Mwani language
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".<templatestyles src="Template:Infobox/styles-images.css" />Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters". The Mwani language, also known by its native name Kimwani, (Script error: No such module "Lang". Script error: No such module "IPA".) is a Bantu language spoken on the coast of the Cabo Delgado Province of Mozambique, including the Quirimbas Islands. Although it shares high lexical similarity (60%) with Swahili, it is not intelligible with it. It is spoken by around 167,150 people (including 147,150 who speak it as a first language and 20,000 who use it as their second language). Speakers also use Portuguese (the official language of Mozambique), Swahili and Makhuwa language. Kiwibo, the dialect of the Island of Ibo is the prestige dialect. Kimwani (sometimes spelled as Quimuane) is also called Mwani (sometimes spelled as: Mwane, Muane) and Ibo. According to Anthony P. Grant[1] Kimwani of northern Mozambique appears to be the result of imperfect shift towards Swahili several centuries ago by speakers of Makonde, and Arends et al. suggest it might turn out to be a Makonde–Swahili mixed language.[2]
Name
The name of the language comes from the word "Mwani", meaning "beach". The prefix "Ki" means the language of, so "Kimwani" literally means "language of the beach".
Sounds
Kimwani (similar to Swahili) is unusual among sub-Saharan languages in having lost the feature of lexical tone (with the exception of some verbal paradigms where its use is optional). It does not have the penultimate stress typical of Swahili; it has movable pitch accent. Labialization of consonants (indicated by a [w] following the consonant) and palatalization of r (ry; [rj]) are frequent. Nasalization of vowels occurs only before a nasal consonant n followed by a consonant.
Vowels
Kimwani has five vowel phonemes: Script error: No such module "IPA"., Script error: No such module "IPA"., Script error: No such module "IPA"., Script error: No such module "IPA"., and Script error: No such module "IPA"., that is: its vowels are close to those of Spanish and Hawaiian. It does not have a distinction of closed and open mid vowels typical of Portuguese or French and found in some other Bantu languages like Lingala, Fang, and perhaps Sukuma.
The pronunciation of the phoneme /i/ stands between International Phonetic Alphabet [i] and [e]. Vowels are never reduced, regardless of stress. The vowels are pronounced as follows:
- Script error: No such module "IPA". is pronounced like the "a" in Arabic hajj
- Script error: No such module "IPA". is pronounced like the "e" in beat
- Script error: No such module "IPA". is pronounced like the "y" in yam
- Script error: No such module "IPA". is pronounced like the "o" in or
- Script error: No such module "IPA". is pronounced like the "u" in Sue.
Kimwani has no diphthongs; in vowel combinations, each vowel is pronounced separately.
Consonants
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | ||
| Plosive & affricate |
voicelessScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | |
| voicedScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | ||
| Fricative | voicelessScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | |
| voicedScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | ||||
| Trill | Template:IPA link | |||||
| Approximant | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | Template:IPA link | |||
Orthography
Kimwani can be spelled in three ways: using orthography similar to Swahili, using a slightly modified spelling system used in Mozambique schools or using a Portuguese-based spelling. Here are the differences:
| Swahili language spelling | Modified spelling | Portuguese spelling | Translation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Script error: No such module "IPA". | chala | cala | tchala | finger |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". | juwa | juwa | djua | Sun |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". | kitabu | kitabu | quitabo | book |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". | ng'ombe | ng'ombe | ngombe | cow |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". | nyoka | nyoka | nhoca | snake |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". | fisi | fisi | fissi | hyena |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". | meza | meza | mesa | table |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". | kushanga | kushanga | cuxanga | to admire |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". | wakati | wakati | uacate | time |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". | kipya | kipya | quípia | new |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". | sukili | sukili | suquile | sugar |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". | ufu | ufu | ufo | flour |
Numbers
moja (1), mbili (2), natu (3), n’né (4), tano (5)
sita (6), saba (7), nane (8), kenda (9)
kumi (10), kumi na moja (11), kumi na mbili (12)
Ishirini (20), thelathini (30), arubaini (40), hamsini (50)
sitini (60), sabini (70), themanini (80), tisini (90)
mia (100), mia mbili (200)
Elfu (1000) elfu mbili (2000)
References
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- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Arends, Muysken, & Smith (1995), Pidgins and Creoles: An Introduction
- ↑ A sketch of Kimwani by Petzell, Malin
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- Petzell, Malin. A sketch of Kimwani (a minority language of Mozambique); Africa & Asia, #2, pp. 88–110, Göteborg University. 2002. Template:Catalog lookup linkScript error: No such module "check isxn".
- Namuna ya kufifunda kufyoma na kwandika (Manual de transição, língua Kimwani); SIL & JUWA; Pemba, Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. 2002.
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Template:Languages of Mozambique Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones E–H)