Chichewa language
Encyclopedia
Chewa, also known as Nyanja, is a language
of the Bantu language
family. The gender
prefix chi- is used for languages, so the language is also known as Chichewa and Chinyanja.
. It is also one of the seven official African languages of Zambia
, where it is spoken mostly in the Eastern Province and in Lusaka
. It is also spoken in Mozambique
, especially in the provinces of Tete
and Niassa, as well as in Zimbabwe
where, according to some estimates, it ranks as the third most widely used local language, after Shona
and Northern Ndebele
.
The Nyanja spoken in Lusaka is extremely different from rural Chewa, incorporating large numbers of English-derived words, as well as showing influence from other Zambian languages such as Bemba
. For example, the plural prefix a- (used for humans and other animates) is ba- in Lusaka Nyanja.
from the 15th century to the 18th century. The language remained dominant despite the breakup of the empire and the Nguni
invasions and was adopted by Christian missionaries at the beginning of the colonial period.
In Zambia, Chewa is spoken by other peoples like the Ngoni
and the Kunda
, so a more neutral name Chinyanja "(language) of the lake" (referring to Lake Malawi
), is used instead of Chewa.
The first grammar, A grammar of the Chinyanja language as spoken at Lake Nyasa with Chinyanja-English and English-Chinyanja vocabulary , was written by Alexander in 1880 and partial translations of the Bible
were made at the end of 19th century. Further early grammars and vocabularies include A vocabulary of English-Chinyanja and Chinyanja-English: as spoken at Likoma, Lake Nyasa and A grammar of Chinyanja, a language spoken in British Central Africa, on and near the shores of Lake Nyasa, by George Henry (1891). The whole Bible was translated by William Percival Johnson
and published as Buku Lopatulika ndilo Mau a Mulungu in 1912.
A strong historical link of the Nyanja, Bemba
and Yao people to the Shona Empire, who can point their earlier origins to Mashonaland
, proves linguistically evident today. The ancient Shonas who temporarily dwelt in Malambo
, a place in the DRC, eventually shifted into northern Zambia, and then south and east into the highlands of Malawi.
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
of the Bantu language
Bantu languages
The Bantu languages constitute a traditional sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages...
family. The gender
Grammatical gender
Grammatical gender is defined linguistically as a system of classes of nouns which trigger specific types of inflections in associated words, such as adjectives, verbs and others. For a system of noun classes to be a gender system, every noun must belong to one of the classes and there should be...
prefix chi- is used for languages, so the language is also known as Chichewa and Chinyanja.
Distribution
Chewa is the national language of MalawiMalawi
The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
. It is also one of the seven official African languages of Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, where it is spoken mostly in the Eastern Province and in Lusaka
Lusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
. It is also spoken in Mozambique
Mozambique
Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...
, especially in the provinces of Tete
Tete Province
Tete is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 100,724 km² and a population of approximately 1.551.949 .Tete is the capital of the province...
and Niassa, as well as in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
where, according to some estimates, it ranks as the third most widely used local language, after Shona
Shona language
Shona is a Bantu language, native to the Shona people of Zimbabwe and southern Zambia; the term is also used to identify peoples who speak one of the Shona language dialects: Zezuru, Karanga, Manyika, Ndau and Korekore...
and Northern Ndebele
Northern Ndebele language
The Northern Ndebele language, isiNdebele, or Ndebele is an African language belonging to the Nguni group of Bantu languages, and spoken by the Ndebele or Matabele people of Zimbabwe. It is commonly known as Sindebele....
.
The Nyanja spoken in Lusaka is extremely different from rural Chewa, incorporating large numbers of English-derived words, as well as showing influence from other Zambian languages such as Bemba
Bemba
The term Bemba may refer to:* Bemba language , a Bantu language* Bemba people , an ethnic group of central Africa* Jean-Pierre Bemba, the former vice-President of the Democratic Republic of Congo...
. For example, the plural prefix a- (used for humans and other animates) is ba- in Lusaka Nyanja.
History
Chewa has its origin in the Eastern Province of ZambiaZambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
from the 15th century to the 18th century. The language remained dominant despite the breakup of the empire and the Nguni
Nguni people
-History:The ancient history of the Nguni people is wrapped up in their oral history. According to legend they were a people who migrated from Egypt to the Great Lakes region of sub-equatorial Central/East Africa...
invasions and was adopted by Christian missionaries at the beginning of the colonial period.
In Zambia, Chewa is spoken by other peoples like the Ngoni
Ngoni people
The Ngoni people are an ethnic group living in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia, in east-central Africa. The Ngoni trace their origins to the Zulu people of kwaZulu-Natal in South Africa...
and the Kunda
Kunda people
The Kunda people are an ethnic group of Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. They number approximately at 193,913 people. They speak the Chikunda/Chinyanja language, a Bantu language in the Bantu subfamily....
, so a more neutral name Chinyanja "(language) of the lake" (referring to Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi
Lake Malawi , is an African Great Lake and the southernmost lake in the Great Rift Valley system of East Africa. This lake, the third largest in Africa and the eighth largest lake in the world, is located between Malawi, Mozambique, and Tanzania...
), is used instead of Chewa.
The first grammar, A grammar of the Chinyanja language as spoken at Lake Nyasa with Chinyanja-English and English-Chinyanja vocabulary , was written by Alexander in 1880 and partial translations of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
were made at the end of 19th century. Further early grammars and vocabularies include A vocabulary of English-Chinyanja and Chinyanja-English: as spoken at Likoma, Lake Nyasa and A grammar of Chinyanja, a language spoken in British Central Africa, on and near the shores of Lake Nyasa, by George Henry (1891). The whole Bible was translated by William Percival Johnson
William Percival Johnson
William Percival Johnson was an Anglican missionary to Nyasaland. He translated the Bible into Chinyanja, which was published in 1912. He died at Liuli on what is today the Tanzanian side of Lake Malawi in 1928.-References:...
and published as Buku Lopatulika ndilo Mau a Mulungu in 1912.
A strong historical link of the Nyanja, Bemba
Bemba
The term Bemba may refer to:* Bemba language , a Bantu language* Bemba people , an ethnic group of central Africa* Jean-Pierre Bemba, the former vice-President of the Democratic Republic of Congo...
and Yao people to the Shona Empire, who can point their earlier origins to Mashonaland
Mashonaland
Mashonaland is a region in northern Zimbabwe. It is the home of the Shona people.Currently, Mashonaland is divided into three provinces, with a total population of about 3 million:* Mashonaland West* Mashonaland Central* Mashonaland East...
, proves linguistically evident today. The ancient Shonas who temporarily dwelt in Malambo
Malambo
Malambo is a municipality and town in the Colombian department of Atlántico.-External links:...
, a place in the DRC, eventually shifted into northern Zambia, and then south and east into the highlands of Malawi.
External links
- Chewa Dictionary from Webster's Dictionary
- Chichewa Home Page
- Information on the Chichewa translation of the Holy Bible Includes the Chichewa translation of John 1:1-10.
- PanAfrican L10n wiki page on Chewa/Nyanja
- Online English–Chichewa Dictionary
- USA Foreign Service Institute Chinyanja basic course
- Adaptation of English loanwords in Chichewa