Makonde language explained

Makonde
Nativename:Chi(ni)makonde
States:Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Kenya
Ethnicity:Makonde, Ndonde Hamba
Speakers: million
Date:1987–2016
Ref:e26
Familycolor:Niger-Congo
Fam2:Atlantic–Congo
Fam3:Volta-Congo
Fam4:Benue–Congo
Fam5:Bantoid
Fam6:Southern Bantoid
Fam7:Bantu
Fam8:Rufiji–Ruvuma
Fam9:Ruvuma
Fam10:Makonde languages
Dia1:? Matembwe–Machinga
Dia2:Mabiha
Dia3:Ndonde Hamba (Mawanda)
Script:Latin
Lc1:kde
Ld1:Makonde
Lc2:mvw
Ld2:Machinga
Lc3:njd
Ld3:Ndonde Hamba
Lc4:wtb
Ld4:Matambwe
Guthrie:P.23,24,25
Glotto:mako1251
Glottoname:Makonde
Glotto2:mach1265
Glottoname2:Machinga
Glotto3:mata1313
Glottoname3:Matambwe
Person:Mmakonde
Language:Kimakonde
Country:Umakonde

Makonde, or Kimakonde, is the language spoken by the Makonde, an ethnic group in southeast Tanzania and northern Mozambique.[1] Makonde is a central Bantu language closely related to Yao. The Matambwe (Matembwe) and Mabiha (Maviha) dialects are divergent, and may not be Makonde.[2]

A mosquito-borne viral fever first identified on the Makonde Plateau is named Chikungunya, which is derived from the Makonde root verb kungunyala (meaning "that which bends up", "to become contorted," or "to walk bent over").[3] The derivation of the term is generally falsely attributed to Swahili.[4]

Phonology

The following are the consonants and vowels of the Makonde language:[5]

Vowels

FrontBack
Highpronounced as /ink/ pronounced as /ink/
Midpronounced as /ink/ pronounced as /ink/
Lowpronounced as /ink/

There also tends to be a rising final vowel sound /vv́/ within vowel combinations.

Consonants

LabialAlveolarPalatalVelarGlottal
Plosivevoicelesspronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
voicedpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
prenasalᵐbⁿdᶮɟᵑɡ
Affricatepronounced as /ink/
Fricativepronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Nasalpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/
Lateralpronounced as /ink/
Approximantpronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/pronounced as /ink/

Notes and References

  1. Hammarström (2015) Ethnologue 16/17/18th editions: a comprehensive review: online appendices
  2. Nurse 2003
  3. Morens DM and Fauci AS. Chikungunya at the Door — Déjà Vu All Over Again?. New England Journal of Medicine. 10.1056/NEJMp1408509. 25029435. 371. 10. 885–887. 2014. free.
  4. 2870928 . 18634716 . 10.1017/S0950268807009739 . 136 . 9 . Four cases of acute flaccid paralysis associated with chikungunya virus infection . Epidemiol Infect . 1277–80 . Singh . SS . Manimunda . SP . Sugunan . AP . Sahina . Vijayachari P. 2008 .
  5. Book: Kraal, Pieter J.. A Grammar of Makonde (Chinnima, Tanzania). 2005. 16–32.