The Great Lakes Bantu languages, also known as Lacustrine Bantu and Bantu zone J, are a group of
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 t ...
of East Africa. They were recognized as a group by the ''Tervuren'' team, who posited them as an additional zone (zone J) to
Guthrie's largely geographic classification of Bantu.
History
By 500BC, proto-Great Lakes Bantu speakers initially settled between Lakes Kivu and Rweru in Rwanda, before rapidly spreading as far east as Kenya.
Languages
The languages are, according to Bastin, Coupez, & Mann (1999), with Sumbwa added per Nurse (2003):
*''
Gungu'' (E10)
*''
Bwari
Bwari is a local government area in the Federal Capital Territory in Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in ...
(Kabwari)'' (D50)
*Konzo (D40):
Konjo,
Nande
Nande is a village in Mulshi taluka of Pune District in the state of Maharashtra, India.Talukas surrounding the village are Karjat taluka, Talegaon Dabhade Taluka, Mawal taluka and by Khalapur taluka. Districts closest to the village are Raigad ...
, ?
Kobo
Kobo may refer to:
Places
* Kobo (woreda), a district in Ethiopia
** Kobo, Ethiopia, a town
* Kōbo Dam, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
* Mount Kōbō, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
People First name
* Kōbō Abe (1924–1993), pseudonym of Japanese ...
*
Shi–Havu (D50):
Hunde
Hunde (''Kihunde''; also ''Luhunde'', ''Kobi'', ''Rukobi'') is a Great Lakes Bantu language spoken by the Hunde people or Bahunde in Nord-Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is primarily spoken in the territories of Masisi, ...
,
Havu,
Shi,
Tembo,
Nyindu,
Fuliiro
*
Rwanda-Rundi
Rwanda-Rundi is a group of Bantu languages, specifically a dialect continuum, spoken in Central Africa. Two dialects, Kirundi and Kinyarwanda, have been standardized as national languages of Burundi and Rwanda respectively. These neighbouring ...
(D60):
Kinyarwanda
Kinyarwanda, Rwandan or Rwanda, officially known as Ikinyarwanda, is a Bantu language and a dialect of the Rwanda-Rundi language that is spoken in Rwanda and adjacent parts of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda (where ther ...
,
Kirundi
Kirundi, also known as Rundi, is a Bantu language spoken by some 9 million people in Burundi and adjacent parts of Rwanda, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, as well as in Kenya. It is the official language of Burundi. ...
,
Shubi,
Hangaza,
Ha,
Vinza
*Nyoro–Ganda (E10):
Ganda
Ganda may refer to:
Places
* Ganda, Angola
* Ganda, Tibet, China
* Ganda, the ancient Latin name of Ghent, a city in Belgium
Other uses
* Baganda or Ganda, a people of Uganda
** Luganda or Ganda language, a language of Uganda
* ''Ganda'' and "Ga ...
,
Nyankore,
Nyoro,
Tooro,
Hema,
Chiga,
Soga,
Gwere,
West Nyala,
Ruli
::(See also
Rutara languages,
Runyakitara language,
Nkore-Kiga)
*Haya–Jita (E20):
Haya–Rashi,
Talinga-Bwisi,
Zinza The Zinza are a Bantu ethnolinguistic group from the southwestern Islands on Lake Victoria, Tanzania. The Zinza people also lived on the shores of Geita Region and Mwanza Region. In 1987, the Zinza population was estimated to number 138,00
See als ...
,
Kerebe (Kerewe),
Jita
The Jita are a Bantu ethnolinguistic group based in Mara Region in northern Tanzania, on the southeastern shore of Lake Victoria. In 2005 the Jita population was estimated to number 205,000. The Jita have many clans such as the Rusori clan, Ba ...
–
Kara–
Kwaya–Ruri,
Nyambo,
Subi
*Masaba–Luhya (E30):
Masaba (incl. Bukusu),
Luhya Luhya or Abaluyia may refer to:
* Luhya people
* Luhya language
Luhya (; also Luyia, Luhia or Luhiya) is a Bantu language of western Kenya.
Dialects
The various Luhya tribes speak several related languages and dialects, though some of them ar ...
proper,
Nyore (or Nyole in Kenya),
Nyole (or Olunyole in Uganda),
Samia–Songa,
Marachi,
Khayo
*Logooli–Kuria (E40):
Logooli (Luhya),
Ngurimi,
Ikizu–Sizaki/Shashi,
Suba,
Suba-Simbiti
Suba-Simbiti (''Kisuba, Kisimbiti'') is a Bantu language of Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It ...
,
Kabwa,
Singa,
Idaxo-Isuxa-Tiriki (Luhya),
Gusii (Kisii),
Kuria (Simbiti, Hacha, Surwa, Sweta),
Zanaki,
Ikoma, ?
Ware
*''
Sumbwa The Sumbwa are a Bantu group native to Bukombe District, Geita Region
Geita Region (''Mkoa wa Geita'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers an area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined ...
'' (F20)
The codes in parentheses are Guthrie's original geographic classification.
Maho (2009) adds
Yaka.
Kobo
Kobo may refer to:
Places
* Kobo (woreda), a district in Ethiopia
** Kobo, Ethiopia, a town
* Kōbo Dam, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan
* Mount Kōbō, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan
People First name
* Kōbō Abe (1924–1993), pseudonym of Japanese ...
was recognized later. It's said to be about equidistant between Nande and Hunde, so it's not clear where it should be in the tree above.
Glottolog (2022) separates
Nyole in Uganda (and its dialects: ''Hadyo'' or ''Luhadyo'', ''Menya'', ''Sabi'' or ''Lusabi'', and ''Wesa'' or ''Luwesa'') from the E30 group (Masaba-Luhya) into an unclassified subgroup within a "Greater Luyia" group containing the Logoo-Kuria (E40) group. Beside this, it does not consider this older geographic classification relevant for its ongoing classification based on more recent linguistic studies, and uses four different subgroups (Greater Luhya,
West Nyanza, East Nyanza, and Western Lakes Bantu), keeping
Gungu (E10) separate from them.
Notes
{{Bantu-lang-stub