Samburu language
| Samburu | |
|---|---|
| Sampur, ɔl Maa | |
| Native to | Kenya |
| Region | Samburu district of Rift Valley Province |
| Ethnicity | Samburu people |
Native speakers |
240,000 (2009 census) (including Camus) |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | saq |
| Glottolog | samb1315 |
Samburu is a Maa language dialect spoken by Samburu pastoralists in northern Kenya. The Samburu number about 128,000 (or 147,000 including the Camus/Chamus). The Samburu dialect is closely related to the Camus dialect (88% to 94% lexical similarity) and to the South Maasai dialects (77% to 89% lexical similarity). The word "Samburu" itself may derive from the Maa word saamburr for a leather bag the Samburu use.