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.
The 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'' (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 of ...
(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
*
Shi–Havu (D50):
Hunde
Hunde (''Kihunde''; also ''Luhunde'', ''Kobi'', ''Rukobi'') is a Great Lakes Bantu language spoken by the Hunde people or Bahunde in Nord-Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is primarily spoken in the territories of Masisi ...
,
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 titles#Shi, Japanese title commonly used as a pronoun
* ''Shi'', proposed gender-neutral pronoun
* Shi (kana), a kana in Japanese syllabaries
* Shi language
* ''Shī'', transliteration of ...
,
Tembo,
Nyindu,
Fuliiro
*
Rwanda-Rundi (D60):
Kinyarwanda,
Kirundi,
Shubi,
Hangaza,
Ha,
Vinza
*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 "Ga ...
,
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,
Runyakitara language,
Nkore-Kiga)
*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),
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–
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
* Luhya language
Luhya (; also Luyia, Luhia or Luhiya) is a Bantu language of western Kenya.
Dialects
The various Luhya tribes speak several related languages and dialects, though some of them are ...
proper,
Nyore (or Nyole in Kenya),
Nyole (or Olunyole in Uganda),
Samia–Songa,
Marachi
The Marachi are one of sixteen tribes of the Luhya people of Kenya.
Nestled between the Samia, Khayo and Wanga, the Marachi occupy a land area comparatively smaller than the other Luhya tribes in Busia District. In their native Luhya language, ...
,
Khayo
*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 =
, c ...
,
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), Serbian- ...
,
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, Al ...
*''
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.
Kobo 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
Gungu (E10) separate from them.
Notes
{{Bantu-lang-stub