A Glottochronology of Luyia Dialects: Luwanga, Lulogooli and Lubukusu

Abstract

This study set out to establish the time depths of separation of Luwanga, Lubukusu and Lulogooli dialects of Luyia language by a glottochronological analysis. The investigation aims at providing a phonemic inventory of the dialects under study with respect to vowels and consonants.

This thesis is divided into four chapters each dealing with a distinct aspect from the other. Chapter one is an introduction which provides Background to the Study, the Problem Statement, Research questions, Objectives, hypotheses, Rationale of the investigation, Scope and Limitations, Theoretical Framework, Review of Literature and Methodology. This chapter was helpful in providing insights into the dialects and the nature of study.

Chapter two provides a phonemic inventory of vowels and consonants of Luwanga, Lubukusu and Lulogooli dialects. Our study goes further to establish the sound correspondences in these dialects with regard to vowels and consonants.

We carry out several analyses on the basic vocabulary which consists of two hundred words in chapter three. The analyses comprise: cognates, cognate correspondences and cognate percentages. An attemptto reconstruct the proto-Luyia to establish what the unattested Proto-Luyia may have looked like is done. Time separation of these dialects is also established. The summary of this study is given in chapter four. It reveals that Lubukusu and

Lulogooli separated the earliest, Luwanga and Lulogooli recent and Luwanga and

Lubukusu most recent. This study is important in the sense that it provides a starting point for more extensive work in all the Luyia dialects to verify the conclusions of this study