| Kipsigis | |
| States: | Kenya |
| Ethnicity: | Kipsigis |
| Speakers: | million |
| Date: | 2009 census |
| Ref: | e18 |
| Familycolor: | Nilo-Saharan |
| Fam2: | Eastern Sudanic |
| Fam3: | Nilotic |
| Fam4: | Southern Nilotic |
| Fam5: | Kalenjin |
| Fam6: | Nandi–Markweta |
| Iso3: | sgc |
| Glotto: | kips1239 |
| Glottorefname: | Kipsigis |
Kipsigis (or Kipsikii, Kipsikiis) is part of the Kenyan Kalenjin dialect cluster, It is spoken mainly in Kericho and Bomet counties in Kenya. The Kipsigis people are the most numerous tribe of the Kalenjin in Kenya, accounting for 60% of all Kalenjin speakers. Kipsigis is closely related to Nandi, Keiyo (Keyo, Elgeyo), South Tugen (Tuken), and Cherangany.
The Kipsigis territory is bordered to the south and southeast by the Maasai. To the west, Gusii (a Bantu language) is spoken. To the north-east, other Kalenjin people are found, mainly the Nandi. East from the Kipsigis, in the Mau forests, live some Okiek speaking tribes.
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |
| Stop | p | t | (c) | k | |
| Affricate | tʃ | ||||
| Fricative | s | ||||
| Rhotic | r | ||||
| Lateral | l | ||||
| Approximant | j | w |
| +ATR | -ATR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Back | Front | Back | ||
| Close | i iː | u uː | i̙ i̙ː | u̙ u̙ː | |
| Mid | e eː | o oː | e̙ e̙ː | o̙ o̙ː | |
| Open | a aː | a̙ a̙ː | |||
Usually, the pronunciation of a double vowel does not mean a repetition of that vowel sound but rather an elongation of that particular vowel sound. An exception to that generalization shows up with the double ee.
Normally, the elongated vowel sounds follow the Latin vowel sounds. A few examples are given in the table below
| aa | Kaap | mama, mark, margin, sharp | |
| ii | Asiis | piece, peace, freeze, sneeze | |
| oo | igoondiitroopta | gonerobe | |
| uu | piyuut | root, boot |
| akweet 'flock' | wet | |
| beek 'water' | bake | |
| meet 'death' | for this word, there are two sounds, as in lay-ette |