Bantu Languages
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Bantu Languages
The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀) are a large family of languages spoken by the Bantu people of Central, Southern, Eastern africa and Southeast Africa. They form the largest branch of the Southern Bantoid languages. The total number of Bantu languages ranges in the hundreds, depending on the definition of "language" versus "dialect", and is estimated at between 440 and 680 distinct languages."Guthrie (1967-71) names some 440 Bantu 'varieties', Grimes (2000) has 501 (minus a few 'extinct' or 'almost extinct'), Bastin ''et al.'' (1999) have 542, Maho (this volume) has some 660, and Mann ''et al.'' (1987) have ''c.'' 680." Derek Nurse, 2006, "Bantu Languages", in the ''Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics'', p. 2:Ethnologue report for Southern Bantoid" lists a total of 535 languages. The count includes 13 Mbam languages, which are not always included under "Narrow Bantu". For Bantuic, Linguasphere has 260 outer languages (which are equivalent to languages ...
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Central Africa
Central Africa is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda, and São Tomé and Príncipe are members of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). Six of those states (the Central African Republic, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon) are also members of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) and share a common currency, the Central African CFA franc. The African Development Bank defines Central Africa as the Central African Republic, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. Middle Africa is an analogous term used by the United Nations in its geoscheme for Africa. It includes the same countries as the African Development Bank's defin ...
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Beti Language
Beti is a group of Bantu languages, spoken by the Beti-Pahuin peoples who inhabit the rain forest regions of Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ..., and São Tomé and Príncipe. The varieties, which are largely mutually intelligible and variously considered dialects or closely related languages, are: : Ewondo (Yaunde) : Fang : Bulu : Eton : Bebele : Bebil : Mengisa Beti had an ISO 639-3 code, but it was retired in 2010 because the varieties of Beti already had their own codes. There is a Beti-based pidgin called Ewondo Populaire. References Languages of Cameroon Languages of Equatorial Guinea Languages of Gabon {{Bantu-lang-stub ...
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Mbugwe–Rangi Languages
Mbugwe–Rangi are a pair of Bantu languages left after the languages of Zone F.30 in Guthrie's classification were reclassified. According to Nurse & Philippson (2003), they form a valid node. : Mbugwe, Rangi (Langi) Footnotes References * {{Bantu-lang-stub ...
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Tongwe Language
Tongwe (''Sitongwe'') and Bende (''Sibende'') constitute a clade of Bantu languages coded Zone F.10 in Guthrie's classification. According to Nurse & Philippson (2003), they form a valid node. Indeed, at 90% lexical similarity they may be dialects of a single language. References Bantu languages {{Bantu-lang-stub ...
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Northeast Bantu Languages
The Northeast Bantu languages are a group of Bantu languages spoken in East Africa. In Guthrie's geographic classification, they fall within Bantu zones E50 plus E46 (Sonjo), E60 plus E74a (Taita), F21–22, J, G60, plus Northeast Coast Bantu (of zones E & G).Derek Nurse, 2003, ''The Bantu Languages'' Some of these languages (F21, most of E50, and some of J) share a phonological innovation called Dahl's law that is unlikely to be borrowed as a productive process, though individual words reflecting Dahl's law have been borrowed into neighboring languages. The languages, or clusters, are: *Kikuyu–Kamba Thagiicu (primarily E50): ** Sonjo (E40) ** Cuka **Meru (incl. Tharaka, Mwimbi-Muthambi) **South *** Kamba, Daisu *** Gikuyu, Embu *Chaga–Taita ** Taita (Dawida; E70) – Sagalla **Chaga languages (E60) *Northeast Coast Bantu (G10-G40): Swahili (E70), ''etc.'' *Takama: Sukuma– Nyamwezi (+ Konongo–Ruwila), Kimbu (F20), Iramba–Isanzu, Nyaturu (Rimi) (F30), ? Holohol ...
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Nyanga–Buyi Languages
Nyanga–Buyi are a pair of Bantu languages left after the languages of Zone D.40–50 in Guthrie's classification were reclassified. According to Nurse & Philippson (2003), they form a valid node. : Nyanga, Buyi The Bouyei (also spelled ''Puyi'', ''Buyei'' and ''Buyi''; self called: Buxqyaix, or "Puzhong", "Burao", "Puman"; ; vi, người Bố Y), otherwise known as the Zhongjia, are an ethnic group living in Southern Mainland China. Numbering 2.5 mi ... References * {{Bantu-lang-stub ...
