Guthrie's Classification

The 250 or so "Narrow Bantu languages" are conventionally divided up into geographic zones first proposed by Malcolm Guthrie (1967–1971). These were assigned letters A–S and divided into decades (groups A10, A20, etc.); individual languages were assigned unit numbers (A11, A12, etc.), and dialects further subdivided (A11a, A11b, etc.). This coding system has become the standard for identifying Bantu languages; it was a practical way to distinguish many ambiguously named languages before the introduction of ISO 639-3 coding, and it continues to be widely used. Only Guthrie's Zone S is (sometimes) considered to be a genealogical group. Since Guthrie's time a Zone J (made of languages formerly classified in groups D and E) has been set up as another possible genealogical group bordering the Great Lakes.

The list is first summarized, with links to articles on accepted groups of Bantu languages (bold decade headings). Following that is the complete 1948 list, as updated by Guthrie in 1971 and by J. F. Maho in 2009.

Summary

The list below reflects Guthrie as updated by Maho (2009). Not included in detail are the ''Northeast Bantu'' languages characterized by Dahl's Law, which is thought to be a genealogical group, cuts across the Guthrie system, and is covered at Northeast Bantu. Other groups with dedicated articles, such as Southern Bantu (Zone S) are also only summarized here, so that the initial listing is only a summary and an index for other articles.

''Ethnologue'' made multiple changes to Guthrie in an attempt to make the classification more historically accurate. However, the changes are inconsistent, and ''Ethnologue'' has not been followed here, though it is publicly available online. Thus a code may mean different things depending on whether Guthrie or SIL is being followed. (See link below for the SIL code assignments.) The updates in Maho (2009), on the other hand, are designed to be compatible with the original values of the codes.

Bantu has long been divided into Northwest Bantu (Forest Bantu) and Central Bantu (Savanna Bantu) branches based upon tone patterns, but there is little agreement as to which Guthrie zones (or which parts of zones) should be in either, the dichotomy is dubious, and they have not been followed here.

Accepted genealogical groups within the Guthrie zones are boldfaced.

Zone A

S Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, N Gabon
*A10 ''Lundu–Balong'' : Oroko (likely one of the Sawabantu languages); the other languages apart from A15 Manenguba (that is, Bonkeng, Nkongho, Bafaw-Balong) may be Sawabantu as well.
**A15 '' Manenguba (Ngoe) languages''
*A20–30 ''Sawabantu languages''; Bube (in Mbam?)
*A40a (reduced) ''Basaa languages''
*A50 ''Bafia languages''
*A60+40b ''Mbam languages'' ( Jarawan added after Guthrie)
*A70 ''Beti language''
*A80–90 ''Makaa–Njem languages''

Zone A is sometimes considered Forest Bantu.

Guthrie's A60 and part of his A40 have been removed to the Southern Bantoid Mbam languages. Sawabantu may include some of the A10 languages apart from Manenguba, whereas Bube may belong in Mbam.

Southern Bantoid Jarawan was assigned to Zone A by Gerhardt (1982) and Blench (ms 2006, 2011), specifically to A60, within Mbam.

According to several scholars, including Blench, there can be no coherent concept of Bantu as long as many of the Zone A and perhaps Zone B languages are included.

Zone B

S Gabon, W Congo, W DR-Congo
*B20 ''Kele languages'' (? Seki)
*B10–30 ''Tsogo languages'' (? Myene)
*B40 (with some H10) ''Sira languages''
*B50 '' Nzebi languages''
*B60 ''Mbete languages''
*B70 (with some B80) ''Teke languages''
*B80 (reduced) '' Boma–Dzing languages'' ( Tsong/Songo?)

Zone B is sometimes considered Forest Bantu.

B10–30 may belong together as '' Kele–Tsogo'', B40 with ''Kongo–Yaka'' (H), and B50–70 with H24 Songo as '' Teke–Mbede''.

Zone C

NW DR-Congo, N Congo
*C10 (with some C30) '' Ngondi–Ngiri languages''
*C20 '' Mboshi languages''
*C30 (with Mongo, ''etc'') ''Bangi–Ntomba languages'' (Lingala et al.)
*C37+41 '' Buja–Ngombe languages''
*C42 Bwela
*C40a '' Bati–Angba languages (Bwa)''
*C50–60 '' Soko languages''
*C70 ''Tetela languages''
*C80 ''Bushoong languages''

Zone C is sometimes considered Forest Bantu, sometimes Savanna Bantu.

There are proposals for three larger clades, '' Mboshi–Buja'' covering C10–20 and C37+41, and '' Bangi–Tetela'' covering C30 with C50–80 (Motingea 1996), and C40a together with D20–30 in '' Boan''.

Zone D

NE DR-Congo
*D10 ''Mbole–Enya languages'' (? Lengola)
*D20a ''Lega–Binja languages''
*D20–30 '' Komo–Bira languages'', (with C40a) '' Boan''
*D28 Holoholo (perhaps in NE Bantu)
*D30 (unclassified): Guru (Boguru), Ngbinda, Kare (Kari), Nyanga-li (Gbati-ri)
*D33 ''Nyali languages'' ( Beeke? Ngbee?, +Bodo?)
*D43–55 ''Nyanga–Buyi languages''
*D54 Bembe (with Lega?)

D10, D30, and some of D20 and D40 are sometimes considered Forest Bantu, the others Savanna Bantu.

Most of D40–60 has been moved to Great Lakes Bantu languages. Lengola, Bodo, and Nyali may belong together as '' Lebonya'', and Beeke in '' Boan''.

