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. 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 Gungu is a town in Kwilu Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It is the capital of Gungu Territory as well as Gungu Sector. The town lies west of the Kwilu River and is situated between the streams Lukunia in the south-east and Kitem ...

'' (E10) *''

Bwari Bwari is a local government area in the Federal Capital Territory in Nigeria. The original inhabitants of the town are the Gbagyi speaking people. The paramount ruler is the Esu who is otherwise known as Sa-bwaya. However, with the establishment o ...

(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 Japan ...

* Shi–Havu (D50): Hunde,

Havu Havu (or Haavu or Kihavu) is a Bantu language of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is spoken mainly in the Idjwi and Kalehe territories of Sud-Kivu Province, in the east of the DRC. It is closely related to the Shi language. The Havu la ...

Shi Shi or SHI may refer to: Language * ''Shi'', a Japanese title commonly used as a pronoun * ''Shi'', proposed gender-neutral pronoun * Shi (kana), a kana in Japanese syllabaries * Shi language * ''Shī'', transliteration of Chinese Radical ...

, 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 the ...

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. Kir ...

, Shubi,

Hangaza The Hangaza are a Bantu ethnolinguistic group based in Kagera Region in northwestern Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African ...

, Ha,

Vinza The Vinza (''Wavinza'' in Swahili) are a Bantu ethnic and linguistic group based in Kigoma Region, Tanzania. In 1987 the Vinza population was estimated to be 10,000. The Vinza people speak the Vinza language, also known as Kivinza, which belo ...

*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 "Gan ...

, Nyankore, Nyoro, Tooro,

Hema Hema may refer to: * Hemā (mythology), a figure from Polynesian mythology * HEMA (store), a Dutch chain of stores * Hema (supermarket) (盒马), a supermarket chain in China * Hema maps, an Australian map publisher * Hema people, an ethnic group ...

, 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 and Ruhaya. The language gr ...

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 L ...

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 Norman Tucker w ...

) *Haya–Jita (E20):

Haya Haya may refer to: Biology * ''Haya'' (dinosaur), a genus of basal ornithopod dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous from Mongolia * ''Haya'' (plant), a genus of plants in the family Caryophyllaceae * Haya de Herguijuela (Spanish: beech ...

–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 also ...

Kerebe Kerewe, or Kerebe, is a Bantu language of Tanzania, spoken on Ukerewe Island in Lake Victoria, the largest inland island in Africa. Kerewe phonology prohibits vowel sequences: if a vowel sequence arises in the underlying representation of a ph ...

(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, Batim ...

–

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 D ...

– Kwaya–Ruri,

Nyambo The Nyambo, or Ragwe, are a Bantu ethnic and linguistic group based in the Karagwe District of Kagera Region in far northwestern Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), i ...

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

Luhya Luhya or Abaluyia may refer to: * Luhya people The Luhya (also known as ''Abaluyia'' or Luyia) comprise a number of Bantu ethnic groups native to western Kenya. They are divided into 20 culturally and linguistically related tribes. ''Luhya'' ref ...

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

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 The Ngurimi are a Bantu ethnolinguistic group based in northern Tanzania near the border with Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , ...

, Ikizu–Sizaki/Shashi,

Suba Suba may refer to: Groups of people * Suba people (Kenya), a people of Kenya **Suba language *Suba people (Tanzania), a people of Tanzania * Subha (writers), alternatively spelt Suba, Indian writer duo Individual people * Suba (musician), Serbia ...

, Suba-Simbiti, Kabwa, Singa, Idaxo-Isuxa-Tiriki (Luhya), Gusii (Kisii), Kuria (Simbiti, Hacha, Surwa, Sweta), Zanaki, Ikoma, ?

Ware Ware may refer to: People * Ware (surname) * William of Ware (), English Franciscan theologian Places Canada * Fort Ware, British Columbia United Kingdom *Ware, Devon *Ware, Hertfordshire * Ware, Kent United States * Ware, Elmore County, A ...

*''

Sumbwa The Sumbwa are a Bantu group native to Bukombe District, Geita Region in central Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Gre ...

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

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

(E10) separate from them.

Notes

{{Bantu-lang-stub