thahabu

Kikuyu

Etymology

Borrowed from Swahili dhahabu,^[1] from Arabic ذَهَب (ḏahab).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ðàháβù(ꜜ)/, /ðàháβǔꜜ/

As for Tonal Class, Benson (1964) classifies this term into Class 10 with a trisyllabic stem, together with gĩting'ũri, ndigithũ, kĩĩgunyĩ, and so on. Also class 3 with a trisyllabic stem, together with kĩgokora, mbarĩki, thimiti, and so on.

(Kiambu)

(Limuru) As for Tonal Class, Yukawa (1981) classifies this term into a group including gĩcũhĩ, gĩkorora, kĩgokora, mũceere, mũgathĩ, mũgogo (pl. mĩgogo), mũgoma, mũirĩtu, mbarĩki, ndagitari, ngirathi, njohero, njũi, rĩithori (pl. maithori), ũnyiinyi, and so on.^[2]

Noun

thahabu class 10

gold

References

^ “thahabu” in Benson, T.G. (1964). Kikuyu-English dictionary, p. 487. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
^ Yukawa, Yasutoshi (1981). "A Tentative Tonal Analysis of Kikuyu Nouns: A Study of Limuru Dialect." In Journal of Asian and African Studies, No. 22, 75–123.

Muiru, David N. (2007). Wĩrute Gĩgĩkũyũ: Marĩtwa Ma Gĩgĩkũyũ Mataũrĩtwo Na Gĩthũngũ, p. 15.

[1] “thahabu” in Benson, T.G. (1964). Kikuyu-English dictionary, p. 487. Oxford: Clarendon Press.

[yy1981-2] Yukawa, Yasutoshi (1981). "A Tentative Tonal Analysis of Kikuyu Nouns: A Study of Limuru Dialect." In Journal of Asian and African Studies, No. 22, 75–123.

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