Lorma
/ˈlɔːrmə/
noun
Origin
Lorma
Loma — Self-designation of the people
Overview
Meaning Now
- A Mande language spoken primarily in Liberia and Guinea.
- A person belonging to the ethnic group that speaks the Lorma language.
Language path
Lorma
Earliest form
Lorma
Earliest period
19th century
Journey
The Lorma people (often referred to as Loma) reside primarily in the Lofa County of Liberia and parts of Guinea. Their language belongs to the Mande branch of the Niger-Congo language family. The name 'Lorma' is a common exonymic spelling variant of 'Loma', which remains the preferred term among native speakers.
Evolution
- Pre-colonial era
Loma
“Ethnic self-designation”
Original indigenous endonym
- 19th-20th century
Lorma
“Standardized colonial spelling”
Added 'r' as an Anglicized or transliterated spelling convention
Connections
Related across languages
Mende
Mende
Related Mande-speaking group
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Related to Lorma
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.