Lutos language

Lutos
Ruto
Native toCentral African Republic, Chad
Native speakers
(19,000 cited 1993–1996)
Dialects
  • Ruto
  • Nduka
Language codes
ISO 639-3ndy
Glottologluto1241

Lutos (Ruto) is a Central Sudanic language of CAR and Chad. Two distinctive dialects are Lutos/Ruto proper and Nduka.

Phonology

Consonants
Labial Alveolar Retroflex Palatal Velar Labiovelar Glottal
Plosive oral p b t d k g kp gb
nasal ᵐb ⁿd ᵑg ᵑᵐgb
Implosive ɓ ɗ
Fricative oral f v s z h
nasal ᵐv ⁿz
Nasal m n ɲ
Approximant w r, l ɽ j
Vowels
Front Central Back
High i iː u uː ũ ũː
Mid-high e ẽ ə o oː õ õː
Mid-low ɛ ɔ ɔː ɔ̃ ɔ̃ː
Low a aː ã ãː

Additionally, there exists the diphthong /ua/. It cannot be lengthened nor nasalised.

Lutos has three tones: high, mid, low.

References

  1. ↑ Lutos at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ↑ International Encyclopedia of Linguistics ed. William J. Frawley · 2003 p303 " In Central African Republic: 17,000 speakers in Nde ́le ́, Kaga Andoro, and Kabo subprefectures. Dialects are Nduka (Ndouka, Ndoukwa), Lutos (Ruto, Routo, Rito, Luto, Louto), Wada (Wad), Nduga (Ngougua), Konga."
  3. 1 2 3 Olson, Kenneth S. (26 August 2013). A Sketch of Lutos Phonology. 43rd Colloquium on African Languages & Linguistics. Leiden.