Datooga language
Encyclopedia
The Datooga language is a Nilotic language
, or actually a dialect cluster, of the Southern
group. It is spoken by the Datooga people of the Great Rift Valley
of Tanzania
.
The name is variously spelled Datog, Tatoga, or Tatog. The Sukuma
name Taturu is also sometimes used in English; the Swahili
name Mang'ati comes from Maasai
, where it means "enemy". However, it is not considered offensive to the Datooga, as there is a degree of pride in being the historic enemy of the Maasai. In addition, numerous tribal and dialectal names may be found for the people or language as a whole.
Dialect diversity is great enough to make mutual intelligibility
difficult. Dialects are often assumed to correspond to the seven Datooga tribes, but the speech of the Gisamjanga (Kisamajeng, Gisamjang) and the Barabaig
, for example, are very close, and can be considered a single dialect. The other dialects, with alternate spellings, are:
Ethnologue 16 mentions several other varieties of uncertain nature: Darorajega, Gidang'odiga, Bisiyeda, Daragwajega, Salawajega, Ghumbiega, Mangatiga, the last presumably just the Maasai and Swahili name. The suffixes -da and -ga on these names and many Datooga nouns are equivalent to English the.
Datooga has been strongly influenced by South Cushitic languages
previously spoken in the area where Datooga has taken over. This is especially apparent in the vowels, which are the five-vowel /a e i o u/ system of the Cushitic languages rather than the nine-vowel system based on tongue-root vowel harmony
found in most Nilotic languages. In turn, Datooga has strongly influenced the Iraqw language
which has occupied much former Datooga territory and has absorbed Datooga through intermarriage; for example, the Iraqw use Datooga vocabulary for poetic language.
Datooga has a verb-initial word order
, but the relative order of subject and object reflects pragmatic concerns. Grammatical case
is marked by tone
in a marked nominative system. Numbers follow nouns, and question words come at the end of a clause. The numeral system
is vigesimal
, but domestic animals are counted in pairs, so that the word used for 'five' when counting other objects means 'ten' when referring to goats or cattle.
Final vowels are often devoiced, as may be the consonants which proceed them, which is why Barabayiiga for example is commonly transcribed as Barabaik.
The Datooga are one of the least educated peoples in Tanzania, and there is almost no literacy in the language; literacy in Swahili is 1%, and no more than 10% of Datooga have more than a smattering of spoken Swahili. However, one or two dialects have been reduced to writing.
Nilotic languages
The Nilotic languages are a group of Eastern Sudanic languages spoken across a wide area between southern Sudan and Tanzania by the Nilotic peoples, particularly associated with cattle-herding...
, or actually a dialect cluster, of the Southern
Southern Nilotic languages
The Southern Nilotic languages are spoken mainly in western Kenya and northern Tanzania . They are generally divided into two groups, Kalenjin and Omotik–Datooga, although there is some uncertainty as to the internal coherence of the Kalenjin branch...
group. It is spoken by the Datooga people of the Great Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
of Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
.
The name is variously spelled Datog, Tatoga, or Tatog. The Sukuma
Sukuma language
Sukuma is a Bantu language spoken by over five million people in central Tanzania. It forms a dialect continuum with Nyamwezi, but is more distinct from other neighboring languages....
name Taturu is also sometimes used in English; the Swahili
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
name Mang'ati comes from Maasai
Maasai language
The Maasai language is an Eastern Nilotic language spoken in Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania by the Maasai people, numbering about 800,000...
, where it means "enemy". However, it is not considered offensive to the Datooga, as there is a degree of pride in being the historic enemy of the Maasai. In addition, numerous tribal and dialectal names may be found for the people or language as a whole.
