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 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 ...

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 500 BC, Proto-Great Lakes Bantu speakers initially settled between Lakes Kivu and Rweru in Rwanda.

Languages

The languages are, according to Bastin, Coupez, & Mann (1999), with Sumbwa added per Nurse (2003): *'' Gungu'' (E10) *''

Bwari Bwari is a Local government areas of Nigeria, local government area in the Federal Capital Territory (Nigeria), Federal Capital Territory in Nigeria. The original inhabitants of the town are the Gbagyi speaking people. The paramount ruler is the ...

(Kabwari)'' (D50) *Konzo (D40): Konjo, Nande, ?

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 * Kobo (name) * Kōbō-Daishi, a posthumous name of Kūka ...

*Shi–Havu (D50): Hunde, Havu, Shi, Tembo,

Nyindu Nyindu is an endangered Bantu language 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 ...

, Fuliiru *

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 ...

(D60):

Kinyarwanda Kinyarwanda, Rwandan or Rwanda, officially known as Ikinyarwanda, is a Bantu language and the national language of Rwanda. It is a dialect of the Rwanda-Rundi language that is also spoken in adjacent parts of the Democratic Republic of the ...

Kirundi Kirundi (), also known as Rundi, is a Bantu language and the national language of Burundi. It is mutually intelligible with Kinyarwanda, the national language of Rwanda, and the two form parts of the Rwanda-Rundi dialect continuum spoken in Buru ...

, Shubi,

Hangaza The Hangaza are a Bantu ethnolinguistic group based in Ngara District of Kagera Region in northwestern Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bord ...

, 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 * Ganda, a settlement in Kilifi County, Kenya Other uses * Baganda or Ganda, a people of Uganda ** Luganda or Ganda lang ...

, Nyankore, Nyoro, Tooro,

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, Chiga, Soga, Gwere, West Nyala, Ruli ::(See also

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 ...

Runyakitara language Runyakitara is a standardized language based on four closely related languages of western Uganda: * Nyoro or ''Runyoro'' * Kiga (Chiga) or ''Rukiga'' * Nkore or ''Runyankole'' * Tooro or ''Rutooro'' Jouni Filip Maho's 2009 New Updated Guthrie ...

Nkore-Kiga Nkore-Kiga is a language spoken by around 5,800,000 people living in the extreme southwest of Uganda. It is often defined as two separate languages: Nkore and Kiga. It is closely related to Runyoro-Rutooro. History Archibald Tucker was th ...

) *Haya–Jita (E20): Haya–Rashi, Talinga-Bwisi, Zinza, Kerebe (Kerewe), Jita–

Kara Kara or KARA may refer to: Geography Localities * Kara, Chad, a sub-prefecture * Kára, Hungary, a village * Kara, Uttar Pradesh, India, a township * Kara, Iran, a village in Lorestan Province * Kara, Republic of Dagestan, a rural locality in ...

– Kwaya–Ruri, Nyambo, Subi *Masaba–Luhya (E30): Masaba (incl. Bukusu),

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

proper, Nyore (or Nyole in Kenya), Nyole (or Olunyole in Uganda), Samia–Songa,

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 ...

*Logooli–Kuria (E40): Logooli (Luhya), Ngurimi, Ikizu–Sizaki/Shashi, Suba, Suba-Simbiti, Kabwa, Singa, Idaxo-Isuxa-Tiriki (Luhya), Gusii (Kisii), Kuria (Simbiti, Hacha, Surwa, Sweta), Zanaki, Ikoma,?

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*''

Sumbwa The Sumbwa are Bantu group native to Bukombe District, Geita Region in central Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the n ...

'' (F20) The codes in parentheses are Guthrie's original geographic classification. Maho (2009) adds

Yaka Yaka may refer to: Places in Turkey * Yaka, Başmakçı * Yaka, Bozdoğan * Yaka, Düzce * Yaka, Gelendost, a village in Gelendost District, Isparta Province * Yaka, Kastamonu * Yaka, Kemaliye * Yaka, Tavas * Yaka, Yapraklı * Yaka Castle or Güdü ...

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 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. Besides 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 Luyia, West Nyanza, East Nyanza, and Western Lakes Bantu), keeping Gungu (E10) separate from them.

Notes

{{Bantu-lang-stub