Tonga (Chitonga), also known as Zambezi, is a Bantu language primarily spoken by the Tonga people (Batonga) who live mainly in the Southern province, Lusaka province, Central Province and Western province of Zambia, and in northern Zimbabwe, with a few in Mozambique. The language is also spoken by the Iwe, Toka and Leya people, and perhaps by the Kafwe Twa (if they are not Ila), as well as many bilingual Zambians and Zimbabweans. In Zambia Tonga is taught in schools as first language in the whole of Southern Province, Lusaka and Central Provinces.
It is one of the major lingua francas in Zambia, together with Bemba, Lozi and Nyanja. The Tonga of Malawi, which is classified by Guthrie as belonging to zone N15, is not particularly close to Zambian Tonga, which is classified as zone M64, and can be considered a separate language.
The Tonga-speaking inhabitants are the oldest Bantu settlers, with the Tumbuka, a small ethnic group in the east, in what is now known as Zambia. There are two distinctive dialects of Tonga; Valley Tonga and Plateau Tonga. Valley Tonga is mostly spoken in the Zambezi valley and southern areas of the Batonga (Tonga people) while Plateau Tonga is spoken more around Monze District and the northern areas of the Batonga.[3]
Tonga (Chitonga or isiTonga) developed as a spoken language and was not put into written form until missionaries arrived in the area. The language is not standardized, and speakers of the same dialect may have different spellings for the same words once put into written text.[4]
At least some speakers have a bilabial nasal click where neighboring dialects have /mw/, as in mwana 'child' and kunwa 'to drink'.[5]
Maho (2009) removes Shanjo as a separate, and not very closely related, language.
Tonga or Chitonga follows the standard Bantu language structure. A single word may incorporate a subject-marker, a tense-marker, a direct object, and even an indirect object, combined with the verb root itself.
Tonga is a tonal language, with high and low-toned syllables. The placement of the tones is complex and differs from that of other Bantu languages; for example, a syllable which is low in Tonga may be high in the cognate word in other Bantu languages and vice versa.[9] Several scholars, beginning with A. E. Meeussen in 1963,[10] have tried to discover the rules for where to place the tones.
One feature of the tonal system is that high tones tend to get disassociated from their original place and move to the left, as is illustrated in these examples:[11]
íbúsi 'smoke'
ibusu 'flour'
In these words, the original high tone of the root -sí has moved to the prefix ibu-, whereas the low tone of -su has not affected the prefix.
The above example of a noun is relatively easy to explain. However, the tones of the verbal system are more complex. An example of one of the puzzles discussed by both Meeussen and Goldsmith can be seen below:
ndi-la-lang-a 'I look at'
ba-la-lang-a 'they look at'
ndi-la-bon-a 'I see'
ba-lá-bon-a 'they see'
The high tone on the tense-marker la in the fourth verb is puzzling. If it comes from the verb root bon, it is hard to see why it does not also appear in the 1st person ndi-la-bon-a.
Some scholars, such as Carter[12] and Goldsmith,[9] have analysed Tonga as having both tones and accents (the accents in Tonga being mainly on low-toned syllables). Others, such as Pulleyblank, analyse the same data purely in terms of tonal rules, without the need to introduce accents.
Referencesedit
^Tonga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required) Dombe at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
^A Practical Introduction to Chitonga, C.R. Hopgood, 1992 Edition, Zambia Educational Publishing House, p. x
^Mweenzu Wafwulwe Ulalila Bowa (An Advanced Chitonga Language Course), R.N. Moonga and F.W. Wafer, Zambia Educational Publishing House, 1997, p. v
^Norval Smith, Harry van der Hulst, 1988. Features, Segmental Structure & Harmony Processes, vol. 1 p. 198
^Sibajene, Alick (2013). A dialectological study of Tonga. University of Zambia.
^Carter, Hazel (2002). An outline of Chitonga grammar. Lusaka, Zambia: Bookworld Publishers.
^Tenses taken from Peace Corps Zambia Trainee's Book: Tonga, 2003
^ abGoldsmith, John (1984) "Tone and Accent in Tonga". In Clements, G. N. and John Goldsmith Autosegmental Studies in Bantu Tone. Dordrecht, Foris Publications, p. 48.
