The Bantu languages of Malawi

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The Bantu languages of Malawi

Postby vijayjohn » 2022-02-04, 19:01

All of the indigenous languages of Malawi are Bantu languages that are almost all spoken in neighboring countries as well, with the apparent exception of a few language varieties unique to Malawi. The official languages of Malawi are English and Chewa, which, of course, is one of the Bantu languages indigenous to the country.

Chewa is related to Tumbuka, also spoken in Tanzania and Zambia, as well as to two languages called Tonga and Sena that are apparently distinct from other languages with the same names spoken in neighboring countries. Tonga in particular is not to be confused with the Tonga languages of Mozambique, Zambia, or Zimbabwe, which are from different parts of the Bantu family.

The other languages of Malawi include the Rufiji-Ruvuma language Yao, also spoken in Tanzania and Mozambique, and the Rukwe languages Nyika, Lambya, and Ndali in the northwest and in Tanzania. Nyika is also spoken in Zambia. There is also a variety of Nyiha spoken nearby that is apparently unique to Malawi and different from the variety or varieties spoken in Tanzania and Zambia. The Nyakyusa-Ngonde language spoken to the east and in Tanzania is also a Rukwe language, most closely related to Ndali. The other two Bantu languages spoken in Malawi are Makua language varieties. One is Kokola, spilling over into Malawi across the border from Mozambique, and the other is a variety of the Lomwe language that is apparently unique to Malawi.

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