Kwangali (language)

RuKwangali
Spoken in	Namibia
speaker	180,000
Linguistic ; classification	Niger Congo Languages Volta Congo languages Benue Congo languages Bantu languages RuKwangali ;
Official status
Official language in	-
Recognized minority / ; regional language in	Namibia
Language codes
ISO 639 -1	-
ISO 639 -2	bnt
ISO 639-3	kwn

RuKwangali (literally Kwangali language; Ru means language ) is the most widely used language of the Kavango .

RuKwangali is a Bantu language and belongs to the Kavango languages (RuKavango) . The language has around 180,000 speakers, almost 90% of the 200,000 inhabitants of the Kavango East and West regions in northeastern Namibia . RuKwangali is closely related to Kwanyama .

RuKwangali is the mother tongue of two of the five Kavango tribes ( Kwangali and Mbunza ) and is closely related to the languages of the other three tribes ( ShiShambyu , RuGciriku - these two are also summarized as Rumanyo - and ThiMbukushu ). Rukwangali is the most common lingua franca of Namibia's regions and is also in the northern border areas of Angola spoke.

RuKwangali is an officially recognized "national language" ( minority language ) in Namibia and as such is promoted as a teaching language in primary schools and respected in official use by the regional administrations.

history

Distribution of the RuKavango as a mother tongue in Namibia (2011)

<1%

1-5.99%

6-10.99%

11-20.99%

21-30.99%

31-49.99%

50-75.99%

76-90%

> 90%

Since Kavango was evangelized late, the first parts of a Bible translation in RuKwangali did not appear until 1960 , with priests of the Roman Catholic Church in Namibia publishing the entire New Testament in 1974 and the entire Bible (including the Old Testament ) in 1987 . From 1973 to 1989 RuKwangali was the official language in Kavangoland and since Namibia's independence in 1990, RuKwangali has been the national language with official translations of important national legal texts. It is also the cultural language of the kings of Kavango ( hompa ).

In accordance with the guidelines for school education in Namibia , lessons up to the 3rd grade take place in the mother tongue for all pupils, with corresponding school books in RuKwangali (prose, drama and poetry) as the written language . (For modern terms, words from European languages are often imported.) In higher school classes, optional language of instruction is RuKwangali, English and Afrikaans, and in the African Languages program at the University of Namibia , RuKwangali Language and Literature can be studied as a subject.

RuKwangali is cultivated as traditional African music and there is a young RuKwangali music scene in Rundu and the surrounding villages, which, like other Afro-Pop, is based on sound systems of traditional music and elements of Afro-American music . The Namibian Broadcasting Corporation ( NBC) broadcasts a daily radio program in RuKwangali.

Translation examples

General

RuKwangali	German
moro	Hello
pandu (nene)	Many thanks)
rekera	bye
mbudi esi zongwa!	That's good news!
nkenye esi	no matter what
nkenye esi	no matter who
nkenye tupu	no matter where
n / A	and
hena	also
nye	but
morwa	because
nye	everything
hena	again
katji	between
nakunye	both
nyima	back, behind
dameka	according to
dona	bad
handuka	upset, angry
muinyo	lively
kora	strong
nakauke	slowly
nene	big
twika	blind
ururu	bitter
wa	good, handsome, pretty
hasa	better, prettier
wa po unene	best, prettiest (superlative of good )
Zuni	rich

time and place

RuKwangali	German
siruwo	time
nye	now
narunye	always
nkera	yesterday
mungura	tomorrow
ntundi	hour
mongurangura	in the morning
mulihako	breakfast
mzuhwa	Noon, lunch
sitenguko	afternoon
tokwera	spend the evening
sivike	week
mandaha	Monday
nkwedi, makwedi	Month, months
Kudumogona	April
Siwogedi	August
aderesi	address
etungo	building
farama	farm
nzugo	House
nzugo zokurara	bedroom
mbete or uro	bed
nguwo	ceiling
sizogeneo	bathroom
sinyanga	living room
kombisa	Kitchen, galley
guru	Air, sky
muheke	Beach
wato	boat
mbasikora	bicycle
etuwa or ehauto	automobile
mbesa	bus
siponga	accident
amburansa	ambulance
dira	plane
capare	Airport
ngesefa	business

Colors and numbers

RuKwangali	German
mbombo	brown
sineguru	blue
sovagani	black
milyona	million

Verbs

RuKwangali	German
dika	put
dina	to beat [to win]
dipaga	break
dogoroka	to die
dopa	fail
gava	give
hara	love
kanderera	pray
kara	be, will, get
koreka	strengthen
kwafa	help
hepeka	treat badly
hesera	to breathe
gwana	Find
hamena kwa	belong
paka	put
patanesa	fight
pinduka	wake up
pura	believe
pura	ask
randa	to buy
sika	arrive
tambura	receive
tameka	to begin
tamwisa	numbers
tanko!	wait!
tereka	Cook
toona	beat
tumbura	call
tunda	come from
tunga	Life
vera	be sick
vetanga	bounce (also physically)
zigida	call
zuhwara	spend the day

Nouns

RuKwangali	German
mwenyo	Life
ehampuruko	birth
alfabeti	alphabet
nkango	word
buke	book
epuro	Believe, question
limburura	answer
eturumuko	Behavior, behavior
epakerombili	attention
epwizumuko	Break
sikorama	animal
mutji	Medicine, pharmaceuticals
mukeke	infant
eforo	Woman, woman
mumati	Boy
vakwetetu	friend
mumbya	Brothers
mburu	Bure
muduni	"Bushman"
kofi	coffee
mboroto, mbroto	Bread, loaves
mbuta	butter
katafura	potato
mbere	knife
foroko	fork
sitafura	table
sipundi	chair

Compass direction

RuKwangali	German
muzogo	north
upumezuva	east
mbindakano	south
utokera	west

Source: kavango.info

literature

JK Kloppers: Rukwangali-English / English-Rukwangali Dictionary . Gamsberg Macmillan-Verlag, Windhoek 2004, ISBN 0-86848-878-X .
Wilhelm JG Möhlig, Karl Peter Shiyaka-Mberema: Dictionary of the Rumanyo language: Rumanyo-English / English-Rumanyo . Rüdiger Köppe Verlag, Cologne 2005, ISBN 3-89645-601-6 .