| Zemba | |
|---|---|
| Dhimba | |
| Spoken in | Angola, Namibia |
| Ethnicity | Herero, Tjimba |
| Native speakers | 22,000 (1996–2006) |
| Language family | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | dhm |
Zemba (Dhimba) is a Bantu language spoken mainly in Angola where the language has about 18,000 speakers, and also in Namibia with some 4,000.[1] It is closely related to Herero, and is often considered a dialect of that language, especially as the Zemba are ethnically Herero.
There are various spellings and pronunciations of the name: Zimba, Dhimba, Tjimba, Chimba, etc. However, when spelled Tjimba or Chimba in English, it generally refers to the Tjimba people, non-Herero hunter-gatherers who speak Zemba. The spelling Himba should be distinguished from the Himba people and their dialect of Herero.