Nuer

Abstract This chapter covers the Eastern Jikany variety of Nuer, a Western Nilotic language spoken in South Sudan and the border of Ethiopia. Noteworthy phenomena in the language include: (1) vowel mutation as a main morphological tool, due to size restrictions; (2) complex non-linear morphology; (3) reduplication on adjectives; (4) a fundamental morphological distinction between transitive and intransitive verbs; (5) a sg-pl system with a direction of derivation depending on the item; (6) rich possessive morphology; (7) differential object marking; and (8) an aspect-based word order split in main declarative clauses.