Gciriku language

Gciriku
Manyo Rumanyo
Region	Okavango River
Ethnicity	Vagciriku, Vamanyo, Vashambyu
Native speakers	36,000  (date missing)
Language family	Niger–Congo Atlantic–Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Bantu Kavango–Southwest Kavango Gciriku
Dialects	Gciriku Shambyu Mbogedu (extinct)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	diu
Guthrie code	K.331,334 (K.332)[1]
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Gciriku or Dciriku (Diriku), also known as Manyo or Rumanyo, is a Bantu language spoken by 305,000 people along the Okavango River in Namibia, where it is a national language, in Botswana, and in Angola. It was first known in the west via the Vagciriku, who had migrated from the main Vamanyo area and spoke Rugciriku, a dialect of Rumanyo. The name Gciriku (Dciriku, Diriku) remains common in the literature, but within Namibia the name Rumanyo has been revived.^[2] The Mbogedu dialect is extinct; Maho (2009) lists it as a distinct language, and notes that the names 'Manyo' and 'Rumanyo' are inappropriate for it.

It is one of several Bantu languages of the Okavango which have click consonants, as in [ ǀɛ́ǀˀà] "bed", [mùǀûkò] "flower", and [kàǀûrù] "tortoise". These clicks, of which there are half a dozen (c, gc, ch, and prenasalized nc and nch), are generally all pronounced with a dental articulation, but there is broad variation between speakers. They are especially common in place names and in words for features of the landscape, reflecting their source in an as-yet unidentified Khoisan language. Many of the click words in Gciriku, including those in native Bantu vocabulary, are shared with Kwangali, Mbukushu, and Fwe.

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Map of Diriku language from the LL-Map Project
• Information about Diriku language from the MultiTree Project
• Gciriku vocabulary
• Ethnologue report on Gciriku

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v t e Languages of Namibia Official English Recognized regional Oshiwambo (Kwanyama/Ndonga) Afrikaans German Other Bantu languages Otjiherero Rukwangali Setswana Zemba Gciriku Fwe Kuhane Thimbukushu Shiyeyi Khoisan Nama/Damara Naro ǃXóõ Kung-Ekoka ǂKxʼauǁʼein Kxoe

v t e Languages of Botswana Bantu Birwa Gciriku Herero Ikalanga Kgalagadi Kuhane Mbukushu Nambya Northern Ndebele Tswana (official) Tswapong Yeyi Zezuru Khoisan ǁAni Gǁana Gǀwi ǂHõã Juǀʼhoan Khwe Kua ǂKxʼauǁʼein Nama Naro Shua Taʼa Tsoa Indo-European Afrikaans English (official)