The Jeliya catalogue uses Dholuo / Dholuo. Glottolog indexes the corresponding language as Luo (Kenya and Tanzania) (luok1236). Its ISO 639-3 code is luo. [1]
Draft — awaiting native-speaker review
Dholuo is one of several distinct Luo languages; the broader label Luo can be ambiguous.
Opening retained from the existing catalogue; awaiting editorial and speaker review.The Jeliya catalogue uses Dholuo / Dholuo. Glottolog indexes the corresponding language as Luo (Kenya and Tanzania) (luok1236). Its ISO 639-3 code is luo. [1]
Glottolog associates this record with the following country codes: KE, TZ. Catalogue locations do not enumerate diaspora or second-language use. [1]
No dated, scope-checked speaker estimate has been approved for this page.
The catalogue classification follows this sequence: Nilotic → Western Nilotic → Lwoo → Southern Lwoo → Adhola-Alur-Luo → Adhola-Luo. [1]
The Glottolog bibliography includes a linguistic description attributed to Wakefield, H. 1887 and a more recent one attributed to Tucker, Archibald N. 1994. These are publication dates, not language origins. [1]
Latin spelling underrepresents some vowel and tone contrasts; use checked phonetic annotation rather than invented diacritics.
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.Vowel harmony based on advanced tongue root and contrastive tone. Nine vowels are commonly analysed; consonant alternations appear in morphology.
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.A PHOIBLE record links published sound-inventory descriptions for this language. Inventory analysis can differ by variety and study; example words, letter values and a learner-facing pronunciation table still require a checked reference and speaker recordings. [5]
A reviewed alphabet, sound-by-sound IPA guide and reference recordings are still needed.
Awaiting a cited, language-specific contribution and speaker review.
Predominantly SVO; no Bantu noun-class system. Noun plurality, possessive forms and verbal inflection can involve stem alternations.
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.A language-specific Grambank record is linked for comparison of grammatical features and their underlying references. Feature coding is an analytical resource; it is not a beginner explanation, a complete grammar or a substitute for a teacher’s review. [4]
Kenyan/Tanzanian Dholuo; do not conflate other Luo languages
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.Named child varieties in this record include Luo (Kenya and Tanzania). These labels do not select Jeliya’s teaching variety. [1]
An entry separates the headword, part of speech, senses and cited examples. A variant is another documented form; a synonym is a different word with a related meaning. Derived expressions can have their own entry. Follow source links and variety tags before using a form.
Search the everyday spelling and check tone-marked forms. ɛ, ɔ, ɲ and ŋ are letters, not removable accents. Search tolerance does not mean two spellings are the same word. Save an entry to keep its stable identity in your wordbook.
Open the dictionaryAwaiting a cited, language-specific contribution and speaker review.
Editorial adaptation: Jeliya
Language reviewer: awaiting appointment
Last revision: 10/12/2026
Harald Hammarström, Robert Forkel, Martin Haspelmath and Sebastian Bank
CC BY 4.0
Source checked: 10/12/2026Tucker, Archibald N. 1994
Source checked: 10/12/2026