http://www.unesco.org/webworld/babel/atlas |
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Africa:
Geographical
navigation |
language profile
| Variants |
NGOMA, BONG'OMEK, NG'OMA, ONG'OM |
| Language affiliation |
Nilo-Saharan |
| Language affiliation (details) |
Nilo-Saharan, Eastern Sudanic, Nilotic, Southern, Kalenjin, Elgon. |
| Geographic locations |
Kenya, Southwest and Northwest of Bungoma town, mainly around the hills Kapchai, Webuye, South Malakis, Sang'alo, North Kabras Luchu, Kimukuni, scattered settlements in Luhya-speaking areas. |
| Language situation |
Seriously endangered language: the youngest speakers have reached or passed middle age |
| General presentation of the language |
It forms a part of the bigger dialect chain known as Kalenjin. Mutual intelligibility exists between neighbouring groups and the Bong'om speaking community. Those that are separated by geographical distance slowly loose their ability to understand one another. |
| Number of speakers |
Around 2,500 (1970s); 30,000 (1994) |
| Socio-linguistic context – description |
Bong'om language is spoken by the people of the same name. About 90% of the Bong'om population is literate in Swahili and 70% are functionally proficient in Lubukusu, which is also the trade language of the area. They live in close proximity with the more populous Bukusu (a Bantu speaking group). This close relationship between the two communities led to intermarriage. In the mixed couples, the Bong'om people often learned the Bukusu language. The Bukusu have not acquired the Bong'om tongue.
The language policy of Kenya allows people living outside metropolitan areas the use of their mother tongue in the first three years of their education. However, the Bong'om homeland is no longer homogenous and today, the language of instruction in elementary school is Bukusu. |
| ISO standard codes (639-2 / 639-3) |
[SPY] |
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| Unicode support |
Yes |
This item can be found in the following topics:
· Kenya
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