Maasai language

Maasai (previously spelled Masai) or Maa (English: /ˈmɑːsaɪ/ MAH-sy;[2] autonym: ɔl Maa) is an Eastern Nilotic language spoken in Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania by the Maasai people, numbering about 1.5 million.

The Maasai, Samburu, il-Chamus and Parakuyu peoples are historically related and all refer to their language as ɔl Maa.

The Maasai variety of ɔl Maa as spoken in southern Kenya and Tanzania has 30 contrasting phonemes, including a series of implosive consonants.

In Maasai, tone has a very productive role, conveying a wide range of grammatical and semantic functions.

[citation needed] In Arusha Maa, /p/ is typically realized as a voiceless fricative [ɸ], but in some words, it can be a voiced trill [ʙ].

Word order is usually verb–subject–object, but it can vary because tone is the most salient indicator of the distinction between subject and object roles.

Although words belong to a given class (e.g. ɔl-aláshɛ̀ “brother”; ɛn-kái “God”), some roots can also occur with both prefixes (e.g. ol-ŋatúny “lion” vs. e-ŋatúny “lion-ness”).

The texts include stories,[9] myths,[10] proverbs,[11] riddles,[12] and songs[13] (lyrics but no music), along with customs and beliefs[14] explained in Maasai.

Here are some of the proverbs: Here are some of the riddles: The Maasai have resisted the expansion of European languages as well as that of Swahili in East Africa.

However, close contact with other ethnic groups in East Africa and the rise of English as a lingua franca has led to a reduction in the speakers of Maasai.

[15] Although the Maasai language, often referred to as Maa, has survived despite the mass influx of English and Swahili education systems, economic plans, and more, the socioeconomic climate that the Maasai people face in East Africa keeps them, and their language, as an under-represented minority.