Cushitic–Nilotic Contacts: Tanzanian Cushitic and Kalenjin

Heine, Rottland and Vossen (1979) proposed a Cushitic language termed proto-Baz on the basis of Cushitic loans in South Nilotic. Similar and additional proposals are in Christopher Ehret’s PhD thesis (1971). In a critical review of the evidence in the light of data and reconstructions that have become available since, we argue that (1) there is no compelling evidence that the source must have been a separate language, and (2) the reliable cognates come from a range of Cushitic sources. In the presentation we hone in on Ehret’s proposals of South Cushitic influence on Kalenjin. We show that there is indeed strong evidence for influence of Proto Tanzanian Cushitic (=Proto West-Rift SC) on Proto-Kalenjin, adding more candidate lexical transfers. What does this tell us about the history of these peoples: where and when did the contact happen? Which other earlier languages were contemporary in the area? Note: This talk has not gone through a process of peer review, and findings should therefore be treated as preliminary and subject to change. Acknowledgement and citation: Mous, Maarten and Christian Rapold. 2023. Cushitic–Nilotic Contacts: Tanzanian Cushitic and Kalenjin. Talk given at the Rift Valley Network Webinar Series. 14/06/2023.