^Meeussen, A.E. (1963) "Morphotonology of the Tonga Verb", Journal of African Linguistics Vol.2, Part I.
^Pulleyblank (1983) Tone in Lexical Phonology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, p. 191.
^Carter, Hazel (1971) and (1972). "Morphotonology of Zambian Tonga: Some Developments of Meeussen's System". African Language Studies 12: 1-30 and 14: 36-52.
External linksedit
For a list of words relating to the Tonga language of Zambia, see the Tonga (Zambia) language category of words in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Chitonga
Chitonga Glossary
OLAC resources in and about the Tonga language
OLAC resources in and about the Dombe language
Chitonga language books[permanent dead link], Lubuto Library Special Collections
October 27, 2023
tonga, language, zambia, zimbabwe, chitonga, redirects, here, chitonga, language, malawi, tonga, language, malawi, other, languages, called, tonga, tonga, language, disambiguation, tonga, chitonga, also, known, zambezi, bantu, language, primarily, spoken, tong. Chitonga redirects here For the chiTonga language of Malawi see Tonga language Malawi For other languages called Tonga see Tonga language disambiguation Tonga Chitonga also known as Zambezi is a Bantu language primarily spoken by the Tonga people Batonga who live mainly in the Southern province Lusaka province Central Province and Western province of Zambia and in northern Zimbabwe with a few in Mozambique The language is also spoken by the Iwe Toka and Leya people and perhaps by the Kafwe Twa if they are not Ila as well as many bilingual Zambians and Zimbabweans In Zambia Tonga is taught in schools as first language in the whole of Southern Province Lusaka and Central Provinces TongaZambeziisiTongaNative toZambia ZimbabweEthnicityTonga Kafwe TwaNative speakers1 5 million 2001 2010 census 1 Language familyNiger Congo Atlantic CongoBenue CongoBantoidBantuBotatweTongaDialectsPlateau Tonga Valley Tonga We Leya Mala Ndawe DombeWriting systemLatin Tonga alphabet Tonga BrailleOfficial statusOfficial language in ZimbabweRecognised minoritylanguage in ZambiaLanguage codesISO 639 3 a href https iso639 3 sil org code toi class extiw title iso639 3 toi toi a inclusive codeIndividual code a href https iso639 3 sil org code dov class extiw title iso639 3 dov dov a DombeGlottologtong1318 Tongadomb1246 Toka Leya DombeGuthrie codeM 64 2 ELPDombeIt is one of the major lingua francas in Zambia together with Bemba Lozi and Nyanja The Tonga of Malawi which is classified by Guthrie as belonging to zone N15 is not particularly close to Zambian Tonga which is classified as zone M64 and can be considered a separate language The Tonga speaking inhabitants are the oldest Bantu settlers with the Tumbuka a small ethnic group in the east in what is now known as Zambia There are two distinctive dialects of Tonga Valley Tonga and Plateau Tonga Valley Tonga is mostly spoken in the Zambezi valley and southern areas of the Batonga Tonga people while Plateau Tonga is spoken more around Monze District and the northern areas of the Batonga 3 Tonga Chitonga or isiTonga developed as a spoken language and was not put into written form until missionaries arrived in the area The language is not standardized and speakers of the same dialect may have different spellings for the same words once put into written text 4 At least some speakers have a bilabial nasal click where neighboring dialects have mw as in mwana child and kunwa to drink 5 Maho 2009 removes Shanjo as a separate and not very closely related language Contents 1 Phonology 1 1 Consonants 1 2 Vowels 2 Verbs 3 Tonal system 4 References 5 External linksPhonology editConsonants edit Bilabial Labio dental Alveolar Post alveolar Palatal Velar Glottalplain pal Nasal m n ɲ ŋPlosive Affricate voiceless p t t ʃ c kvoiced b d d ʒ ɟ ɡprenasal vd ᵐb ⁿd ⁿd ʒ ᶮɟ ᵑɡprenasal vl ᵐp ⁿtFricative voiceless f s sʲ ʃ hvoiced b v z zʲ ʒ ɣ ɦ Liquid l ɾSemivowel voiced j wbreathy j w voiceless j w l can also be heard as a tap sound ɾ in free variation Post alveolar affricates t ʃ d ʒ ⁿd ʒ can also be heard as palatal stops c ɟ ᶮɟ in free variation among dialects w can also be heard as a labio palatal ɥ when occurring before i f v can also be heard as glottal fricatives h ɦ in the Plateau dialect 6 sʲ zʲ are heard as voiceless and breathy