Meru - Kimeru
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Categories: Languages, Kenya
On this page... (hide)
- 1. Classification / Classification
- 2. Where Spoken / Localisation géographique
- 3. Number of Speakers / Nombre de locuteurs
- 4. Dialect Survey / Enquête de dialecte
- 5. Usage / Utilisation
- 6. Orthography / Orthographe
- 7. Use in ICT / Utilisation dans les TIC
- 8. Localisation resources / Ressources pour localisation
- 9. Comments / Remarques
- 10. References / Références
1. Classification / Classification
Meru, or Kimeru, is a Bantu language.
Ethnologue? lists the classification as: Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantoid, Southern, Narrow Bantu, Central, E, Kikuyu-Kamba (E.20), Meru
2. Where Spoken / Localisation géographique
Meru District, Eastern Province, northeast of Mt. Kenya in Kenya. (Ethnologue)
3. Number of Speakers / Nombre de locuteurs
1,305,000 (1994 I. Larsen BTL) (Ethnologue)
4. Dialect Survey / Enquête de dialecte
Dialect survey work for Kenya languages is offered in Heine and Möhlig (l980). (Webbook?)
According to Ethnologue, Meru has the following dialects:
- Meru
- Igembe
- Tigania
- Imenti
- Miutini
- Igoji
Lexical similarity 85% between Imenti and Tigania. 67% similarity with Chuka, 63% with Embu and Gikuyu, 57% with Kamba. (Ethnologue)
5. Usage / Utilisation
Meru is a local first language and one of the languages broadcast over the Voice of Kenya. (Webbook)
Literacy rate (according to Ethnologue, accessed 2007):
- L1: 5% to 10%
- L2: 25% to 50%
6. Orthography / Orthographe
6.1 Status / Statut
Although Kimeru has seven vowels, only five are used in the (Latin-based) orthography. (Webbook)
6.2 Sample Alphabet / Alphabet exemple
A sample text is shown on the "Language Museum" site: http://www.language-museum.com/m/meru.htm
7. Use in ICT / Utilisation dans les TIC
7.1 Fonts / Polices
7.2 Keyboard layouts / Dispositions de clavier
7.3 Content on computers & internet / Contenu en informatique et sur l'Internet
7.4 Localized software / Logiciels localisés
None known of.
7.5 Language codes / Codes de langue
- ISO 639-1: -
- ISO 639-2: -
- ISO 639-3: mer
7.6 Other / Autre
8. Localisation resources / Ressources pour localisation
8.1 Individuals (experts) / Individuelles (experts)
8.2 Institutions / Institutions
8.3 On the internet / Sur la toile
9. Comments / Remarques
Would it be possible for a localisation strategy to treat Meru and the several languages that are closely related as a group for some purposes? (see #4 above)
10. References / Références
Dwyer, David (1997), Webbook of African Languages, http://africa.isp.msu.edu/afrlang/hiermenu.html (page on "Meru," http://africa.isp.msu.edu/afrlang/Meru_root.html )
SIL International, Ethnologue: Languages of the World, "Meru," http://www.ethnologue.com/language/mer
SIL International, "ISO 639 Code Tables," http://www-01.sil.org/iso639-3/codes.asp
U.S. Library of Congress, "ISO 639.2: Codes for the Representation of Names of Languages: Alpha-3 codes arranged alphabetically by the English name of language," http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/English_list.php
Wikipedia, "Meru language," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meru_language