Bantu languages 4124 225083033 2008-07-11T20:09:56Z Dblomgren 2335596 /* Bantu words popularised in western cultures */ Remove Malaika - Arabic word adopted into Swahili [[Image:African_language_families_en.svg|right|350px|thumb|Map showing the approximate distribution of Bantu vs. other [[Niger-Congo languages]].]] {{Infobox Language family |name=Bantu |region=[[Subsaharan Africa]], mostly [[Southern Hemisphere]] |familycolor=Niger-Congo |fam2=[[Atlantic-Congo]] |fam3=[[Volta-Congo]] |fam4=[[Benue-Congo]] |fam5=[[Bantoid]] |fam6=[[Southern Bantoid]] |iso2=bnt }} The '''Bantu languages''' (technically '''Narrow Bantu languages''') constitute a grouping belonging to the [[Niger-Congo languages|Niger-Congo]] family. This grouping is deep down in the genealogical tree of the Bantoid grouping, which in turn is deep down in the Niger-Congo tree. By one estimate, there are 513 languages in the Bantu grouping, 681 languages in Bantoid, and 1,514 in Niger-Congo.<ref>[http://www.ethnologue.org/show_family.asp?subid=90099 Ethnologue report for Bantoid<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Bantu languages are spoken largely east and south of the present day nation of Nigeria; i.e., in the regions commonly known as central Africa, east Africa, and southern Africa. Parts of this Bantu chunk of Africa also have languages from outside the Niger-Congo family (see map). The word Bantu was first used by [[Wilhelm Heinrich Immanuel Bleek]] ([[1827]]-[[1875]]) with the meaning 'people', as this is reflected in many of the languages of this group. A common characteristic of Bantu languages is that they use a stem form such as ''-ntu'' or ''-tu'' for 'person', and the plural prefix for people in many languages is ''ba-'', together giving ''ba-ntu'' "people". Bleek, and later [[Carl Meinhof]], pursued extensive comparative studies of Bantu language grammars. ==Classification of the Bantu languages<ref>Maho 2001</ref>== [[Image:Bantu zones.png|thumb|left|295px|The approximate locations of the sixteen Bantu zones (with zone J included)]] The classification of the Bantu languages is still in an incipient state. There still is no well founded genetic classification. The most widely used system, the alphanumeric coding system developed by [[Malcolm Guthrie]], is mainly areal. In recent decades, there have been at least two proposals for a genetic classification system to replace the Guthrie system. The "Tervuren" proposal of Bastin, Coupez, and Mann suffers from inferior methodology (its reliance on the "lexicostatistic" method) and the [[SIL International|SIL]] proposal suffers from failure of its creators to publish their methodology. The Guthrie system needs to be updated, e.g., by the addition of languages previously overlooked. A classification system for a grouping of languages must be genetic to be scientifically valid; but for the time being, the development of a rigorous genetic classification of many subdivisions of Niger-Congo is hampered by insufficient data. Progress in this field depends on the production of extensive dictionaries for many more member languages. The Guthrie, Tervuren, and SIL lists are compared side by side in [http://www.african.gu.se/maho/downloads/bantulineup.pdf Maho 2002]. ==Language structure== The phoneme inventory of Proto-Bantu and its core vocabulary were reconstructed by Guthrie. The most prominent [[grammar|grammatical]] characteristic of Bantu languages is the extensive use of [[affix]]es (see [[Sesotho grammar]] and [[Luganda language#Noun classes|Luganda language]] for detailed discussions of these affixes). Each noun belongs to a [[Noun class|class]], and each language may have several numbered classes, somewhat like [[Gender (grammar)|genders]] in European languages. The class is indicated by a prefix on the noun, as well as on verbs and qualificative roots agreeing with it. Plural is indicated by a change of prefix. The verb has a number of prefixes. In [[Swahili language|Swahili]], for example, ''Mtoto mdogo amekisoma'' means 'The small child has read it [a book]'. ''Mtoto'' 'child' governs the adjective prefix ''m-'' and