Comorian language

Comorian (Shikomor)
Spoken in	Comoros , Mayotte , Madagascar
Linguistic classification	Niger Congo Languages Benue Congo languages Bantoid languages Bantu languages Comorian
Official status
Official language in	Comoros
Language codes
ISO 639 -1	-
ISO 639 -2	bnt
ISO 639-3	swb , wlc (Shimwali), wni (Shindzuani), zdj (Shingazidja)

The Comorian language ( Shikomor ; alternative name Shimasiwa for "language of the islands") is one of the three official languages ​​of the Comoros alongside French and Arabic and the mother tongue of almost all 800,000 inhabitants of the Comoros archipelago (including Mayotte).

Comorian has been written in Arabic script for centuries . There is also a Latin script with 25 letters and 20 other combinations.

Comorian is closely related to Swahili and is more influenced by Arabic than it is . Since the Comoros have been visited by seafarers from different nations for centuries, there are also many Persian, Portuguese, Malagasy, English and French loan words .

Comorian is also the language of the national anthem of the Comoros Udzima wa ya Masiwa .

Dialects

Each island has its own dialect:

• Grande Comore - Shingazidja
• Anjouan - Shindzuani
• Mohéli - Shimwali
• Mayotte - Shimaore

example

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Shingazidjadialect :
Ha mwakinisho ukaya ho ukubali ye sheo shaho wo ubinadamu piya pvamwedja ne ze haki za wadjibu zaho usawa, zahao, uwo ndo mshindziiya kamiliso. Uhuria ya, no mlidzanyaki amaki.
In contrast to this, Article 1 in German :
All people are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should meet one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Shingazidja at Ethnologue .
2. ↑ Shindzuani at Ethnologue .
3. ↑ Mohéli at Ethnologue .
4. ↑ Shimaore at Ethnologue .
5. ↑ Comorian. omniglot.com