Northeast Bantu
Encyclopedia
The Northeast Bantu languages are a group of Bantu languages
of East African which share a phonological innovation called Dahl's Law
that is unlikely to be borrowed. In Guthrie's geographic classification, they fall within Bantu zones E50 plus E46 (Sonjo), E60 plus E74a (Taita), F21–22, J, G60, plus Northeast Coast Bantu
(of zones E & G).
The languages, or clusters, are:
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...
of East African which share a phonological innovation called Dahl's Law
Dahl's Law
Dahl's Law is a sound rule of Northeast Bantu languages, a case of voicing dissimilation. In the history of these languages, a voiceless stop, such as , became voiced when immediately followed by a syllable with another voiceless stop...
that is unlikely to be borrowed. In Guthrie's geographic classification, they fall within Bantu zones E50 plus E46 (Sonjo), E60 plus E74a (Taita), F21–22, J, G60, plus Northeast Coast Bantu
Northeast Coast Bantu
The Northeast Coast Bantu languages are the Bantu languages of the northern East African coast, and inland Tanzania as far as Dodoma. In Guthrie's geographic classification, they fall within Bantu zones G and E.The languages, or clusters, are:...
(of zones E & G).
The languages, or clusters, are:
- Kikuyu–Kamba Thagiicu (primarily E50):
- SonjoSonjo languageSonjo is a Bantu language spoken in northern Tanzania, 30–40 miles west of Lake Natron. Ethnolinguistically, it is a displaced member of Guthrie’s E50 group, most other members of which are found in Central Kenya. Within that group, it is most closely related to Gikuyu...
(E40) - CukaCuka languageCuka, or Gichuka, is a Bantu language of Kenya. It has marginal intelligibility with Meru and Gikuyu....
- MeruMeru languageMeru is the language spoken by the Meru people who live on the Eastern and Northern slopes of Mount Kenya, Kenya, Africa and on the Nyambene ranges. They settled in this area after centuries of migration from the north.-Tradition:...
(incl. Tharaka, Mwimbi-Muthambi) - South
- Kamba, Daisu
- GikuyuGikuyu languageGikuyu or Kikuyu is a language of the Bantu family spoken primarily by the Kikuyu people of Kenya. Numbering about 6 million , they are the largest ethnic group in Kenya. Gikuyu is spoken in the area between Nyeri and Nairobi. Gikuyu is one of the five languages of the Thagichu subgroup of the...
, EmbuEmbu languageKîembu is a Bantu language of Kenya and spoken by the Aembu or Embu people. ISO 639-3 code is ebu....
- Sonjo
- Chaga–Taita
- TaitaTaita languageTaita, or Dawida, is a Bantu language of Kenya. It is closely related to the Chaga languages of Kenya and Tanzania....
(Dawida; E70) - Chaga (E60)
- Taita
- Northeast Coast BantuNortheast Coast BantuThe Northeast Coast Bantu languages are the Bantu languages of the northern East African coast, and inland Tanzania as far as Dodoma. In Guthrie's geographic classification, they fall within Bantu zones G and E.The languages, or clusters, are:...
: SwahiliSwahili languageSwahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
, etc. - Takama: SukumaSukuma languageSukuma is a Bantu language spoken by over five million people in central Tanzania. It forms a dialect continuum with Nyamwezi, but is more distinct from other neighboring languages....
–NyamweziNyamwezi languageNyamwezi is a major Bantu language of central Tanzania. It forms a dialect continuum with Sukuma, but is more distinct from other neighboring languages....
, Kimbu (F20), Iramba–IsanzuIsanzu languageIsanzu is a Bantu language of spoken by the Isanzu people south of Lake Eyasi in Tanzania.The position of Isanzu within the Bantu family is uncertain. It is rather distinct in certain features from other Bantu languages of the area, such as Nyaturu, but is quite close in others...
, NyaturuNyaturu languageThe Turu or Nyaturu language, Kinyaturu, also known as Rimi Kirimi, is a Bantu language of spoken by the Wanyaturu Arimi of the Singida region of Tanzania. Excluding the Bantu language prefixes Ke- and Ki-, other spellings of the language are Limi and Remi...
(Rimi) (F30), ?HoloholoHoloholo languageHoloholo is a Bantu language of DR Congo and formerly in Tanzania. Classification is uncertain, but it may belong with the Takama group ....
(D20) - Great Lakes BantuGreat Lakes BantuThe Great Lakes Bantu languages, also known as Lacustrine Bantu and Bantu zone J, are a group of Bantu languages of East Africa. They were recognized as a group by the Tervuren team, who posited them as an additional zone to Guthrie's largely geographic classification of Bantu.The languages...
(zone J): Rwanda-RundiRwanda-RundiRwanda-Rundi or Ruanda-Rundi is a Bantu language, actually a dialect continuum, of Central Africa. Neighboring dialects are mutually intelligible, but more distant ones may not be. Two dialects, Kirundi and Kinyarwanda, have been standardized as official languages, of Burundi and Rwanda...
, Ganda, etc. - Bena–Kinga (G60): Sangu, HeheHehe languageHehe 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...
, BenaBena languageBena is a Bantu language spoken by the Bena people of the Iringa region of Tanzania....
, Pangwa, KingaKinga languageKinga is a Bantu language of Tanzania. Magoma is ethnically distinct, and mutual intelligibility is low....
, Wanji, KisiKisi language (Tanzania)Kisi is a Bantu language of Tanzania. Though only half or so of the Kisi people speak the language, use is vigorous where it is still spoken....
, ?MandaManda language (Tanzania)Manda, or Manda-Matumba, is a Bantu language of Tanzania. It was assigned to the Bena–Kinga group by Nurse , though Ehret retains it in N10 Rufiji–Ruvuma ....
(N10)