Dialect diversity is great enough to make mutual intelligibility
Mutual intelligibility
In linguistics, mutual intelligibility is recognized as a relationship between languages or dialects in which speakers of different but related languages can readily understand each other without intentional study or extraordinary effort...
difficult. Dialects are often assumed to correspond to the seven Datooga tribes, but the speech of the Gisamjanga (Kisamajeng, Gisamjang) and the Barabaig
Barabaig
The Barabaig are a tribe of the Datooga people based in the northern volcanic highlands near Mount Hanang in Tanzania.Many Barabaig were forcibly evicted from the Basotu Plains in the 1990s to make room for a large-scale wheat-growing project of the Canadian and Tanzanian governments....
, for example, are very close, and can be considered a single dialect. The other dialects, with alternate spellings, are:
- Bajuta
- Barabayiiga (Barabaig, Barabayga, Barabaik, Barbaig)
- Tsimajeega (Isimijeega)
- Rootigaanga (Rotigenga, Rotigeenga)
- Buraadiiga (Buradiga, Bureadiga)
- Bianjiida (Biyanjiida, Utatu)
Ethnologue 16 mentions several other varieties of uncertain nature: Darorajega, Gidang'odiga, Bisiyeda, Daragwajega, Salawajega, Ghumbiega, Mangatiga, the last presumably just the Maasai and Swahili name. The suffixes -da and -ga on these names and many Datooga nouns are equivalent to English the.
Datooga has been strongly influenced by South Cushitic languages
South Cushitic languages
The South Cushitic or Rift languages of Tanzania belong to the Afro-Asiatic family. The most numerous is Iraqw, with half a million speakers.-Classification:...
previously spoken in the area where Datooga has taken over. This is especially apparent in the vowels, which are the five-vowel /a e i o u/ system of the Cushitic languages rather than the nine-vowel system based on tongue-root vowel harmony
Vowel harmony
Vowel harmony is a type of long-distance assimilatory phonological process involving vowels that occurs in some languages. In languages with vowel harmony, there are constraints on which vowels may be found near each other....
found in most Nilotic languages. In turn, Datooga has strongly influenced the Iraqw language
Iraqw language
Not to be confused with Iroquois language.Iraqw is a Cushitic language spoken in Tanzania in the Arusha and Manyara Regions. It is expanding in numbers, as the Iraqw people absorb neighboring ethnic groups. The language has a large number of Datooga loanwords, especially in poetic language...
which has occupied much former Datooga territory and has absorbed Datooga through intermarriage; for example, the Iraqw use Datooga vocabulary for poetic language.
Datooga has a verb-initial word order
Word order
In linguistics, word order typology refers to the study of the order of the syntactic constituents of a language, and how different languages can employ different orders. Correlations between orders found in different syntactic subdomains are also of interest...
, but the relative order of subject and object reflects pragmatic concerns. Grammatical case
Grammatical case
In grammar, the case of a noun or pronoun is an inflectional form that indicates its grammatical function in a phrase, clause, or sentence. For example, a pronoun may play the role of subject , of direct object , or of possessor...
is marked by tone
Tone (linguistics)
Tone is the use of pitch in language to distinguish lexical or grammatical meaning—that is, to distinguish or inflect words. All verbal languages use pitch to express emotional and other paralinguistic information, and to convey emphasis, contrast, and other such features in what is called...
in a marked nominative system. Numbers follow nouns, and question words come at the end of a clause. The numeral system
Numeral system
A numeral system is a writing system for expressing numbers, that is a mathematical notation for representing numbers of a given set, using graphemes or symbols in a consistent manner....
is vigesimal
Vigesimal
The vigesimal or base 20 numeral system is based on twenty .- Places :...
, but domestic animals are counted in pairs, so that the word used for 'five' when counting other objects means 'ten' when referring to goats or cattle.
Final vowels are often devoiced, as may be the consonants which proceed them, which is why Barabayiiga for example is commonly transcribed as Barabaik.
The Datooga are one of the least educated peoples in Tanzania, and there is almost no literacy in the language; literacy in Swahili is 1%, and no more than 10% of Datooga have more than a smattering of spoken Swahili. However, one or two dialects have been reduced to writing.