Katla | |
---|---|
Kaalak | |
Native to | Sudan |
Region | Nuba Hills |
Ethnicity | Katla, Gulud |
Native speakers | 25,000 Julud (2009)
[1] Possibly 14,000 Katla (1984) [2] |
Niger–Congo?
| |
Dialects |
|
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 |
kcr |
Glottolog |
katl1237 Katla
julu1237 Julud |
ELP | Katla |
Katla (also Kaalak or Kwaalak) is a Katla language, closely related to a neighbouring language called Tima. Katla is generally classified as Kordofanian, which is not a uniform branch, and is native to the Nuba Mountains (Birgit Hellwig 2013:238). While Jalad is seen a dialect there is a clear distinction between the two groups. Similarly one can distinguish Katla into east and west Katla dialects (Brigit Hellwig 2013: 238), it is believed to be spoken in 11 villages around Jebel Katla and their ethnicity is kàlàk (Brigit Hellwig 2013: 238).
The variety Julud is mutually intelligible with Katla-Kulharong but not with Katla-Cakom.
Labial | Dental | Alveolar |
Post- alveolar |
Velar |
Labial- velar |
Glottal | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plosive | voiceless | t̪ | t | ( c) | k | k͡p | ( ʔ) | |
voiced | b | d̪ | d | ɟ | ɡ | ɡ͡b | ||
prenasal | ᵐb | ⁿd̪ | ⁿd | ᶮɟ | ᵑɡ | |||
Fricative | s | ( ʃ) | h | |||||
Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ||||
Rhotic | r | ɽ | ||||||
Approximant | w | l | j |
Sounds [c] and [ʃ] occur as realizations of /s/. [3]
Labial | Dental/ Alveolar | Retroflex | Palatal | Velar | Labial-velar | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Plosive | voiceless | t̪ | ʈ | k | k͡p | ||
voiced | b | d̪ | ɖ | ɟ | ɡ | ɡ͡b | |
prenasal | ᵐb | ⁿd̪ | ᶯɖ | ᶮɟ | ᵑɡ | ||
Fricative | f | s | ʃ | ||||
Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |||
Rhotic | r | ɽ | |||||
Approximant | w | l | j |
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i | u | |
Mid | e | ə | o |
ɛ | ɔ | ||
Open | a |
/i, u/ can also be realized as [ɪ, ʊ]. [3]
Front | Central | Back | |
---|---|---|---|
Close | i | u | |
ɪ | ʊ | ||
Mid | e | ə | o |
ɛ | ɔ | ||
Open | ɐ | ||
a |
Most of the time nouns in Katla do not have a plural, either numbers are put in front of the word or a quantifier is used. Often loanwords do not follow this rule and therefore change in their plural form (Meinhof 1917: 219 )
In some cases Katla places the genitive after the subject, as in other Sudanese languages: ‚u gbalana‘ " the dog’s owner ". Usually this is avoided and put in between both nouns: ‚gas i gu‘ „the dog’s head“ (Meinhof 1917:221)
The subjective case is put infringement of the verb. In the case of multiple objects each one gets a case:
‘gu šekemole retet’ “The dog bit the gazelle” (Meinhof 1917:221)
Ṇ- I
Dj- You
Y- She/He/It
Ni-, N-, Ń- We
Dj- You (pl.)
Y- They
1 tẹták
2 sẹk
3 hātẹd
4 agálam
5 jẹgwūlẹn
6 djọltẹn
7 djolēk
8 taṅgẹl
9 djalbatẹn
10 rākwẹs
Dialects and village locations: [1]