Ulukwumi language

Ulukwumi, also known as Olùkùmi, is a Yoruboid language spoken by the Olukumi people of Aniocha North LGA, Delta State, Nigeria.[2]

Ulukwumi
Olùkùmi
Native to	Nigeria
Region	Aniocha North LGA, Delta State
Native speakers	(10,000 cited 1992)[1]
Language family	Niger–Congo Atlantic–Congo Volta–Niger yeai Yoruboid Edekiri Ulukwumi
Language codes
ISO 639-3	ulb
Glottolog	uluk1257

Olùkùmi means 'my friend' in the Owé dialect of Yoruba and Igala. Olùkùmi speakers are surrounded by Igbo people. Dialects are Ugbodu and Ukwunzu, with Ukwunzu being more heavily influenced by Igbo than Ugbodu is.[3]

Vocabulary

Below are some Olùkùmi words compared with the other Yoruboid languages Yorùbá (standard dialect), Òwé (a Yoruba dialect spoken in Kabba district of Kabba-Bunu LGA, Kogi State), and Igala, as given by Arokoyo (2012):[3]

Gloss	Olùkùmi	Yorùbá	Òwé	Igala
hand	ọwọ́	ọwọ́	ọwọ́	ọwọ́
yam	usu	isu	usu/isu	uchu
body	ara	ara	ọra	ọla
child	ọma	ọmọ	ọmọ	ọma
friend	oluku	òlukọ̀	olúku	ónùkú
woman	obìnrin	obìnrin	obùnrin	ọ́bùlẹ
father	ba	bàbá	baba	àtá
person	ẹnẹ	ẹni	ọni	ọ́nẹ̀
fire	una	iná	uná	úná
word	ọ̀fọ̀	ọ̀rọ̀	ọ̀rọ̀	ọ̀là
heart	ẹdọ	ọkàn	ẹ̀kẹ̀dọ̀	ẹdọ
pot	usa	ìsà	usà	ùchà
cow	ẹla	malu	ẹlá	ẹla
old person	arigbo	arúgbo	arígbó	ògìjo
rat	eku	eku	eku	íkélékwu
carry	gbe	gbé	gbe	né
eat	zẹ	jẹ	jẹ	jẹ
colanut	obì	obì	obì	obì
water	omi	omi	omi	omi
urine	ìtọ́	ìtọ́	ìtọ́	ìtọ́
cotton	owu	owu	owu	owu
stone	òkúta	òkúta	òkúta	òkúta

References

1. Ulukwumi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
2. Oluwadoro, Jacob and Abdur-Rafiu Abiola. 2016. Olukumi: A dialect of Yoruba in diaspora. Papers in English linguistics 17. 310-335.
3. Arokoyo, Bolanle Elizabeth. 2012. A Comparative Phonology of the Olùkùmi, Igala, Owe and Yoruba Languages. Paper presented for the International Congress "Towards Proto-Niger-Congo: Comparison and Reconstruction", Paris, 18-21 September, 2012. 10pp.

• Eleshin, Alimot Folake. 2012. A comparative study of the morphosyntax of Olukumi and Standard Yorùbá: a minimalist approach. MA thesis, University of Ilorin.
• Okolo-Obi, Bosco. 2014. Aspects of Olukumi Phonology. MA thesis, Nsukka: University of Nigeria; 117pp.
• Obisesan, H. 2012. Lexical Comparison Of Olukumi, Owo Dialect And Standard Yoruba. Seminar paper presented to the Department of Linguistics and Nigerian Languages, University of Ilorin, Ilorin.