Serengeti-Dorobo language

Serengeti-Dorobo (a nonce name) is an obscure "Dorobo" language, a few words of which were recorded in the late 19th century by Oscar Baumann. From the little data available, the language is not obviously related to any other, though the numeral system is Nilotic. It is not the only "Dorobo" language formerly spoken in the Serengeti.

Vocabulary

A few paragraphs were recorded by Baumann (1894, p. 366), but without any word-by-word translations.

Numerals are as follows. Most resemble those of neighboring Nilotic languages.

1 ( 'one cattle') [cf. Maasai fem. ]

2 [cf. Datooga , Omotik ]

3 [cf. Maasai fem. ]

4 [cf. Maasai fem. , Datooga, Okiek ]

5 [cf. Datooga , Okiek , Omotik ]

6 [cf. Datooga , Okiek , Maasai , Omotik ]

7

8 [cf. Datooga ]

9 [cf. Okiek , Maasai fem. ]

10

15

20 [cf. Okiek, Maasai ]

30

Some other words include:

'zebra'

'one head of cattle'

Sample texts

These examples are recorded in the journal Mother Tongue:

.

'We went out and carried our arrows and bows and quivers. We went up to a tree and rested. We made an enclosure and left 2 men there behind. We saw zebras. Here went 10 men, there 10 men and surrounded the game. The zebras were therein and were killed'.

.

'We went to war (raid), got cattle, killed 20 men. When we came into the village, we gave the shaman/witch doctor 10 head of cattle'.

See also

• Omaio language

Notes

• Oscar Baumann (Berlin, 1894), Durch Massailand zur Nilquelle. Reisen und Forschungen der Massai-Expedition des deutschen Antisklaverei-Komite in den Jahren 1891–1893