Dinka, a common language spoken in South Sudan, belongs to the Nilo-Saharan language family. Its distinct features include complex tonal patterns and an elaborate system of noun classes. According to the eLinguistics.net analysis using specific software modules to assess linguistic relationships, the five languages most similar to Dinka are Nuer, Acholi, Luo, Maasai, and even the more distant Vietnamese.
- Nuer (73.7)
Spoken by the Nuer people of South Sudan and western Ethiopia, Nuer is perhaps the most closely related language to Dinka. Both languages are part of the Western Nilotic subgroup. There are deep historical and cultural ties between the Dinka and Nuer peoples. As a result, a significant portion of vocabulary between these languages is mutually intelligible. - Acholi (56.7)
Spoken in northern Uganda and South Sudan, Acholi belongs to the Luo language cluster within the Western Nilotic branch. Although slightly more distantly related than Nuer, some basic vocabulary in Acholi and Dinka, such as terms for body parts and natural elements, overlaps. - Luo (46.4)
Luo is a widely spoken Nilotic language primarily found in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. Though part of the same linguistic family, it represents a more distant relative of Dinka. Still, their shared linguistic ancestry contributes to similarities in syntax and morphology. - Maasai (33.3)
The Eastern Nilotic language Maasai is spoken by the Maasai people of Kenya and Tanzania. Terms related to cattle, a central aspect of both Maasai and Dinka cultures, often share linguistic roots. However, despite these similarities, Maasai’s structure and grammar differ significantly. - Vietnamese (25.8)
Although Vietnamese is a language from the Austroasiatic family and spoken primarily in Southeast Asia, it has some surprising similarities to Dinka that may be coincidence. Interestingly enough both languages rely on tones to create words. For instance, the word for hand in Vietnamese is tay but it is tin in Dinka.
(to be considered for the list, the language must be spoken by at least one million people)