thok Naath, "people's language") is a Nilotic language of the Western Nilotic group. It is spoken by the Nuer people of South Sudan and in western Ethiopia (region of Gambela). The language is very similar to Dinka and Atuot.

The language is written with a Latin-based alphabet. There are several dialects of Nuer, although all share one written standard. For example, final /k/, is pronounced in the Jikany dialect but is dropped in other dialects despite being indicated in the Nuer orthography used by all.

Phonology

The Nuer language has many sounds, but scientists have not yet fully studied all of them. Some sounds might not be very different from each other. At the end of words, whether a sound is voiced or not doesn’t change the meaning.

Vowels in Nuer can be long or short and can be spoken in different ways. Some special symbols are used to write these sounds. One vowel, {æ}, is used very little. The sound {i} at the end of a word is always spoken in a special way. There aren’t many differences between some short vowel sounds. Researchers have found only a few cases where the pitch of the voice changes the meaning of words.

Nominal inflection

Nuer nouns change to show whether they are singular (one) or plural (many), and they also have different forms for three cases: nominative, genitive, and locative. At first, this looks very confusing because only two suffixes are used in many different ways, along with changes in the sounds of the words. However, scientists have found some patterns that help explain how these changes work.

There are several ways to make a plural noun in Nuer. One common way is to add a special ending to the end of the singular noun. For example, the suffix -ni̱ is added to words that do not end in certain sounds, while words ending in other sounds use a different suffix. Besides adding endings, plural nouns can also be formed by changing vowels, adding new sounds, or even completely changing the word. Every noun in Nuer can show whether it is singular or plural in this way, including words borrowed from other languages.

Dialects

The Nuer language has many different dialects, or ways of speaking, used by different groups of people. Some of these dialects include Eastern Jikany, Abigar, Western Jikany, Cien, Lou, Nyuong, Thiang, Bul Chol, Gawaar, Laak, Jagei, Leek, Dok, and Haak. These dialects are all part of the Nuer language, which is spoken mainly in South Sudan and Ethiopia.

Nuer communities

The Nuer language is spoken by the Nuer people in South Sudan and in western Ethiopia. Different groups of Nuer live in various areas, each with their own dialects. For example, the Jikany Nuer live in Western Ethiopia and parts of South Sudan.

In Unity State Bentiu, there are seven counties where different Nuer groups make their homes. These include Guit County, Mayom County, Rubkona County, Koch County, Mayiandit County, Leer County, and Payinjiar County. Each county has its own community. Many Nuer people also live in Omaha, Nebraska in the United States, where they have formed a strong community.

Sample phrases

Here is a simple phrase in the Nuer language:

Nuer: Naath dial diethɛ kɛ a lɔr kä päärkɛ kɛ ciaŋ malä a mäni cuŋkiɛn.

English: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood”.

(Main article: Universal Declaration of Human Rights)

Writing system

The Nuer language uses an alphabet with 39 distinct letters, shown in both uppercase and lowercase styles. A line under a vowel, like a̱, shows that it is pronounced with a special breathy voice. Some vowels, like ä, u, and final i, are always breathy. When a vowel is written twice, like in the word raan meaning "person," it shows that the vowel is long.

The Nuer writing system was adopted in 1928 and has had some small changes since then. Both the Dinka and the Nuer agreed that their languages were different enough to have their own writing systems, but they shared some rules. For example, they decided that certain sounds would always be written in specific ways, such as using "th" for certain interdental consonants and "c" for voiceless alveolo-palatal consonants. The Nuer alphabet includes letters like d, k, l, m, n, p, t, w, g, j, r, y, ŋ, ny, th, dh, nh, ɣ, c, a, e, i, o, u, and ö.