Meru language
Meru language
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| Meru | |
|---|---|
| Kimîîru | |
| Native to | Kenya |
| Region | Mount Kenya and Eastern Province |
Native speakers | 2.0 million (2009 census)[1] |
Language family | Niger–Congo
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Variously:mer – Meruthk – Tharakamws – Mwimbi-Muthambicuh – Cuka |
| Glottolog | nort3214 Meru–Tharaka–Cuka[2]mwim1241[3] |
Guthrie code | E.53,531,54,541[4] |
Meru is the language spoken by the Meru people (Ameru) who live on the Eastern and Northern slopes of Mount Kenya, Kenya, Africa and on the Nyambene ranges. They settled in this area after centuries of migration from the north.
The Meru people are a fairly homogeneous community and all share a common ancestry. They speak the same language, Kimeru, but there are some slight regional differences, in accent and local words. The community comprises the following subdivisions; from the north to south:
- Igembe
- Tigania (Tiania) (culture close to neighbouring Cushitic and Nilotic communities)
- Imenti
- Tharaka (Saraka)
- Igoji
- Mwimbi–Muthambi
- Chuka (Gicuka) (marginal intelligibility with Meru proper and with Gikuyu.
As the Meru language is similar to its surrounding neighbors, the Kikuyu and Embu could have possibly adopted parts of Meru.
Contents
1 Sample phrases
2 Dialects
2.1 Imenti dialect
3 Sample phrases
3.1 The Chuka, Muthambi and Mwimbi dialects
4 Sample phrases
4.1 TIgania and Igembe dialects
5 Sample phrases
5.1 Tharaka dialect
6 Sample phrases
7 Alphabet
8 In Media and Popular Culture
9 References
10 External links
Sample phrases[edit]
| English | Kimeru |
|---|---|
| How are you | Muuga |
| Give me water | Mpa rũũji/rũi |
| How are you doing? | Ûrĩ o mwega? |
| I am hungry | Ndîna mpara |
| Help me | Nteithia |
| I am good | Ndĩ mwega |
| Are you a friend? | Wĩ mũcore? |
| Bye, be blessed | Tigwa bwega, tharimwa. |
| I love you | Ikwendete. |
| Come here | îja haja |
| I will phone you | Ngakũringira thimû |
Dialects[edit]
Kimeru has seven main mutually intelligible dialects. The dialects include kiimenti widely used by the Imenti section of the Ameru, Tiania/gitiania used by the tigania, kiigembe used by the Igembe, kimwimbi and Muthambi used by the Igoji and Chogoria, Gicuka used by the Chuka and Kitharaka used by the Tharaka.
Imenti dialect[edit]
It is the commonly used dialect in meru. The dialect acts as the lingua franca between all the nine sub tribes of meru. It is the official dialect used in the kimeru Bible translations. Unlike other Meru dialects, the Imenti dialect is usually not entirely sing-song and bit slow. Its commonly used in Nkubu, Timau, Kibirichia, Meru town and Ruiri areas of Meru County.
Sample phrases[edit]
| English | Imenti |
|---|---|
| How are you | Muuga |
| Give me water | Mpa rûũji |
| Home | nja |
| Get out | uma kaja |
| Get Inside | kûroka/Tonya |
| Today | Naarua |
| Tomorrow | rûjo |
| Come here | îja aja |
| I will phone you | Ngakũringira thimû |
The Chuka, Muthambi and Mwimbi dialects[edit]
The dialects are more related to Gikuyu and Meru proper, and are common in Igoji, Chogoria and Chuka regions of Meru County and Tharaka Nithi County.
Sample phrases[edit]
| English | Chuka/Muthambi/Mwimbi |
|---|---|
| How are you | Muuga |
| Give me water | Mpa maaî/rûnjî |
| Home | mûcii |
| Get out | uma nja |
| Get Inside | kûroka/Tonya/Thungira |
| Today | ûmûnthi |
| Tomorrow | rûjo/rûû |
| Come here | ûka haja |
| I will phone you | Ngakũringira/ngakubûrira thimû |
TIgania and Igembe dialects[edit]
The dialects can be identified by its unmistakable sing-song and fast spoken intonations. It can be heard mostly in Miraa or khat growing areas of Maua, Muthara, Karama and Kangeta in Meru County.
Sample phrases[edit]
| English | TIgania/Igembe |
|---|---|
| How are you | Muua |
| Give me water | nthaania roe/rũî |
| Home | Mucie/Mucii |
| Get out | Tũra |
| Get Inside | unkuma |
| Today | Naarua/Ruarii |
| Tomorrow | rûû/rûyũ |
| Come here | îya haa |
| I will phone you | Ngakũringira thimû |
Tharaka dialect[edit]
The dialect is more closely related to the kamba and Tigania dialects. It mostly common in Tharaka areas of Tharaka nithi County.
Sample phrases[edit]
| English | Tharaka |
|---|---|
| How are you | Muuga |
| Give me water | Mpa rûyii |
| Home | Mucii |
| Get out | uma nja |
| Get Inside | Thungira |
| Today | Imunthi |
| Tomorrow | rûũ |
| Come here | ncû aga |
| I will phone you | Ngakũringira thimû |
Alphabet[edit]
Kimeru is written in a Latin alphabet. It does not use the letters f p q s v x z, and adds the letters ĩ and ũ. The Kimeru alphabet is:
- 'a b c d e g h i ĩ j k m n o r t u ũ w y[5]
In Media and Popular Culture[edit]
A Kenyan musical group known as High Pitch Band Afrika based in Meru County has done a cover of the Luis Fonsi's popular hit single Despacito in Kimeru language. The Kimeru cover was uploaded on YouTube on July 10 2017 and has generated over 500,000 views since then.
In Media the Kimeru language is used as the primary broadcast language of several Radio and TV stations in Kenya. Some include: Meru Fm, Muuga Fm, Weru Fm, Weru TV, Baite Tv, Thiiri Fm among many others.
References[edit]
^ Meru at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
Tharaka at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
Mwimbi-Muthambi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
Cuka at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Northern Central Kenya Bantu". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History..mw-parser-output cite.citationfont-style:inherit.mw-parser-output qquotes:"""""""'""'".mw-parser-output code.cs1-codecolor:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription abackground:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registrationcolor:#555.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration spanborder-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-errordisplay:none;font-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-errorfont-size:100%.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-formatfont-size:95%.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-leftpadding-left:0.2em.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-rightpadding-right:0.2em
^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Mwimbi–Muthambi". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
^ "5 Steps to get you Writing Kimeru like a Njuri Ncheke Editor - The Ameru". The Ameru. 2017-11-08. Retrieved 2018-04-30.
External links[edit]
- Meru dictionary
- PanAfrican L10n page on Meru
- "page on Meru History
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