Adhola dialect explained

Adhola
Nativename:Dhopadhola
States:Uganda
Region:Tororo District
Ethnicity:Adhola people
Date:2014 census
Ref:e22
Familycolor:Nilo-Saharan
Fam2:Eastern Sudanic?
Fam3:Kir–Abbaian?
Fam4:Nilotic
Fam5:Western Nilotic
Fam6:Luo
Fam7:Southern
Fam8:Adhola–AlurLuo
Fam9:Adhola–Luo
Iso3:adh
Glotto:adho1243
Glottorefname:Adhola

Adhola, also known as Jopadhola and Ludama, is a dialect of Southern Luo spoken by the Adhola people (a.k.a. Jopadhola or Badama) of Uganda.[1] Dhopadhola is generally mutually intelligible with Acholi, Kumam, Lango and Alur of Uganda and Dholuo of Kenya.

The prefix dho means "language of". It can be attached to a nationality or speech community to imply the language of such a people. jo means "people of". The infix pa means possessive 'of'.

Dhopadhola thus means the language spoken in Padhola.
Padhola is the area or region where Dhopadhola is spoken.
Jopadhola is the plural of Japadhola; a person who speaks Dhopadhola. Hence, Jopadhola are speakers of Dhopadhola.

Ja is a prefix meaning the 'doer' or a person belonging to a particular place or position. The plural is Jo. That is, people who do something or belong to a particular place or organisation.

For instance
Jafwonji means a teacher.
Jofwonji means teachers.
Jawer means a singer.
Jower means singers.
Janywol means a parent.
Jonywol means parents.
Japach means a carpenter.
Jopach means carpenters.

Notes and References

  1. http://search.language-archives.org/record.html?sort=id_sort%20asc&fq=country_facet%3A%22Uganda%22&id=ethnologue_com_adh& OLAC Language Resource Catalog