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Teso | |
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Ateso | |
Native to | Uganda, Kenya |
Region | Teso sub-region, parts of Pallisa District and Busia County |
Ethnicity | Iteso |
Native speakers | 2,778,000 (2014 & 2019 censuses)[1] |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | teo |
Glottolog | teso1249 |
Teso (natively Ateso) is an Eastern Nilotic language spoken by the Teso people of Uganda and Kenya and some speakers are in South Sudan. It is part of the Teso–Turkana language cluster.[2][3]
According to the 2012 Uganda population and housing census, over 11.57 million people in Uganda (66.7 percent of the total Uganda population)[4] spoke Ateso. Also, an estimated 279,000 people in Kenya speak the language. Its ISO 639-3 code is TEO.[3]
Ateso is spoken in the Teso sub-region.[2] Ateso is also known as Bakedi, Bakidi, Elgumi, Etossio, Ikumama, Iteso, Teso or Wamia. It is closely related to Turkana and Karamojong.