Ndali, or ''Chindali'', is a
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.
The t ...
spoken by an increasing population in southern
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 ...
of 150,000 (1987) and in northern
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
by 70,000 (2003).
Sukwa, or Chisukwa, spoken in the
Misuku Hills The Misuku Hills are a mountain range in Malawi's Northern Region.
Geography
The Misuku Hills lie near Malawi's northern border. They are bounded on the north by the Songwe River, which forms Malawi's northern border with Tanzania. Tanzania's Um ...
of northern
Malawi
Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...
, is closely related to
Ndali, and both languages are fairly close to
Lambya
The Lambya, also known as the Nkoya, are an ethnic and linguistic group based along the border of northwestern Malawi and in Mbeya Region, Tanzania. A minority also exists in Zambia. In 2001 the Lambya population was estimated to number 85,000, i ...
.
The examples below come in the order Lambya, Ndali,
Sukwa, showing the similarity of vocabulary:
The University of Malawi Language Mapping Survey for Northern Malawi (2006)
pp. 70–71.
*Person = , , ''umundu''
*Grasshopper = , , ''imbasi''
*Scorpion = , , ''kalisya''
*Maize = , , ''ifilombe''
*Dog = , , ''ukabwa''
*Bird = , , ''kayuni''
*Snail = , , ''ingofo''
Further reading
* Botne, R. (2008). ''Grammatical Sketch of Chindali: Malawian Variety.'' Darby: Diane.
* Botne, R. and Schaffer, L. (2008). ''A Chindali and English Dictionary with an Index to ProtoBantu Roots: The Chindali Language of Malawi. Vol 1.'' Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society.
* Kershner, Tiffany (2001). "Imperfectivity in Chisukwa" in ''Explorations in African Linguistics: From Lamso to Sesotho'', eds. Robert Botne and Rose Vondrasek, Bloomington: Indiana University Working Papers in Linguistics, pp. 37–52.
* Mtenje, Atikonda (2016)
''A comparative analysis of the Phonology and Morpho-syntax of Cisukwa, Cindali and Cilambya''
(University of Cape Town PhD thesis)
* Swilla, Imani N. (1998). ''Tenses in Chindali''. Afrikanistische Arbeitspapiere (AAP) 54. 95–125.
References
External links
Language Mapping Survey for Northern Malawi
University of Malawi Centre for Language Studies, 2006. Contains comparative vocabulary and a short text (the Tortoise and the Hare) in Chindali and other languages.
Language Map of Northern MalawiPaper by Martin Walsh and Imani Swilla on South-West Tanzanian languages (2002)
Languages of Malawi
Rukwa languages
Languages of Tanzania
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