Gikuyu language
| Kikuyu | |
|---|---|
| Gĩkũyũ | |
| Pronunciation | [ɣēkōjó] |
| Native to | Kenya Tanzania Uganda |
| Region | Central Province |
| Ethnicity | Agĩkũyũ |
|
Native speakers
|
6.6 million (2009 census) |
|
Niger–Congo
|
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | ki |
| ISO 639-2 | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | kiku1240 |
E.51 |
|
| Kikuyu | |
|---|---|
| People | Agĩkũyũ |
| Language | Gĩgĩkũyũ |
Kikuyu or Gikuyu (Kikuyu: Gĩkũyũ [ɣēkōjó]) is a language of the Bantu family spoken primarily by the Kikuyu people (Agĩkũyũ) of Kenya. Numbering about 7 million (22% of Kenya's population), they are the largest ethnic group in Kenya. Kikuyu is spoken in the area between Nyeri and Nairobi. Kikuyu is one of the five languages of the Thagichu subgroup of the Bantu languages, which stretches from Kenya to Tanzania. The Kikuyu people usually identify their lands by the surrounding mountain ranges in Central Kenya which they call Kĩrĩnyaga.
Kikuyu has four main mutually intelligible dialects. The Central Province districts are divided along the traditional boundaries of these dialects, which are Kîrînyaga, Mûrang'a, Nyeri and Kiambu. The Kikuyu from Kîrînyaga are composed of two main sub-dialects – the Ndia and Gichugu who speak the dialects Kĩndia and Gĩgĩcũgũ. The Gicugus and the Ndias do not have the "ch" or "sh" sound, and will use the "s" sound instead, hence the pronunciation of "Gĩcũgũ" as opposed to "Gĩchũgũ". To hear Ndia being spoken, one needs to be in Kerugoya, the largest town in Kîrînyaga. Other home towns for the Ndia, where purer forms of the dialect are spoken, are located in the tea-growing areas of Kagumo, and the cool Kangaita hills. Lower down the slopes is Kutus, which is a bustling dusty town with so many influences from the other dialects that it is difficult to distinguish between them.
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Wikipedia