Rendille (also known as Rendile, Randile) is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken by the Rendille people inhabiting northern Kenya. It is part of the family's Cushitic branch.^[2]

The Ariaal sub-group of the Rendille, who are of mixed Nilotic and Cushitic descent, speak the Nilo-Saharan Samburu language of the Samburu Nilotes near whom they live.^[2][3]

Phonology

Consonants

• /tɕ/ can be heard as [ɕ] by some speakers.
• Some speakers always pronounce /x/ as a uvular stop [q].
• [ʕ] can be heard as a free variant of /ħ/, or when /ħ/ is heard in intervocalic position.
• Voiced sounds become voiceless when in word-final position.
• /b/ can be pronounced as [p] when preceding /ħ/, or as a fricative [β] in intervocalic position.
• /r/ can also freely be devoiced as [r̥] in word-initial position, and is always heard as devoiced in word-final position.
• /d̪/ can freely be heard as an affricate [d̪ð], and can also be heard as a fricative [ð] in intervocalic position.
• /x/ can also be heard as an affricate [qχ] when following nasal sounds.

Vowels

• Vowels /i, u, e, o/ are commonly heard as lax [ɪ, ʊ, ɛ, ɔ].