Eastern Nilotic languages
| Eastern Nilotic | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution |
southwestern Ethiopia, eastern South Sudan, northeastern Uganda, western Kenya, northern Tanzania |
| Linguistic classification |
Nilo-Saharan?
|
| Subdivisions |
|
| Glottolog | east2418 |
The Eastern Nilotic languages are one of the three primary branches of the Nilotic languages, themselves belonging to the Eastern Sudanic subfamily of Nilo-Saharan; they are believed to have begun to diverge about 3,000 years ago, and have spread southwards from an original home in Equatoria in South Sudan. They are spoken across a large area in East Africa, ranging from Equatoria to the highlands of Tanzania. Their speakers are mostly cattle herders living in semi-arid or arid plains.
According to Vossen (1982), the Eastern Nilotic languages are basically classified as follows by the comparative method.
It is generally agreed upon that Bari forms a primary branch, but lower-level splits are less clear.
Vossen's classification using the Swadesh approach is as follows (Vossen 1982:114).
Vossen's classification using the Gleason approach is as follows (Vossen 1982:119).
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