Gogo language
Encyclopedia
Gogo is a Bantu language
spoken by the Gogo people
of Dodoma Region
in Tanzania
. The language is spoken throughout Dodoma Region and into the neighbouring district of Manyoni
. The language is considered to have three dialect
s: Nyambwa (Cinyambwa or West Gogo) spoken to the west of Dodoma and in Manyoni, Nyaugogo (Cinyaugogo or Central Gogo) spoken in the environs of Dodoma, and Tumba (Citumba or East Gogo) spoken to the east. The Gogo group is grouped with Kagulu, which has a 56% lexical similarity
with Gogo proper, which leads some to classify Kagulu as a Gogo dialect. Gogo has about 50% lexical similarity with Hehe
and Sangu (both Bena–Kinga languages (G.60), 48% with Kimbu and 45% with Nilamba
. These last two are both in Zone F. Gogo is spoken by both Christian
s and Muslim
s, and is a major language of the Anglican Church of Tanzania
.
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...
spoken by the Gogo people
Gogo (ethnic group)
The Gogo are a Bantu ethnic and linguistic group based in the Dodoma Region of central Tanzania. In 1992 the Gogo population was estimated to number 1,300,000...
of Dodoma Region
Dodoma Region
Dodoma is one of the regions of Tanzania. The region covers an area of 41,310 km² and has 1,698,996 inhabitants . The region is the 12th region of Tanzania in area and covers about 5% of the mainland of the country . The capital of the region is the city of Dodoma.The region produces beans, seeds,...
in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. The language is spoken throughout Dodoma Region and into the neighbouring district of Manyoni
Manyoni
Manyoni is one of the 4 districts in the Singida Region of Tanzania. The district capital is Manyoni. The district is bordered to the North by the Singida Rural and Singida Urban Districts, to the East by the Dodoma Region, to the South by the Iringa Region, to the Southwest by the Mbeya Region...
. The language is considered to have three dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s: Nyambwa (Cinyambwa or West Gogo) spoken to the west of Dodoma and in Manyoni, Nyaugogo (Cinyaugogo or Central Gogo) spoken in the environs of Dodoma, and Tumba (Citumba or East Gogo) spoken to the east. The Gogo group is grouped with Kagulu, which has a 56% lexical similarity
Lexical similarity
In linguistics, lexical similarity is a measure of the degree to which the word sets of two given languages are similar. A lexical similarity of 1 would mean a total overlap between vocabularies, whereas 0 means there are no common words....
with Gogo proper, which leads some to classify Kagulu as a Gogo dialect. Gogo has about 50% lexical similarity with Hehe
Hehe language
Hehe is a Bantu language spoken by the Hehe people of the Iringa region of Tanzania. It was reported to have "Ngoni" features, that is, words of a Zulu-like language introduced when conquered by a Nguni or Zulu-like people in the early 19th century...
and Sangu (both Bena–Kinga languages (G.60), 48% with Kimbu and 45% with Nilamba
Nilamba language
Iramba, also known as Nilamba is a Bantu language of spoken by the Nilamba and Iambi people of the Shinyanga Region of Tanzania....
. These last two are both in Zone F. Gogo is spoken by both Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s and Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s, and is a major language of the Anglican Church of Tanzania
Anglican Church of Tanzania
The Anglican Church of Tanzania is a member of the Anglican Communion based in Dodoma. It consists of 26 dioceses headed by their respective bishops. It seceded from the Province of East Africa in 1970, which it shared with Kenya...
.