Mbunda language

Mbunda
Mbúùnda, Chimbúùnda
Native to Angola, Zambia
Ethnicity Mbunda people
Native speakers
 260,000 (2000–2010)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3 Variously:
mck – Mbunda
nkn – Nkangala
yax – Yauma
Glottolog mbun1249  (Mbunda)[2]
nkan1238  (Nkangala)[3]
K.15,18[4]

Mbunda is a Bantu language of Angola and Zambia. There are several dialects: Katavola, Yauma,[5] Nkangala, Mbalango, Sango, Ciyengele ("Shamuka"), and Ndundu, all of which are closely related.[6] Mbunda was one of six languages selected by the Instituto de Línguas Nacionais (National Languages Institute) for an initial phase to establish spelling rules in 1980[7] to facilitate teaching in schools and promoting its use. [8][9]

Sounds

Mbunda is similar to Luchazi, but has some differences in the consonants. Among other differences, where Luchazi has /s, z/, Mbunda has /θ, ð/. Where Luchazi has /ts/, Mbunda has dental /t̪/.

Vowels

Like other languages in eastern Angola and Zambia, Mbunda language has five contrastive vowels:

Front
(unrounded)		 Central
(unrounded)		 Back
(rounded)
high i u
mid ɛ ɔ
low a

Consonants

Voiced plosives only occur as prenasalized stops, where they contrast with aspirated plosives. Otherwise only tenuis plosives are found in Mbunda.[10]

Prenasalized consonants
Aspirated Voiced Place of formation Sample Word Sound Translation
/mpʰ/ mp /mb/ mb bilabialmbandu sore
/nt̪ʰ/ nths /nd̪/ ndthz dentalndthzili power
/ntʰ/ nt /nd/ nd alveolarndolome brother
— /ndʒ/ nj alveopalatalnjamba elephant
/ŋkʰ/ nk /ŋɡ/ ng velarngonde moon

Orthography

Graphic Representation Phonetic Symbol(*) Word Example Word Sound Translation
a /a/ angula choose
mb /mb/ mbunga crowd
ch (used with nouns)
or c 		/tʃ/ cili true
chiyambi hunter
nd /nd/ ndumba lion
e /ɛ/ ewa yes
f /f/ fundanga gunpowder
ng /ŋɡ/ ngombe cow, ox
ŋ /ŋ/ ŋala crab
h /h/ hanja outside
i /i/ imanena wait
j /ʒ/ jombolola reveal
k /k/ kovela enter
l /l/ lilonga plate, dish
m /m/ mulonga offence
n /n/ naana my mother
ndthz /nd̪/ ndthzita war
nk /ŋkʰ/ nkuta court
ny /ɲ/ or maybe /nʲ/ nyali brother or sister-in-law
o /ɔ/ owo that one
p /p/ putuka start
mp /mpʰ/ mpulu male animal
t /t/ tulo asleep, sleepy
th /θ/ thimbu time
ths /t̪/ thsa die
thz /ð/ thzala dress up
u /u/ uli where is he (she)
v /β/ vwato boat, canoe
w /w/ wahi he (she) is not here
x /ʃ/ xwata forest
y /j/ yange myself
Orthographies of six languages of Angola,[11][12]

Population

Mbunda is spoken by the Mbunda people of the Moxico Province and Cuando Cubango Province of Angola and western Zambia.[13] upon the migration of among others, the Ciyengele,[14]

Dialects

The Mbunda language in Zambia Angola is not spoken exactly the same way. In Zambia it has a strong upper teeth contact with the tongue, to pronounce words like: "Mundthzindthzime" (shadow), "chithzalo" (dress), "Kuthsa" (death) and many more. The difficult sounds represented by TH.[15] Mbunda language in Angola and Namibia is spoken without the TH sounds, like in the Luchazi language;[16] the words above are pronounced as "Mutzitzime" (shadow), "chizalo" (cloth), "Kutsa" (death). Even within Zambia, the Mbunda language spoken by the Chiyengele group that migrated earlier is different from that spoken by the Mbunda group that fled into Zambia as a consequence of the Mbunda-Portuguese war of 1914. That is why the Mbunda language of the Chiyengele group, mainly found in Mongu, is nicknamed "Shamuka",[17] heavily influenced by Lozi language. The same term can be attributed to the Mbunda language in Namibia, which is heavily influenced by the Nyemba and Luchazi languages.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Mbunda at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
    Nkangala at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
    Yauma at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. ↑ Nordhoff, Sebastian; Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Mbunda". Glottolog. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
  3. ↑ Nordhoff, Sebastian; Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Nkangala". Glottolog. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
  4. ↑ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
  5. ↑ Bantu-Languages.com, citing Maniacky 1997
  6. ↑ Bantu-Languages.com, citing Maniacky 1997
  7. ↑ http://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/mbun1249 For additional sources
  8. ↑ Resolution adopted by Council of Ministers - Official Gazette No. 3/87 of May 1987
  9. ↑ Angola Harmonização das línguas bantu dificultada pela fonética e grafia
  10. ↑ Tusona: Luchazi Ideographs : a Graphic Tradition of West-Central Africa By Gerhard Kubik, page 300
  11. ↑ História da criação dos alfabetos em línguas nacionais, edições 70 - Portugal (History of the creation of alphabets in national languages, 70th editions - Portugal)
  12. ↑ Tusona: Luchazi Ideographs : a Graphic Tradition of West-Central Africa By Gerhard Kubik, pages 291
  13. ↑ The elites of Barotseland, 1878-1969: a political history of Zambia's Western Province: a. Gerald L. Caplan ISBN 0900966386 Publisher: C. Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd, 1970
  14. ↑ Bantu-Languages.com, citing Maniacky 1997
  15. ↑ A.W, July 1, 1917, A Comparative Vocabulary of Sikololo-Silui-Simbunda, African Affairs, Oxford University Press
  16. ↑ Tusona: Luchazi Ideographs : a Graphic Tradition of West-Central Africa By Gerhard Kubik, pages 291, 292
  17. ↑ Bantu-Languages.com, citing Maniacky 1997

Literature

Coordinates: 14°06′44″S 21°26′07″E / 14.11222°S 21.43528°E / -14.11222; 21.43528

Category:Populated places in Moxico Province Category:Populated places in Cuando Cubango Province Category:Municipalities of Angola

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