The eastern Nilotes: linguistics and historical reconstructions

informants. Phonetically, however, I would choose to spell the
name jiaggwara (language: kutuk na jiaogwara ), and use Nyang-
gwara. in orthography. The labio-velar gb in my own BARI data
occurs in Ku but not in Na. In any case gb is not phonemical-
ly distinct from gw , i.e., the two seem to be in free varia-
tion.

Na is spoken by approximately 20,000 people (cf. Tucker &
Bryan, loc.cit.). My informants were Mr. Nason L e m i , then 30
years old, and Mr. William Labi Y o e 1 e , then 25 years old. Both
were born and grew up in Gworokorongo. Mr. Lemi is a medical as-
sistant in the service of the Ministry of Health. Mr. Yoele is a
first- year student at the University of Juba. Both speak English
and Arabic.

7.1.6. Ngyepu (Ne)

Ne is the dialect having the smallest number of speakers of
all BARI language forms; in Tucker & Bryan (1956:107) it is given
as approximately 3,000. To my knowledge, no linguistic data on
this language have ever been published.

None of the name variants for Ne listed in Tucker & Bryan
(loc.cit.) seem to satisfy the phonetic spelling, the language
name being kutuk na gyepu .

My informants were Mr. Mike Rob a, then 21 years old, and Mr.
Nelson L o k i r i, then 26 years old; both were born in Gaderu
and lived in Uganda for some years: Mr. Roba between 1966 and
1973, and Mr. Lokiri 1963-1977. Mr. Roba is now a student at Juba
Secondary School; apart from his mother tongue, he speaks English,
Swahili, and a little Arabic. Mr. Lokiri is a student of economics
at the University of Juba; he has practical knowledge of English,
Swahili, and a little Arabic.

7.1.7. Pdjulu (P6)

Pd is spoken by roughly 25,000 people in the Southern Sudan
and Zaire. In literature it is mostly given as Pajulu, Fadjulu,

162

THE LANGUAGES INVOLVED

or Fajelu (Tucker & Bryan 1956:107), but according to my inform-
ant, the Pdjulu know their own language as kutuk na p&julu .

A short vocabulary was published in Czekanowski 1924 which I
shall refer to occasionally. All other data are my own. My inform-
ant was Mr. Alesio Kani, then 24 years old; he was born and
grew up in Berika. Mr. Wani speaks Po , English, (Juba) Arabic,
Lingala, and a little Swahili; he works as a senior community
development officer for the Ministry of Co-operatives and Rural
Development in Juba.

7.1.8. Karimojong (Km)

Of all languages compared, Km is an exception in so far as I
was not in a position to carry out my own field work in Uganda
due to the political circumstances prevalent at that time. More-
over, apart from few grammatical notes in Tucker & Bryan 1966 and
a short vocabulary in Johnston 1904, no reliable sources for this
language were available to me. I am therefore indebted to Profes-
sor 0. K5hler for giving me access to an unpublished 200-item
word-list he had collected in 1970. The Karimojong number about
56,000 people; they call their own language a-karimojoQ , or
a-karamojoQ (Tucker & Bryan 1956:110).

7.1.9. Teso (Te)

The Teso people whose language name is a-teso , number about
465,000 speakers in Uganda and approximately 45,000 (c. 86,000
according to Heine 1980:57) in Kenya, i.e., altogether more than
half a million (cf. Tucker & Bryan 1956:111).

My own data collected in September 1977 only represent re as
spoken in Kenya. Information on 'Uganda Te % is taken from Hilders
& Lawrance 1956 and 1958. Otherwise no other sources are used in
this study.

My chief informants were the Rev. Festo Barasa Okonyene,
then c. 50 years old, and his wife Susa, and Mr. Maurice
Ettyanga, then 32 years old. Rev. Okonyene was born and grew
jtp in Myanga, Busia District, Kenya. Mr. Ettyanga who is a prima -

163

Rgdaktion: Rainer Vo0en

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The eastern Nilotes: linguist, and histor.
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