Pökoot language explained

Pökoot
States:Kenya, Uganda
Region:West Pokot and Baringo districts in Kenya. Karimojong borderland in Uganda.
Date:2002–2009
Ref:e18
Familycolor:Nilo-Saharan
Fam2:Eastern Sudanic
Fam3:Nilotic
Fam4:Southern Nilotic
Fam5:Kalenjin
Iso3:pko
Glotto:poko1263
Glottorefname:Pökoot

Pökoot (also known as Pokot, Päkot, Pökot, and in older literature as Suk) is a language spoken in western Kenya and eastern Uganda by the Pokot people. Pökoot is classified to the northern branch of the Kalenjin languages found in Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania. The Pökoot are usually called "Kimukon" by the other Kalenjin peoples. A 1994 figure of SIL puts the total number of speakers at 264,000, while the only slightly more recent Schladt (1997:40) gives the more conservative estimate of 150,000 people, presumably based on the figures found in Rottland (1982:26) who puts the number at slightly more than 115,000.

The Pökoot area is bordered to the north by the Eastern Nilotic language Karimojong. Turkana, another Eastern Nilotic language, is found to the northeast. To the east, the Maa languages Samburu and Camus (on Lake Baringo) are spoken, and to the south, the other Kalenjin languages Tugen and Markweta are found, which show considerable influence from Pökoot.[1]

References

Notes and References

  1. Rottland, Franz (1982) Die Südnilotischen Sprachen: Beschreibung, Vergleichung und Rekonstruktion (Kölner Beiträge zur Afrikanistik vol. 7). Berlin: Dietrich Reimer. (esp. pp. 26, 138-139)