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Lebonya Languages
Lebonya is a proposed intermediate group of Bantu languages coded Zone D in Guthrie's classification. There are three branches: * Lengola * Bodo *the Nyali languages The Nyali languages are a clade of Bantu languages coded Zone D.33 in Guthrie's classification. They are: : Budu language, Budu, Ndaka language, Ndaka, Nyali language, Nyali, Vanuma language, Vanuma, Mbo language (Congo), Mbo They might belong i ... ''Glottolog'' 2.3 classifies Bodo instead as one of the Ngendan languages. References {{Bantu-lang-stub ...
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Boan Languages
Boan (Buan, ''Ababuan'') is a proposed intermediate group of Bantu languages coded Zones C and D in Guthrie's classification.McMaster, Mary Allen. 1988. ''Patterns of Interaction: A comparative ethnolinguistic perspective on the Uele region of Zaïre ca. 500 A.D. to 1900 A.D.'' Los Angeles: University of California. 346. There are three branches: *'' Komo'' (D20) *'' Bali'' (D20), ? Beeke *Bomokandian (the various Bwa and Biran languages) ** Biran (Bira–Amba) (D22, D30) **'' Homa (Ngenda)'' (D40) **'' Lika'' (D20) ** Bati–Angba (Bwa) (C40) Beeke is an erstwhile member of the Nyali cluster that seems to be closest to Bali. In the ''Glottolog'' 2.3 classification, several additional, poorly attested languages are included as being closest to Homa/Ngenda: *'' Bali'' (D20) *Old Bomokandian ** Komoic (Biran, incl. Komo) ** Middle Bomokandian (Lika & Bati–Angba) **Ngbele–Ngenda ***Extreme-north Vestigial-suffix Bantu: Kari Kari or KARI may refer to: Places *Kari, Jhunjhunu ...
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Lega–Binja Languages
The Lega–Binja languages are part of the Bantu languages coded Zone D.20 in Guthrie's classification, specifically D.24–26, which according to Nurse & Philippson (2003) form a valid clade. According to ''Ethnologue'', Bembe, which Nurse & Philippson were not sure belonged in its traditional group of D.50, is the closest language to Lega-Mwenga; '' Glottolog'' has it closest to Songoora. The resulting languages are: : Shabunda-Lega (incl. Kanu, Kwami), Mwenga-Lega, Bembe, Songoora (North Binja), Zimba (South Binja) Footnotes References * {{Bantu-lang-stub ...
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Mbole–Enya Languages
The Mbole–Enya languages are a clade of Bantu languages coded Zone D.10 in Guthrie's classification. According to Nurse & Philippson (2003), apart possibly from Lengola the languages form a valid node. The other languages are: : Enya–Zura, Mbole, Mituku Nyali languages The Nyali languages are a clade of Bantu languages coded Zone D.33 in Guthrie's classification. They are: : Budu language, Budu, Ndaka language, Ndaka, Nyali language, Nyali, Vanuma language, Vanuma, Mbo language (Congo), Mbo They might belong i ... (D.33) may also belong. Lengola is part of the Lebonya proponal. References * {{Bantu-lang-stub ...
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Bangi–Tetela Languages
The Bangi–Tetela languages are a proposed intermediate clade of Bantu languages that comprise a large part of Guthrie's Zone C (Motingea 1996): * Bangi–Ntomba ( Lingala, Mongo, etc.: mostly C.30) * Soko–Kele (C50–60) * Tetela (C70) *Bushoong Bushong (Bushoong) is a Bantu language of the Kasai region of Democratic Republic of the Congo. It was the language of the Kuba Kingdom The Kuba Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Bakuba or Bushongo, is a traditional kingdom in Central ... (C80) Footnotes {{Bantu-lang-stub ...
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Mboshi–Buja Languages
The Mboshi–Buja languages are a proposed intermediate clade of Bantu languages that comprise a large part of Guthrie's Zone C: * Ngondi–Ngiri (C10, some C30) * Mboshi (C20) * Buja–Ngombe languages (C37, C41) {{Bantu-lang-stub ...
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