Keiyo language
Kalenjin language of Kenya
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Keiyo (Elgeyo) is a Kalenjin language spoken in western Kenya, in the southern part of the district of Elgeyo-Marakwet.[2]
The Elgeyo
Classification
Keiyo is one of the languages spoken by the Kalenjin people, and is part of a sub-group that also includes Nandi, Markweta and Kipsigis. These languages and dialects form, along with Datooga and Omotik, the Southern Nilotic languages sub-group of the Nilotic languages.[3]
Phonology
The tables below present the vowels[4] and consonants[5] of Keiyo.
Vowels
There are, additionally, ten long counterparts of each vowel.
Keiyo differentiates its vowels according to their place of articulation. They are either pronounced with the root of the tongue advanced, or with the root of the tongue retracted.[6] The vowels with the root of the tongue advanced are [i], [e], [o], [a], [u], as well as their long counterparts. The vowels with the root of the tongue contracted are [ɪ], [ɛ], [ɔ], [ɑ], [ʊ], as well as their long counterparts.
Consonants
Tone
Keiyo is a tonal language.