the verb subject prefix ''a-''. Then comes perfect tense ''-me-'' and an object marker ''-ki-'' agreeing with implicit ''kitabu'' 'book'. Pluralizing to 'children' gives ''Watoto wadogo wamekisoma'', and [[plural]]izing to 'books' (''vitabu'') gives it ''Watoto wadogo wamevisoma''. Bantu words are typically made up of [[open syllable]]s of the type CV (consonant-vowel) with most languages having syllables exclusively of this type. The morphological shape of Bantu words is typically CV, VCV, CVCV, VCVCV, etc; that is, any combination of CV (with possibly a V- syllable at the start). In other words, a strong claim for this language family is that almost all words end in a vowel, precisely because closed syllables (CVC) are not permissible. This tendency to avoid [[consonant cluster]]s is important when words are imported from [[English language|English]] or other non-Bantu languages. An example from [[Chichewa]]: the word "school", borrowed from English, and then transformed to fit the sound patterns of this language, is ''sukulu''. That is, ''sk-'' has been broken up by inserting an [[epenthesis|epenthetic]] ''-u-''; ''-u'' has also been added at the end of the word. Another example is ''buledi'' for "bread". Similar effects are seen in [[loanwords]] for other non-African CV languages like [[Japanese language|Japanese]]. The Bantu language with the largest number of speakers is [[Swahili language|Swahili]] (G 40), while the Bantu languages with the most ''native'' speakers are [[Shona language|Shona]] and [[Zulu language|Zulu]]. Judging from the history of Swahili, some linguists <!-- WHICH LINGUISTS, EXACTLY? --> believe that Bantu languages are on a continuum from purely [[Tone (linguistics)|tonal languages]] to languages with no tone at all. ===Reduplication=== [[Reduplication]] is a common morphological phenomenon in Bantu languages and is usually used to indicate frequency of the action signalled by the (unreduplicated) verb stem [http://www.african.gu.se/aa/pdfs/aa02004.pdf] *Example: in Swahili ''piga'' means "strike", ''pigapiga'' means "strike repeatedly". Well-known names that have reduplication include * [[Bafana Bafana]] * [[Chipolopolo]] * [[Eric Djemba-Djemba]] * [[Lomana LuaLua|Lualua]] * [[Ngorongoro]] ==A list of common Bantu languages== The following is a short list of Bantu languages that may be relatively well known: *in Central and Eastern Africa **[[Chichewa language|Chewa]] (Chichewa) **[[Luganda language|Ganda]] (Luganda) **[[Gikuyu language|Gikuyu]] **[[Gusii language|Ekegusii]] **[[Haya language|Haya]] (Kihaya) **[[Chaga language|Chaga]] (Kichaga) **[[Kinyarwanda language|Rwanda]] (Kinyarwanda) **[[Kongo language|Kongo]] (Kikongo) **[[Kamba language]] **[[Lingala language|Lingala]] **[[Luhya language|Luhyia]] **[[Lusoga language|Soga]] (Lusoga) **[[Mongo language|Mongo]] (Mongo-Nkundu, Lomongo) **[[Ndowe language|Ndowe]] **[[Rukiga language|Kiga]] (Rukiga) **[[Kirundi language|Rundi]] (Kirundi) **[[Runyankole language|Nyankole]] (Runyankole) **[[Runyoro language|Nyoro]] (Runyoro) **[[Rutooro language|Tooro]] (Rutooro) **[[Swahili language|Swahili]] (Kiswahili) **[[Tetela language]] (Congo) **[[Tshiluba language|Luba]] (Tshiluba) **[[Tumbuka language|Tumbuka]] (chiTumbuka) **[[Yao (African Language)|Yao]] (Chiyao) **[[Lugisu language|Gishu]] (Lugisu) *in Southern Africa **[[Oshiwambo language|Oshiwambo]] (Oshiwambo) **[[Ndebele language|Ndebele]] (Sindebele) **[[Sepedi language|Pedi]] (Sepedi) **[[Shona language|Shona]] (chiShona) **[[Swati language|Swati]] (Siswati) **[[Phuthi language|Phuthi]] (Siphuthi) **[[Sotho language|Sotho]] (Sesotho) **[[Swati language|Swazi]] (siSwati) **[[Tsonga language|Tsonga]] (Xitsonga) **[[Tswana language|Tswana]] (Setswana) **[[Venda language|Venda]] (Tshivenda) **[[Xhosa language|Xhosa]] (isiXhosa) **[[Zulu language|Zulu]] (isiZulu) *in West Africa **[[Basaa language|Basaa]] (in Cameroon) **[[Kako language|Kako]] (in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo) **[[Ngumba language|Ngumba]] (in Cameroon) **[[Beti language|Beti]] (in Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe) Most are