The Kavango – Southwest Bantu languages 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.
The t ...
established by Anita Pfouts (2003). The ''Southwest Bantu languages'' constitute most of
Guthrie's Zone R. The languages, or clusters, along with their Guthrie identifications, are:
*Kavango (K30)
**
Kwangali
Kwangali is a traditional Kavango kingdom in what is today Namibia. Its people speak the Kwangali language
Kwangali, or RuKwangali, is a Bantu language spoken by 85,000 people along the Kavango River in Namibia, where it is a national language, ...
**
Gciriku
Gciriku is a traditional Kavango kingdom in what is today Namibia. Its people speak the Gciriku language.
The Gciriku (Rugciriku: ''vaGciriku'') are one of the many ethnic groups in Namibia with an estimated population of 20 000. The Gciriku main ...
(Manyo)
**?
Mashi,
Simaa,
Mbowe,
Shanjo,
Kwangwa
*Southwest Bantu
**''
Ovambo Ovambo may refer to:
*Ovambo language
*Ovambo people
* Ovamboland
*Ovambo sparrowhawk
The Ovambo or Ovampo sparrowhawk, also known as Hilgert's sparrowhawk, (''Accipiter ovampensis'') is a species of sub-Saharan African bird of prey in the famil ...
'' (R20):
Kwanyama,
Ndonga
Ndonga, also called Oshindonga, is a Bantu language, Bantu dialect spoken in Namibia and parts of Angola. It is a standardized dialect of the Ovambo language, and is mutual intelligibility, mutually intelligible with Kwanyama dialect, Kwanyama, ...
,
Kwambi,
Ngandyera,
Mbalanhu
**
Khumbi (Ngumbi, R10)
**?
Ndombe
**
Nyaneka
Nyaneka or Haneca is a Bantu language of Angola
, national_anthem = " Angola Avante"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capital = Luanda
, religion =
, religion_year ...
(R10)
**
Ngambwe (ex-Nyaneka dialect)
**
Hakaona (ex-Herero dialect)
**''Herero'' (R30):
Herero
Herero may refer to:
* Herero people, a people belonging to the Bantu group, with about 240,000 members alive today
* Herero language, a language of the Bantu family (Niger-Congo group)
* Herero and Namaqua Genocide
* Herero chat, a species of b ...
,
Zemba
Though not explicitly classified,
Ndombe (R10) is presumably SW Bantu, and
Mashi,
Simaa (K30) Kavango. Maho (2009) adds
Mbowe,
Shanjo, and
Kwangwa, as well as splitting off several varieties of these as distinct languages, such as
Kuvale (R30 > R10). However,
Mbukushu Mbukushu is a traditional Kavango people, Kavango kingdom in what is today Namibia. Its people speak the Mbukushu language.
References
World Statesmen.org
* Maria Fisch, ''The Mbukushu in Angola (1730-2002):A History of Migration, Flight and R ...
,
Luyana
Luyana (Luyaana), also known as ''Luyi'' (Louyi, Lui, Rouyi), is a Bantu language spoken in Zambia and perhaps in small numbers in neighboring countries. It appears to be an divergent lineage of Bantu. It is spoken by the Luyana people, a subgrou ...
, and
Yeyi Yeyi may refer to:
*Ye County, Henan, China, formerly known as Yeyi
* Yeyi people
*Yeyi language
Yeyi (autoethnonym ''Shiyɛyi'') is a Bantu languages, Bantu language spoken by many of the approximately 50,000 Yeyi people along the Okavango Rive ...
, sometimes included with these languages, appear to be more divergent lineages of Bantu.
Bantu Classification
, Ehret, 2009.
Previous, and more extensive, versions (Nurse 2003) included K10 Chokwe–Luchazi, L10 Pende, L50 Lunda, L60 ''Nkoya'', H21 ''Kimbundu'', the rest of R (''Umbundu, Yeyi''), and perhaps L21 Kete, L22 ''Lwalu'', H13b ''Suundi''.
Maho (2009) differentiates Herero proper, R.31, from North-West Herero (Kaokoland Herero, including Zemba and presumably Hakaona), R.311, and Botswana Herero (including Mahalapye Herero), R.312. Kuvale is moved to zone R.10 as R.101.
Notes
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