| Taita | |
|---|---|
| Taita–Sagala | |
| Native to | Kenya |
| Ethnicity | Taita |
Native speakers | (370,000 cited 1992 – 2009 census)[1] |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:dav – Taitatga – Sagala |
| Glottolog | tait1249 |
E.74,741[2] | |
| ELP | Sagalla |
Taita is aBantu language spoken in theTaita Hills ofKenya. It is closely related to theChaga languages of Kenya andTanzania. The Saghala (Northern Sagala, Sagalla) variety is distinct enough to be considered a language separate from the Daw'ida and Kasigau dialects.[2]
Daw'ida and Saghala containloanwords from two different South Cushitic languages, calledTaita Cushitic, which are now extinct.[3] It is likely that the Cushitic speakers were assimilated fairly recently, sincelateral obstruents in the loanwords were still pronounced as such within living memory. However, those consonants have now been replaced by Bantu sounds.[4]
TheTaveta language was mistaken for Daw'ida by Jouni Maho in his (2009) classification of Bantu languages. However, it's a distinct language, lexically and grammatically closest to Chasu (Pare).
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | pb | td | tʃdʒ | kg | |
| Fricative | fv | sz | ʃ | ɣ | h |
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |
| Approximant | β | r,l | j | w |
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | iiː | uuː | |
| Mid | eeː | ooː | |
| Low | aaː |
Authority control databases: National |
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