Gogo language

Gogo is a Bantu language spoken by the Gogo people of Dodoma Region in Tanzania. The language is spoken throughout Dodoma Region and into the neighbouring district of Manyoni.

Gogo
Cigogo
RegionDodoma Region and Manyoni (Singida Region), Tanzania
Native speakers
1.4 million (2019Ethiopia)[1]
Niger–Congo
Latin (Gogo alphabet)
Language codes
ISO 639-3gog
Glottologgogo1263[2]
G.11[3]

The language is considered to have three dialects: Nyambwa (Cinyambwa or West Gogo), spoken to the west of Dodoma and in Manyoni, Nyaugogo (Cinyaugogo or Central Gogo), spoken in the environs of Dodoma and Tumba (Citumba or East Gogo), spoken to the east. The Gogo group is grouped with Kagulu, which has a 56% lexical similarity with Gogo proper. Gogo has about 50% lexical similarity with Hehe and Sangu (both Bena–Kinga languages (G.60), 48% with Kimbu and 45% with Nilamba. These last two are both in Guthrie's Zone F.

Gogo is spoken by both Christians and Muslims and is a major language of the Anglican Church of Tanzania.

Phonology

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive voiceless p t c k
voiced b d ɟ ɡ
Fricative voiceless f s h
voiced v z
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Approximant l j w
  • /k, ɡ/ become palatal consonants when preceding /i, e/; [c, ɟ].
  • Nasal consonants when preceding voiceless stops are devoiced; [m̥ n̥ ɳ̊ ŋ̊].
  • Voiceless consonants are mostly aspirated occurring after nasals; [pʰ tʰ cʰ kʰ].

Vowels
Front Central Back
High i iː u uː
Mid e eː o oː
Low a aː

References
  1. Gogo at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Gogo". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  3. Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
  • Rugemalira, Josephat M. (2009). Cigogo, Kamusi ya Kigogo-Kiswahili-Kiingereza / Kiingereza-Kigogo, na Kiswahili-Kigogo / Gogo-Swahili-English, English-Gogo, and Swahili-Gogo Dictionary. ISBN 9987-691-25-0.
  • Nurse, Derek and S. M. Mazengo. 1979. Gogo. African languages/Langues africaines 5. 70-76, 101-104.


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