luo ISO 639

Dholuo Autonyms

Dholuo

  • Geography

    KE Homa Bay, Kisumu, Migori, and Siaya counties; north Kisii and Nyamira counties; Busia and Kakamega counties: border areas. Kavirondo Gulf area.
  • Language Cloud

A language of Kenya

luo
Luo, “Kavirondo Luo” (pej.), “Nilotic Kavirondo” (pej.)
Dholuo
5,070,000 in Kenya (2019 census), increasing, based on ethnicity. Total users in all countries: 5,255,000.
Homa Bay, Kisumu, Migori, and Siaya counties; north Kisii and Nyamira counties; Busia and Kakamega counties: border areas. Kavirondo Gulf area.
Kenya, Tanzania
5 (Developing).
Nilo-Saharan, Satellite-Core, Core, Eastern Sudanic, Southern (n languages), Nilotic, Western, Luo, Southern, Luo-Acholi, Luo
SVO; verb affixes mark person, number, object; tense; 26 consonant and 5 vowel phonemes; tonal (4 tones: high, low, falling, rising); vowel harmony (ATR).
Vigorous. Home, community. Used by all. Positive attitudes. Also use English [eng]. Also use Swahili [swh]. Used as L2 by Suba [sxb].
Literacy rate in L1: 10%–30%. Literacy rate in L2: 50%–75%. Taught as subject in some primary schools. Literature. Radio. Videos. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1953–1977.
Latin script [Latn].
Different from Luwo [lwo] (Luo, Jur Lwo) of South Sudan. The people are Luo; the language is Dholuo. Christian, traditional religion.
OLAC resources in and about Dholuo
Luo
185,000 in Tanzania (Mradi wa Lugha za Tanzania 2009).
Mara region: Tarime district, Girango, Luo Imbo, Nyancha, and Suba divisions.
6a (Vigorous)
Vigorous. Used by all.
Different from Lwo [laj] (Lango) of Uganda or Lwo [luw] (Luo, Jur Luwo) of Sudan.
View other languages of Tanzania