palatal approximants j j in the Northern dialects 7 Vowels edit Front Central BackClose i iː u uːMid e eː o oːOpen a aːVerbs editTonga or Chitonga follows the standard Bantu language structure A single word may incorporate a subject marker a tense marker a direct object and even an indirect object combined with the verb root itself Tense 8 Tense marker ExampleSubject tense marker verb root ending First person ndi doing something s he shouldn t be doing kukuta Present Simple verb root NdakutaPresent Perfect a verb root ide NdikutidePresent Continuous la NdilakutaHabitual Present Tense la verb root a NdilakutaRecent Past Past of Today ali verb root ide ndalikutideSimple Past aka ndakakutaRecent Past Continuous ali ku verb root ndalikukutaHabitual Past Continuous akali ku verb root NdakalikukutaRemote Past aka ndakakutaNear Future la NdilakutaSimple Future ya ku verb root a NdiyakukutaFuture Habitual niku verb root a ndinikukutaExtended Future Tomorrow or after tomorrow yaku verb a ndiyakukutaTonal system editTonga is a tonal language with high and low toned syllables The placement of the tones is complex and differs from that of other Bantu languages for example a syllable which is low in Tonga may be high in the cognate word in other Bantu languages and vice versa 9 Several scholars beginning with A E Meeussen in 1963 10 have tried to discover the rules for where to place the tones One feature of the tonal system is that high tones tend to get disassociated from their original place and move to the left as is illustrated in these examples 11 ibusi smoke ibusu flour In these words the original high tone of the root si has moved to the prefix ibu whereas the low tone of su has not affected the prefix The above example of a noun is relatively easy to explain However the tones of the verbal system are more complex An example of one of the puzzles discussed by both Meeussen and Goldsmith can be seen below ndi la lang a I look at ba la lang a they look at ndi la bon a I see ba la bon a they see The high tone on the tense marker la in the fourth verb is puzzling If it comes from the verb root bon it is hard to see why it does not also appear in the 1st person ndi la bon a Some scholars such as Carter 12 and Goldsmith 9 have analysed Tonga as having both tones and accents the accents in Tonga being mainly on low toned syllables Others such as Pulleyblank analyse the same data purely in terms of tonal rules without the need to introduce accents References edit Tonga at Ethnologue 18th ed 2015 subscription required Dombe at Ethnologue 18th ed 2015 subscription required Jouni Filip Maho 2009 New Updated Guthrie List Online A Practical Introduction to Chitonga C R Hopgood 1992 Edition Zambia Educational Publishing House p x Mweenzu Wafwulwe Ulalila Bowa An Advanced Chitonga Language Course R N Moonga and F W Wafer Zambia Educational Publishing House 1997 p v Norval Smith Harry van der Hulst 1988 Features Segmental Structure amp Harmony Processes vol 1 p 198 Sibajene Alick 2013 A dialectological study of Tonga University of Zambia Carter Hazel 2002 An outline of Chitonga grammar Lusaka Zambia Bookworld Publishers Tenses taken from Peace Corps Zambia Trainee s Book Tonga 2003 a b Goldsmith John 1984 Tone and Accent in Tonga In Clements G N and John Goldsmith Autosegmental Studies in Bantu Tone Dordrecht Foris Publications p 48 Meeussen A E 1963 Morphotonology of the Tonga Verb Journal of African Linguistics Vol 2 Part I Pulleyblank 1983 Tone in Lexical Phonology Massachusetts Institute of Technology p 191 Carter Hazel 1971 and 1972 Morphotonology of Zambian Tonga Some Developments of Meeussen s System African Language Studies 12 1 30 and 14 36 52 External links edit nbsp For a list of words relating to the Tonga language of Zambia see the Tonga Zambia language category of words in Wiktionary the free dictionary Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Chitonga Glossary of Chitonga in English and German Chitonga Glossary OLAC resources in and about the Tonga language OLAC resources in and about the Dombe language Chitonga language books permanent dead link Lubuto Library Special Collections Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Tonga language Zambia and Zimbabwe amp oldid 1172385244, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