known in English without the class prefix (''Swahili'', ''Tswana'', ''Ndebele''), but are sometimes used with the (language-specific) prefix (''Kiswahili'', ''Setswana'', ''Sindebele''). The bare (prefixless) form typically does not occur in the language itself. So, in the country of [[Botswana]] the people are the ''Batswana'', 'one person' is a 'Motswana', and the language is '[[Setswana]]'. Today most Bantu linguists would regard the southwards migration, or [[Bantu|Bantu expansion]], that started about 2000 years before present as originating in the region of eastern [[Nigeria]] or [[Cameroon]]. ==Bantu words popularised in western cultures== Some words from various Bantu languages have been borrowed into western languages. These include: * [[Agogô]] * [[Askari]] * [[Banjo]] * [[Bongos]] * [[Bomba (Ecuador)|Bomba]] * [[Bwana]] * [[Candombe]] * [[Conga]] * [[Gumbo]] * [[Hakuna matata]] * [[Jenga]] * [[Jumbo_%28disambiguation%29|Jumbo]] * [[Kalimba]] * [[Kwanzaa]] * [[Mambo (disambiguation)|Mambo]] * [[Mbira]] * [[Marimba]] * [[African Rumba|Rumba]] * [[Safari]] * [[Samba]] * [[Simba]] * [[Ubuntu (ideology)|Ubuntu]] * [[Zombie]] ==Other relevant links== * [[Malcolm Guthrie]] * [[Meeussen's rule]] * [[Noun class]] * [[Bantu]] * [[List of Bantu languages]] ==Bibliography== * [[Malcolm Guthrie|Guthrie]], Malcolm. 1948. ''The classification of the Bantu languages.'' London: Oxford University Press for the International African Institute. * Guthrie, Malcolm. 1971. ''Comparative Bantu'', Vol 2. Farnborough: Gregg International. * [[Bernd Heine|Heine]], Bernd. 1973. Zur genetische Gliederung der Bantu-Sprachen. ''Afrika und Übersee'', 56: 164&ndash;185. * [[Jouni F. Maho|Maho]], Jouni F. 2001. The Bantu area: (towards clearing up) a mess. [http://www.african.gu.se/aa/pdfs/aa01040.pdf ''Africa & Asia'', 1:40&ndash;49]. * Maho, Jouni F. 2002. [http://www.african.gu.se/maho/downloads/bantulineup.pdf Bantu lineup: comparative overview of three Bantu classifications]. Göteborg University: Department of Oriental and African Languages. * [[Pascale Piron|Piron]], Pascale. 1995. Identification lexicostatistique des groupes Bantoïdes stables. ''Journal of West African Languages'', 25(2): 3&ndash;39. ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.cbold.ddl.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr/ Comparative Bantu Online Dictionary] - includes a comprehensive bibliography. * [http://www.bantu-languages.com/en/ Bantu online resources by Jacky Maniacky], including ** [http://www.bantu-languages.com/fr/classes.html List of Bantu noun classes with reconstructed Proto-Bantu prefixes (in French)] * [http://www.linguistics.berkeley.edu/CBOLD/Lgs/LgsbyGN.html List of Bantu language names with synonyms ordered by Guthrie number]). * [http://salanguages.com Introduction to the languages of South Africa] * [http://www.etymonline.com Etymology Dictionary] * [http://www.multilingual-matters.net/jmmd/021/0487/jmmd0210487.pdf Adaptation of English loanwords in Chichewa] * [http://www.linguistics.emory.edu/POLYGLOT/phonology.html#bemba Bemba Phonology] * [http://www.journalofwestafricanlanguages.org/ Journal of West African Languages] - for back issues and reprints of articles. * [http://www.ugandatravelguide.com/bantu-people.html Bantu Languages of Uganda] [[Category:Bantu languages|*]] [[Category:Southern Bantoid languages]] [[Category:Synthetic languages]] [[ast:Llingües del grupu bantú]] [[az:Bantu dil ailəsi]] [[bn:বান্টু ভাষাসমূহ]] [[br:Yezhoù bantouek]] [[ca:Llengües bantus]] [[da:Bantu (sprog)]] [[de:Bantusprachen]] [[et:Bantu keeled]] [[el:Μπαντού γλώσσες]] [[es:Lenguas bantúes]] [[eo:Bantuaj lingvoj]] [[fa:زبان‌های بانتو]] [[fr:Langues bantoues]] [[ko:반투어군]] [[hsb:Bantuske rěče]] [[id:Bahasa Bantu]] [[it:Lingue bantu]] [[sw:Lugha za Kibantu]] [[kg:Bandinga ya kibantu]] [[lt:Bantų kalbos]] [[nl:Bantoetalen]] [[ja:バントゥー語群]] [[no:Bantuspråk]] [[nn:Bantuspråk]] [[nov:Bantual lingues]] [[pl:Języki bantu]] [[pt:Línguas bantas]] [[ru:Языки банту]] [[sk:Bantuské jazyky]] [[sr:Банту (језик)]] [[fi:Bantukielet]] [[sv:Bantuspråk]] [[ta:பான்டு மொழிகள்]] [[uk:Банту мови]]