The Northeast Bantu languages are a group of

Bantu languages The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu language, Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀), or Ntu languages are a language family of about 600 languages of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern, East Africa, Eastern and Southeast Africa, South ...

spoken in

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

. 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 The Northeast Coast Bantu languages are the Bantu languages spoken along the coast of Tanzania and Kenya, and including inland Tanzania as far as Dodoma.Derek Nurse & Thomas Spear, 1985, ''The Swahili'' In Guthrie's geographic classification, t ...

(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 Dahl's law ( German: ''das Dahlsche Gesetz'') is a sound rule in some of the Northeast Bantu languages that illustrates a case of voicing dissimilation. In the history of these languages, a voiceless stop, such as , became voiced () when immedia ...

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: *Northeast Bantu languages **Kikuyu–Kamba Thagiicu (primarily E50): *** Sonjo (E40) *** Cuka ***

Meru Meru may refer to: Geography Kenya * Meru, Kenya, town in Meru County in the republic of Kenya * Meru County, one of Kenya's 47 counties that was created by the 2009 merger of 3 districts: ** Meru Central District ** Meru North District ** Meru S ...

(incl. Tharaka, Mwimbi-Muthambi) ***South ****

Kamba Kamba may refer to: *Kamba African Rainforest Experiences, a collection of eco-luxury lodges in the Republic of Congo *Kamba people of Kenya *Bena-Kamba, a community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo *Khampa, also spelled Kamba, Tibetan peop ...

, Daisu **** Gikuyu,

Embu Embu may refer to: Places ; in Brazil * Embu das Artes * Embu-Guaçu ; in Kenya * Embu, Kenya * Embu County Other

*Embu people of Kenya *Embu language, the Bantu language spoken by them {{Disamb, geo ...

**Chaga–Taita ***

Taita Taita may refer to: * Taita people, a Bantu ethnic group in Kenya * Taita language, a Bantu language *Taitā, New Zealand, a suburb of Lower Hutt City * Taita Hills, a mountain range in Kenya * Taita Cushitic languages, an extinct pair of Afro-Asi ...

(Dawida; E70) –

Sagalla Taita is a Bantu language spoken in the Taita Hills of Kenya. It is closely related to the Chaga languages of Kenya and Tanzania. The Saghala (Northern Sagala, Sagalla) variety is distinct enough to be considered a language separate from the Daw ...

***

Chaga languages Chaga, also ''Kichaga'' or ''Kichagga'', is a Bantu dialect continuum spoken by the Chaga people of northern Tanzania, south of Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa ...

(E60) **

(G10-G40):

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes. * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa. * Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...

(E70), ''etc.'' ** Takama:

Sukuma Sukuma may refer to: *the Sukuma people *the Sukuma language *the Swahili name for Colewort **the dish sukuma wiki Sukuma wiki is an East African dish made with collard greens, known as , cooked with onions and spices. It is often served and ea ...

–

Nyamwezi Nyamwezi may refer to: * Nyamwezi people, of Tanzania * Nyamwezi language Nyamwezi is a major Bantu language of central Tanzania. It forms a dialect continuum A dialect continuum or dialect chain is a series of Variety (linguistics), langu ...

(+ Konongo–Ruwila), Kimbu (F20),

Iramba Iramba is one of the six districts of the Singida Region of central Tanzania. It is bordered to the Northwest by the Shinyanga Region, to the North by Simiyu Region, to the east by the Mkalama District, to the South by Ikungi District and to ...

–

Isanzu The Isanzu (Anyihanzu) are a Bantu ethno-linguistic group based in Mkalama District, Singida Region, Tanzania. In 1987 the Isanzu population was estimated to number 32,40 The Isanzu have matrilineal descent groups and are agriculturalists who su ...

, Nyaturu (Rimi) (F30), ?

Holoholo Holoholo may refer to: * Holoholo people, an ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo * Holoholo language Holoholo is a Bantu language of DR Congo and formerly in Tanzania spoken by the Holoholo people on either side of Lake Tanganyik ...

–Tumbwe–Lumbwe (D20) **

Great Lakes Bantu The Great Lakes Bantu languages, also known as Lacustrine Bantu and Bantu zone J, are a group of Bantu languages of East Africa. They were recognized as a group by the ''Tervuren'' team, who posited them as an additional zone (zone J) to Guthrie ...

(zone J):

Luhya Luhya or Abaluyia may refer to: * Luhya people * Luhya language {{disambig Language and nationality disambiguation pages ...

, Gusii, Kuria, Suba, Zanaki, Ikoma, Samia,

Marachi The Marachi are one of sixteen tribes of the Luhya people of Kenya, making up approximately one percent of the Luyha.Kremer, Michael, and Edward Miguel. ''Networks, social learning, and technology adoption: the case of deworming drugs in Kenya''. ...

Khayo The Khayo is a sub tribe of the Luhya people of Kenya. They reside in Busia County, by the Kenya-Uganda border. Their Luhya neighbors are the Samia, Marachi, Wanga and Bukusu. The Bakhayo border the Bukusu on the East, the Republic of Uganda and ...

Rwanda-Rundi Rwanda-Rundi or West Highlands Kivu is a group of Bantu languages, specifically a dialect continuum, spoken in Central Africa. Two dialects, Kirundi and Kinyarwanda, have been standardized as the national languages of Burundi and Rwanda respec ...

Ganda Ganda may refer to: Places * Ganda, Angola * Ganda, Tibet, China * Ganda, the ancient Latin name of Ghent, a city in Belgium * Ganda, a settlement in Kilifi County, Kenya Other uses * Baganda or Ganda, a people of Uganda ** Luganda or Ganda lang ...

Rutara languages The Rutara or Runyakitara languages (endonym: ''Orutara'', ''Orunyakitara'') are a group of closely related Bantu languages spoken in the African Great Lakes region. They include languages such as Runyoro, Runyankore, Kiga language, Rukiga and Ha ...

, ''etc.'' **Bena–Kinga (G60) ***

Sangu Sangu may refer to: * Sangu people * Sangu clan, a clan of Gujjar community * Sangu dynasty, Gurjar (Gujjar) dynasty of Kashmir * Sangu language (Gabon) * Sangu language (Tanzania) * Sanghu, Taplejung, Nepal * Sangu River The Sangu River is a ...

*** Hehe *** Bena ***

Pangwa The Pangwa are a Bantu ethnolinguistic group based in the Kipengere Range on the eastern shore of Lake Malawi, in the Ludewa District of Njombe Region in southern Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country i ...

*** Kinga– Magoma *** Wanji *** Kisi ***? Manda (N10)

Notes

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