Zone E

Kenya, apart from Swahili

The languages of Zone E have been reassigned: E10–E40 to Great Lakes Bantu languages; E50 ''Kikuyu–Kamba (Central Kenya Bantu)'' and E60 ''Chaga–Taita'' to Northeast Bantu; E70 ''Nyika'' to Northeast Bantu, mostly in Sabaki.

Zone F

W & C Tanzania.

*F10 Tongwe-Bende
*F30 (reduced) ''Mbugwe–Rangi languages''
*?Isanzu
Much of F20 and F30, including the major language Sukuma, have been reclassified as Northeast Bantu, with Bungu to Rukwa and Sumbwa as Great Lakes. Mbugwe–Rangi, however, form a valid node by themselves.

Isanzu is sometimes classified as F30, as a variety of Nilamba, and sometimes thought to be a remnant of the Bantu languages spoken in the area before F-zone languages arrived.

Zone G

E Tanzania, Comoros
*G50 (with Mbunga) ''Kilombero''
The languages of Zone G have been reclassified, G60 ''Bene–Kinga'' to Northeast Bantu, and the other branches more specifically to Northeast Coast Bantu languages.

Zone H

NW Angola, W Congo

*H10 (reduced) ''Kongo languages''
*H20 ''Kimbundu languages'' (? Songo)
*H30–40 (with Yanzi) ''Yaka languages''

H10 and H40 are sometimes considered Forest Bantu, the others Savanna Bantu.

H10 Kunyi, Suundi, and Vili have been split between B40 and L10. H40 is split between H30 and L10.

''Kongo–Yaka'' may form a family, perhaps with B40 ''Sira''.

Zone J

Uganda, Rwanda–Burundi, near lakes Kivu & Victoria

*J ''Great Lakes'' (part of Northeast Bantu)

Zone K

E Angola, W Zambia

*K10 '' Chokwe–Luchazi languages''
*K31 Luyana
*K30 ''Kavango languages''?
*K43 Mbukushu

K20 '' Lozi'' is now classified as Southern Bantu, specifically Sotho-Tswana. Some K30 languages have been reclassified as Kavango, but Luyana is an independent lineage. K40 ''Subiya–Totela'' has been reclassified as Botatwe, apart from Mbukushu, which appears to be an independent lineage.

Zone L

S DR-Congo, C Zambia

*L10 (with some H) ''Pende languages''
*L20–40 +L60 ''Luba languages'' (Luluwa)
*L50 ''Lunda languages''

L20 ''Songe'' (apart perhaps from Lwalu), L30 ''Luba'', L40 ''Kaonde'', and L60 ''Nkoya'' have been grouped as Luban.

Zone M

E Zambia, SE DR-Congo
*M10–30 (with Bungu) '' Rukwa languages''
*M40–50 (with Senga) ''Sabi languages''
*M60 (with K40 Subia) ''Botatwe languages''

''Sabi–Bobatwe'' may be related.

Zone N

Malawi and surrounding areas, C Mozambique, N. Zimbabwe, W. Zambia
*N20–40 ''Nyasa languages''
N10 ''Manda'' has been classified as Rufiji–Ruvuma, and the N20 Tumbuka 'dialect' Senga as Sabi.

Zone P

NE Mozambique, SE Tanzania

P10 ''Matuumbi'' and P20 ''Yao'' have been classified as Rufiji–Ruvuma, P15 ''Mbunga'' as Kilombero, P30 '' Makhuwa'' as Southern Bantu.

Zone R

SW Angola, N Namibia, N Botswana

*R11 ''Umbundu (South Mbundu)''
*R10–30 '' Southwest Bantu languages''
*R40 ''Yeyi''
R20 ''Ovambo'', R30 ''Herero'', and R10 apart from Umbundu have been grouped together as Southwest Bantu. Yeyi forms its own lineage.

Zone S

South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, S. Mozambique.
*S10 ''Shona languages''
*S20–60 (with P30) ''Southern Bantu languages''

Full list (1948/2009)

Following is the original list from Guthrie (1948), with all numerical assignments, as updated by Guthrie himself (1971) and J.F. Maho (2009). The groups are geographic, and do not necessarily imply a relationship between the languages within them. Words in parentheses are added for disambiguation. Numbers in brackets are changes made in Maho (2009); languages in brackets were added by Maho (2009). Languages of the proposed Zone J are included among zones D and E.

Zone A

:A10: A11 01 Londo, A12 01 Barue, A13 Balong, A14 Bonkeng, A15 Mbo, Bafo, A151 Nkongho, multiple additions to A101 Oroko]
:A20: A21 Kpwe language, Bomboko, A22 Kpwe language, Baakpe, A23 Suwu language, Su, A24 Duala language, Duala, A25 Duala language, Oli, A26 Duala language, Pongo, A27 Limba language (Cameroon), Mulimba, Bubia.html" ;"title="221 Bube language, Bubia">221 Bubia, A231 Kole, additions to A24–26 Duala:A30: A31a North Bobe, A31b Southwest Bobe, A31c Southeast Bobe, A32a Banoo, A32b Bapoko, A33a Yasa, A33b Kombe, A34 Benga
:A40: A41 Lombi, A42 Bankon, A43a Mbene, A43b North Kogo, A43c South Kogo, A44 Banen, A45 Nyokon, A46 Mandi, Aling'a, A461 Bonek, A462 Yambeta language">Yambeta:A50: A51 Fa’, A52 Kaalong language">Kaalong, A53 Bafia language (Cameroon)">Kpa