The Moru–Madi languages of the Central Sudanic language family are a cluster of closely related languages spoken in

South Sudan South Sudan (; din, Paguot Thudän), officially the Republic of South Sudan ( din, Paankɔc Cuëny Thudän), is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered by Ethiopia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the ...

, the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

, and

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The south ...

. Moru is spoken by 100,000 people, and Ma'di is spoken by twice that number. The most populous languages are Aringa of Uganda, with close to a million speakers, and

Lugbara Lugbara may refer to: * Lugbara people *Lugbara language Lugbara, or Lugbarati, is the language of the Lugbara people. It is spoken in the West Nile sub-region, West Nile region in northwestern Uganda, as well as the Democratic Republic of the Co ...

, with 1.6 million.

Languages

The languages in this cluster are found across three countries:

( Ma'di,

, Aringa, S. Ma'di);

(Aringa, Ma'di, Lolu'bo, Avukaya, Kaliko, Moru, and

Logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name it represents as in a wordm ...

); and the

(Lugbara, Avukaya, Kaliko, and Logo). * Moru (Wa'di variety divergent) * Avokaya * Keliko *

Omi is a hereditary noble title (''kabane'') of ancient Japan. It was given to the descendants of the Imperial Family before Emperor Kōgen. Along with ''Muraji'', ''Omi'' was reserved for the head of the most powerful clans during the Kofun period. ...

* Okollo–Ogoko–Rigbo *

* Aringa (Lower Lugbara) * Ma'di (Moyo, Adjumani (Oyuwi), Pandikeri, Lokai, Burulo dialects) * Olu'bo (Lolubo)

The name 'Madi'

The name ''Ma'di'' is used for various peoples in the region. There is a tendency, especially in the Acholi region of northern Uganda, to refer to anyone from West Nile Region as a Ma'di, even the Kakwa. The only group in this region who are never called Ma'di are the Alur.

Joseph Pasquale Crazzolara Joseph Pasquale Crazzolara (12 April 1884 – 25 March 1976) was a Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Chri ...

, for example, states that "all Logbara ..agree that they are of the Ma'di nation, that they are Ma'di. They are called Ma'di by the Alur of Okooro, their immediate neighbours, in Bunyoro and Buganda." Similarly, the linguist A. N. Tucker described the neighboring

Keliko people Keliko or Kaliko is an ethnic group from South Sudan, bordering Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Uganda. Most members of this ethnic group are Christians.{{cn, date=December 2022 They speak the Keliko language, which is a Nilo-Saharan languag ...

who occupy the high plateau near the Logbara, as having the "real name Ma'di". However, the Keliko regard themselves as Keliko rather than as Ma'di.

Comparative vocabulary

Sample basic vocabulary of Moru-Ma'di languages from Boone & Watson (1996):Boone, Douglas; Richard L. Watson (editors). 1996.
Moru-Ma'di survey report
'. Nairobi, Kenya: Summer Institute of Linguistics.

References

Nilo-Saharan list
(Blench 2000) {{DEFAULTSORT:Moru-Madi languages * Languages of Chad Languages of South Sudan Languages of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Languages of Uganda