| Luo | |
|---|---|
| Lwo, Lwoo, Luwoian | |
| Geographic distribution | southwestern Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, northeastern Congo (DRC), northern Uganda, southwestern Kenya, northern Tanzania |
| Ethnicity | Luo peoples |
| Linguistic classification | Nilo-Saharan? |
| Subdivisions | |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | lwoo1234 |
The dozen Luo, Lwo or Lwoian languages are spoken by the Luo peoples in an area ranging from southern Sudan to western Ethiopia to southern Kenya, with Dholuo extending into northern Tanzania and Alur into the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They form one of the two branches of the Western Nilotic family, the other being the Dinka–Nuer. The Southern Luo varieties are mutually intelligible, and apart from ethnic identity they might be considered a single language.[ citation needed ]
The time depth of the division of the Luo languages is moderate, perhaps close to two millennia. The division within the Southern Luo language dialect cluster is considerably shallower, perhaps five to eight centuries, reflecting migrations due to the impact of the Islamization of the Sudan region. [1]
The Luo languages are classified within the Glottolog database as follows: [2]
The Southern Luo languages are linguistically distinct from the Kumam and Lango languages, which are associated with the Ateker (also known as Hamitic) peoples.
The modern Kumam language is documented as a hybrid dialect combining elements of Luo and Ateso. Historical evidence indicates that the Kumam people adopted aspects of the Luo language following their migration to their present-day location in Uganda. [3] .
Some scholars[ who? ] challenge that the Lango language is not a Southern Luo language. According to one perspective, the Lango people acquired Luo linguistic elements after settling in their current territory in Uganda, due to geographical proximity to Luo-speaking communities. Contemporary Lango is characterised as a mixed dialect that incorporates modified Luo speech patterns while preserving Hamitic vocabulary from their ancestral language. [4]
According to Mechthild Reh, the Northern Luo languages are classified as follows: [5]