| Also Known As: Rek,Western Dinka
Description:
This article is for the language, for the ethnic group see Dinka.
The Dinka language, or Thuɔŋjäŋ as it is known in the language itself, is a Nilo-Saharan language spoken by the Dinka, one of the major ethnic groups of Southern Sudan. With 2-3 million speakers, it exists in five major dialect divisions. Jaang is also used as a general term to cover all Dinka languages. The dialect of the Rek of Tonj is considered the "standard" or prestige variety.
It is further classified as part of the Dinka-Nuer subfamily, which is part of Western Nilotic, which in turn is part of Eastern Sudanic, the Nilo-Saharan subfamily with the largest number of member languages (95). Most closely related is Nuer, the language of the Dinka's traditional rivals. Other major languages closely related within Western Nilotic are Shilluk, Luo/Dholuo and Acholi. (SIL Ethnologue, 2005 data)
"Nilotic" indicates that its speakers are found mainly along the Nile, specifically the west bank of the White Nile, a major tributary flowing northwards from Uganda. The Dinka live north and south of the marshy Sudd area in southwestern and south central Sudan in three provinces: Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile, and Southern..... full article at Wikipedia |
