| Nalu | |
| States: | Guinea, Guinea-Bissau |
| Date: | 2017–2018 |
| Ref: | e25 |
| Familycolor: | Niger-Congo |
| Fam2: | Atlantic–Congo |
| Fam3: | ? Atlantic |
| Fam4: | (unclassified) |
| Iso3: | naj |
| Glotto: | nalu1240 |
| Glottorefname: | Nalu |
Nalu (nalɛ, nul; also spelled Nalou[1]) is an Atlantic language of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau, spoken by the Nalu people, a West African people who settled the region before the arrival of the Mandinka in the 14th or 15th centuries.[2] It is spoken predominantly by adults. It is estimated to be spoken by a range of 10,000 to 25,000 people, whereas Wilson (2007) reports that there are around 12,000 speakers. It is considered an endangered language due to its dwindling population of speakers.[3]
Contrary to prior classifications, Güldemann (2018) classifies Nalu as unclassified within Niger-Congo. It also does not form a subgroup with the Rio Nunez languages.[4]
Nalu is traditionally classified as Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Mbulugish-Nalu.[5] [6]
The Nalu people who speak Nalu have been described as settling in West Africa before the Mandinka people.[7] This would place them as existing in West Africa between the 14th and 15th centuries. Wilson (2007) reports that the Nalu people had originally come from Guinea-Bissau.[8]
Today, the Nalu speakers are shifting toward the Susu language which is gaining more popularity in Guinea.[9] It has a predominantly adult-speaking population. The next generation is being passed on the language, however, in a few remote villages around Katoufoura.
Nalu is spoken predominantly on the littorals, or shore regions, of Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.[10] Most Nalu speakers in Guinea live north of the Nuñez River on the Tristão islands, in the sub-prefecture of Kanfarandé which is the prefecture of Boké. In Guinea-Bissau, most speakers of Nalu live in the Cacine estuary in the Tombali region.[11]
| Plosive | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fricative | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/, pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |||
| Nasal | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ | |||
| Approximant | pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/, pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ |
| High | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-high | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | ||
| Mid-low | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ | ||
| Low | pronounced as /link/ pronounced as /link/ |
Nalu underwent a sound change in its language.[12] Sound change generally occurs due to what sounds require less effort for the speaker. These sound changes are usually limited to each dialect in a language and examples of the Nalu language sound changes are in the section below. Nalu has six dialects. Three are spoken in Guinea-Conakry and three are spoken in Guinée-Bissau. However, the relationship between the dialects is unknown.
Nouns [13]
| English | Nalu | |
|---|---|---|
| man | be-cel | |
| dirty/black | m-balax | |
| cold | m-hon | |
| arrow | n-kiam | |
| axe | n-wōfañ | |
| blood | a-nyak | |
| bow | m-firl | |
| brother | n-wōke | |
| chief/king | m-fem/be-fem | |
| devil/evil spirit | m-banjon | |
| medicine man (doctor) | mi-let | |
| fire | met | |
| god | gu-dana | |
| moon | m-bilañ | |
| night | fot | |
| slave | m-bōl | |
| snake | mi-sis |
Verbs
| English | Nalu | |
|---|---|---|
| to come | m-ba | |
| to kill | rama | |
| to die | n-ref |
Sound Changes Over Time
| English | Pre-Sound Change Nalu | Post-Sound Change Nalu | |
|---|---|---|---|
| bone | nhol | a-hol | |
| mouth | n-sol | a-sol | |
| to kill | m-rama | rama | |
| man | nlam-cel | be-cel | |
| eye | n-cet | a-cet |