Shona (language)
| Schona Shona |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Spoken in |
Zimbabwe and Mozambique | |
| speaker | 10 million | |
| Linguistic classification |
||
| Official status | ||
| Official language in | Zimbabwe | |
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639 -1 |
sn |
|
| ISO 639 -2 |
sna |
|
| ISO 639-3 | ||
Shona (with the class prefix ChiShona ), often "the Schona " in German orthography , is a Bantu language widespread in Zimbabwe (approx. 70% of the population) and Mozambique .
distribution
Shona is spoken as a mother tongue by approximately nine million people of the Shona people and has national language status in Zimbabwe , where it has been a compulsory subject in schools since 1980.
Among the Bantu languages in southern Africa, the Chishona occupies a separate position alongside the Nguni languages, the Sotho-Tswana languages, Venda and Tsonga (see systematics of the Niger-Congo languages ).
Dialects
Shona is divided into different dialect groups : Korekore (north), Zezuru (center), Karanga (south), Shona in the narrower sense, Manyika (east), Ndau (south-east, especially Mozambique) and Kalanga (west, also Botswana). The standard language is based on v. a. on the Zezuru and Karanga dialects. Ndau is written independently. Also Manyika and Kalanga are from Ethnologue counted as separate languages, although Kalanga is mutually intelligible with the four main dialects of Shona.
alphabet
Modern alphabet
The letters of the modern alphabet are:
| Letter | IPA |
|---|---|
| a | / a / |
| b | / b / |
| bra | / b̤ / |
| ch | / tʃ / |
| d | / d / |
| ie | / d̤ / |
| dy | / dʲɡ / |
| dzv | / dβz / |
| e | / e / |
| f | / f / |
| G | / ɡ / |
| H | /H/ |
| i | / i / |
| j | / dʒ / |
| k | / k / |
| l | / l / |
| m | / m / |
| mh | / m̤ / |
| n | / n / |
| ng | / ŋ / |
| O | /O/ |
| p | / p / |
| r | / rw / |
| s | / s / |
| sv | / ɸs / |
| sw | / skw / |
| t | / t / |
| tsv | / tɸs / |
| ty | / tʲk / |
| u | / u / |
| v | / β / |
| vh | / v / |
| w | / w / |
| y | / y / |
| z | / z / |
| zv | / βz / |
A mbw is pronounced as / mbəɡ / .
font
The Latin-based writing began at the end of the 19th century. In the 1950s, the language was standardized.
Classes
Like all Bantu languages, Chishona is a class language. Nouns have a class prefix, which roughly corresponds to an inflected (locative) article differentiated according to 10 grammatical genders as well as singular and plural. Clauses that refer to a noun have the same prefix determined by the nominal class . The prefix of the predicate (verb) depends on the associated subject.
| No. | prefix | typical affiliation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | mu- | (not only) people |
| 2 | va- | Plural to class 1 |
| 1a | - | Respected people, in the Manyika dialect also numerous animals |
| 2a | va- | Plural to class 1a |
| 3 | mu- | Plants and what to do with them |
| 4th | mini | Plural to class 3 |
| 5 | ri- or - | very different terms, often starting with a voiced consonant |
| 6th | ma- | Plural to class 5 |
| 7th | chi- | v. a. inanimate things |
| 8th | zvi- | Plural to class 7 |
| 9 | i- or - | Animals, v. a. Birds, other nouns beginning with a nasal sound |
| 10 | dzi- or - | Plural to class 9 |
| 11 | ru- | long, narrow things and some abstractions |
| ma- / dzi- / - | The plural of class 11 is partially class 6, partially class 10 | |
| 12 | ka | small objects and animals, diminutive forms |
| 13 | do | Plural to class 12 |
| 14th | u- | mostly abstracts |
| 15th | ku- | States and infinitives |
| 16 | pa- | Locative “an” and “auf” for nouns of different classes |
| 17th | ku- | Locative “an” and goal for nouns of different classes |
| 18th | mu- | Locative "in" for nouns in different classes |
| 21st | zi- | Forms of magnification (augmentatives) |
Vocabulary examples
| German | shona | comment |
|---|---|---|
| human | munhu, pl .: vanhu | "nh" = stretched "n" |
| der- / the Shona | Shona, Pl .: Mashona | |
| the Shona | Chishona | "ch" as in English |
| man | murume, pl .: varume | |
| woman | mukadzi, pl .: vakadze | "dz" voiced |
| child | mwana, pl .: vana | little kids say "nana" |
| girl | musikana, pl .: vasikana | |
| Boy | ukomana, pl .: mukomana | |
| grandmother | ambuya, mbuya pl .: vanambuya | |
| grandfather | sekuru, Pl .: vanasekuru | also polite salutation |
| water | mvura | |
| Corn or millet porridge | sadza | Staple food |
| loaf | chingwa, pl .: zvingwa | "zv" is 1 sound, as simultaneously German "w" and "s" |
| fish | hove | |
| flesh | nyama | |
| salad | muriwo | "w" as in English |
| fruit | muchero, pl .: michero | |
| egg | zai, pl .: mazai | |
| Cattle, ox | mombe, pl .: vombe | not disparaging; run around freely in the dry season |
| elephant | nzou, pl .: zhou | "zh" as in French "j" |
| monkey | soko, pl .: shoko | |
| lion | shumba, pl .: shumba | |
| King, chief | mambo, pl .: vanamambo | |
| totem | mutopo | |
| spear | pfumo, pl .: mapfumo | |
| bus | bhasi, pl .: mabhasi | "bh" = ejective europ. "b" in contrast to the implosive African |
| book | bhuku, pl .: mabhuku | |
| House | imba, pl .: dzimba | |
| Homestead, village | musha, pl .: musha | |
| stone | ibwe, pl .: mabwe | |
| Wood | muti | |
| firewood | humi | |
| iron | simbi | |
| money | mari | |
| expensive | zvinodhura | |
| Where ? | kupi | |
| when? | rini | |
| how ? | be / no | |
| Why ? | be | |
| how much ? | i marii | |
| lots) | -zhinji | |
| how many) | -ngani | |
| more | rimwe | |
| 1 | potsi | |
| 2 | piri | |
| 3 | tatu | |
| 4th | ina | |
| 5 | shanu | |
| 6th | tanhatu | |
| 7th | nomwe | |
| 8th | tsere | |
| 9 | pfumbamwe | |
| 10 | gumi | |
| Good Morning | mangwanani | "w" as in English |
| Good day | masikati | |
| Good evening | manheru | "nh" = stretched "n" |
| Goodbye | chisarai zvakanaka | |
| You're welcome | ndapota | |
| Sorry! | pamusoroi | |
| thank you | ndatenda / mazvita | "zv" is a single sound, as simultaneously German "w" and "s" |
literature
- D. Dale: A Basic English Shona Dictionary and Duramazwi (Shona - English), Mambo Press, Gweru (ZW) 1981; today's editions:
- Basic English - Shona dictionary , Afro Asiatic Languages Edition, 2000, ISBN 978-0-86922-014-6
- Duramazwi: A Shona - English Dictionary , Afro Asiatic Languages Edition, 2000, ISBN 978-0-86922-014-6
- Harald Vieth: An introduction to the Bantu language Schona Karoi Verlag, 1986, ISBN 3-925863-03-6
