Mwanga, or Namwanga (Nyamwanga), is a
Bantu language spoken by the
Mwanga people in the
Northern Province of
Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...
(mainly in the districts of
Isoka and
Nakonde) and in
Mbeya Region
Mbeya Region (''Mkoa wa Mbeya'' 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 land area of the nation state of Guinea Bissau. Mbeya Region is borde ...
,
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 borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
. The 2010 Zambian census found 140,000 speakers. The current number in Tanzania is unknown; ''Ethnologue'' cites a figure from 1987 of 87,000.
[
There are also some speakers of Namwanga in the north-west part of Chitipa District in northern ]Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeas ...
.University of Malawi Language Mapping Survey (2006)
p. 29.
The Namwanga language is similar to the
Mambwe language spoken by the
Mambwe people The Mambwe are an ethnic and linguistic group from Rukwa Region, Tanzania and northeastern Zambia
Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it i ...
of
Mbala and
Mpulungu districts and the
Lungu people also found in Isoka. Other similar smaller peoples include the
Lambya
The Lambya, also known as the Nkoya, are an ethnic and linguistic group based along the border of northwestern Malawi and in Mbeya Region, Tanzania. A minority also exists in Zambia. In 2001 the Lambya population was estimated to number 85,000, i ...
s, the
Nyikas and the
Wandyas.
Alphabet
Nyamwanga has 5 vowels and 17 consonants, a total of 22 letters
Vowels: A E I O U
Consonants: B D F G J K L M N P S SH T V W Y Z
Sample text
*''Amulandu ci wuno Yesu atalesizye umuntu wino wafumyanga iviwa mwi zina lyakwe nanti aca kuti atalinji pa wasambilizi wakwe?''
* Why did Jesus not prevent a man from expelling demons, even though the man was not following him?
See also
*
Languages of Zambia
Zambia has several major indigenous languages, all members of the Bantu family, as well as Khwedam, Zambian Sign Language, several immigrant languages and the pidgins Settla and Fanagalo. English is the official language and the major language ...
References
{{Narrow Bantu languages, J-M
Rukwa languages
Languages of Tanzania
Languages of Zambia
Languages of Malawi