Pökoot language

Infobox Language
name=Pökoot
states=Kenya, Uganda
region=West Pokot and Baringo districts in Kenya. Karimojong borderland in Uganda.
speakers=264,000
familycolor=Nilo-Saharan
fam2=Eastern Sudanic
fam3=Southern Nilotic
fam4=Kalenjin
fam5=Pokot
iso2=ssa|iso3=pko

Pökoot (also known as "Pokot", "Päkot", "Pökot" and in older literature as "Suk") is a language spoken in western Kenya and eastern Uganda by the Pokot people. Pökoot is classified as the Northern branch of the Kalenjin languages found in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The Pökoot are usually called "Kimukon" by the other Kalenjin peoples. A 1994 figure of SIL puts the total number of speakers at 264 000, while the only little more recent Schladt (1997:40) gives the more conservative estimate of 150 000 people, presumably based on the figures found in Rottland (1982:26) who puts the number at slightly more than 115 000.

The Pökoot area is bordered to the north by the Eastern Nilotic language Karimojong. Turkana, another Eastern Nilotic language, is found to the northeast. To the east, the Maa languages Samburu and Camus (on Lake Baringo) are spoken, and to the south, the other Kalenjin languages Tugen and Markweta are found, which show considerable influence from PökootInote|Cf. Rottland (1982:26).

References

* Rottland, Franz (1982) "Die Südnilotischen Sprachen: Beschreibung, Vergleichung und Rekonstruktion" (Kölner Beiträge zur Afrikanistik vol. 7). Berlin: Dietrich Reimer. "(esp. pp. 26, 138-139)"
* Schladt, Matthias (1997) "Kognitive Strukturen von Körperteilvokabularien in Kenianischen Sprachen" (Afrikanistische Monographien vol. 8). Köln: Institut für Afrikanistik / Universität zu Köln. "(esp. pp. 40–42)"

External links

* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=pko Pökoot language on the Ethnologue]