Makonde, or Kimakonde, is the language spoken by the
Makonde, an ethnic group in southeast
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 ...
and northern
Mozambique
Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Mala ...
. Makonde is a central
Bantu language
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 ...
closely related to
Yao. The
Matambwe (Matembwe) and
Mabiha (Maviha) dialects are divergent, and may not be Makonde (Nurse 2003).
A mosquito-borne viral fever first identified on the
Makonde Plateau is named '
Chikungunya
Chikungunya is an infection caused by the ''Chikungunya virus'' (CHIKV). Symptoms include fever and joint pains. These typically occur two to twelve days after exposure. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, and a ras ...
', which is derived from the Makonde root verb ''kungunyala'' (meaning "that which bends up", "to become contorted," or "to walk bent over"). The derivation of the term is generally falsely attributed to
Swahili
Swahili may refer to:
* Swahili language, a Bantu language official in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes
* Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa
* Swahili culture
Swahili culture is the culture of ...
.
Phonology
The following are the consonants and vowels of the Makonde language:
Consonants
Vowels
There also tends to be a rising final vowel sound /vv́/ within vowel combinations.
References
Rufiji-Ruvuma languages
{{Bantu-lang-stub