Acholi
Lists: Natural languages | Language families | Conlangs | Other Lists
Fact corner
- Language: Acholi
- Alternate names: Acoli, Atscholi, Shuli, Gang, Lwo, Lwoo, Akoli, Acooli, Log Acoli, Dok Acoli
- SIL-code: Ethnologue:ach
- Language family: Nilo-Saharan, Eastern Sudanic, Nilotic, Western, Luo, Southern, Luo-Acholi, Alur-Acholi, Lango-Acholi
- Number of speakers: 791,796
- Script: Latin script
On this page... (hide)
Introduction
Acholi is a language primarily spoken by the Acholi people in the districts of Gulu, Kitgum and Pader, a region known as Acholiland in northern Uganda. Acholi is also spoken in the southern part of the Magwi county of Sudan. Song of Lawino & Song of Ocol, well known among African literature, were written in Acholi by Okot p'Bitek.
Acholi is one of the Luo languages, of the Western Nilotic branch of Nilo-Saharan. Acholi, Alur and Lango have between 84 and 90 per cent of their vocabulary in common and thus are mutually intelligible.
The verb
Sample verb: kwalo
| Present | Past | Future | Subjunctive | Imperative | |
| Sg.1 | akwalo | akwalo | abikwalo | akwali | kwali! |
| Sg.2 | ikwalo | ikwalo | ibikwalo | ikwali | |
| Sg.3 | kwalo | okwalo | bikwalo | okwali | |
| Pl.1 | wakwalo | wakwalo | wabikwalo | wakwali / wakwalu | kwalu! |
| Pl.2 | wukwalo | wukwalo | wubikwalo | wukwali | |
| Pl.3 | gikwalo | gikwalo / gukwalo | gibikwalo | gikwali / gukwalu |
Sample verbs
Click verbs to conjugate them in the table above!
bino,
buto,
bwolo,
cako,
camo,
cito,
goyo,
kelo,
kwalo,
mako,
maro,
mito,
neko,
neno,
tedo,
tero,
tiyo,
tuko,
tweyo.