Rendille language

Spoken in

• Afro-Asiatic Cushitic Ostkuschitisch Rendille - Boni

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Rendille ( alternative names are Rendili, Rendile or Randile ) is an Afro-Asiatic language from the family of the Cushitic languages ​​, belonging to the ostkuschitischen lowland languages. It is spoken by the same ethnic group Rendille with about 60,000 speakers in the north of Kenya.

Rendille is related to the languages ​​Afar, Oromo and Somali. However, the relationship is not very close.

Today's ethnic groups Rendille Gabbra, Garre and Sakuye formed until about the end of the 15th century a common, linguistically and culturally related group, the Proto - Rendille - Somali, or is known somaloid. From the 16th century they were displaced by Borana Oromo or joined them and took their language. The ancestors of today's Rendille took over cultural elements of the Borana, their own language remained among them but.

The language is considered endangered, to be replaced by either the official languages ​​of Kenya or by a Nilotic language. The southern Rendille or Ariaal speak Maa, the language of the neighboring Samburu, often almost as good or even better than the language of their own ethnic group further north. On the other hand, according to the latest estimates, the number of speakers of Rendille currently again.