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Luchazi (Lucazi, Chiluchazi) is a Bantu language of Angola and Zambia. Luchazi is the principal language of the Ngangela Group.[3] Ngangela is a term coined by the Vimbundu traders and missionaries in 18th century to describe the tribes occupying the area of eastern-central Angola.[4]
| Luchazi | |
|---|---|
| Ngangela | |
| Chiluchazi | |
| Native to | Angola, Zambia |
Native speakers | 431,000 (2010-2014)[1] |
| Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | Angola (as "Nganguela" or "Ganguela") |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | lch – inclusive codeIndividual codes: lch – Luchazinba – Nyemba (Ngangela)mfu – Mbwela |
| Glottolog | luch1239 Luchazinyem1238 Nyembambwe1238 Mbwela |
K.13, K.12b, K.17[2] | |
Phonology
editConsonants
editThe following table displays all the consonants in Luchazi:[5]
- ^1 Occur rarely, may only exist in loanwords.
The position of the speech-organs in producing the consonants is different from the positions taken in producing the similar sounds in European languages. T and D, for example, are lower than in English but higher than in Portuguese. L is flatter-tongued than in either English or Portuguese. The language contains many consonantal glides, including the prenasalized plosives and the voiceless alveolar sibilant affricate (the ts sound).[6]
| Front | Back | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | ɪ iː | ʊ uː | |
| Mid | ɛ ɛː | ɔ ɔː | |
| Open | a aː | ||
| Diphthongs | eɪ aɪ au ia ie io iu ua ue ui uo | ||
The close front vowel (i), when occurring before another vowel, becomes a semi-consonant and is written y, unless it is immediately preceded by a consonant, when it remains i. Examples: yange, viange.
The vowels have the Continental or Italian values. They are shorter when unstressed and are prolonged when doubled or when stressed at the end of a word.
- The vowel a is Long when accented, as a in tata, nana.
Short when unstressed or before two consonants or y or s and in monosyllabic adverbs, as a in tata, paya, asa, hanga. Prolonged when doubled or stressed at the end of a word or syllable. Example: ku laako.
- The vowel e is Long when accented, as a in heta, seza.
Short when unstressed, as a in hete, seze. Short with the value of e in henga, lenda before two consonants. Exceptions are hembo and membo (due to coalescence of vowels). Many words derived from Portuguese have the short vowel though not followed by two consonants. Examples: pena, papelo, luneta, ngehena, etc. Prolonged when stressed at the end of a word.
- The vowel i is Long when accented, as e in tina, sika.
Short when unstressed or before two consonants, as e in citi, linga. In monosyllabics it is short, as i in it. Examples: ni, ndi. Prolonged when stressed. Examples: ti, fui.
- The vowel o is Long when accented, as o in sota, koka.
Short when unstressed, as o in soko, loto. Short, with value of o in onga, yoya, kosa, luozi, ndo, before two consonants or y or s, and sometimes before z and in some monosyllables. The o is long in zoza and ngozi. Sometimes prolonged when stressed at the end of a word. Example: to.
- The vowel u is Long when accented, as u in tuta, fula.
Short, when unstressed or before two consonants or before s, as u in futuka, mbunga, kusa.
Orthography
editLuchazi is written using the Latin alphabet, with most characters representing the same sound as in English, with some exceptions. c is pronounced like ch in church, n followed by k or g is always nasal like ng in ring, the sound of v is bilabial instead of labiodental.[3]
Alphabet
edit- A - [a/aː]
- B - [β]
- C/Ch - [t͡ʃ/t͡ʃʰ]
- D - [d/d̪/ð]
- E - [ɛ/e/ɛː]
- F - [f]
- G - [g]
- H - [h/x]
- I - [i/iː]
- J - [d͡ʒ]
- K - [k]
- L - [l/ɭ]
- M - [m]
- N - [n]
- Ny - [ɲ]
- O - [ɔ/ɔː]
- P - [p]
- R - [ɹ]
- S - [s]
- Sh - [ʃ]
- T - [t/t̪/θ], [tʲ~t͡s] before [i]
- U - [u/uː]
- W - [w]
- Y - [j]
- Z - [z]
D, G, J, R, and Sh only exist in loanwords.[9]
Other letters
edit- ai - [aɪ̯]
- au - [aʊ̯]
- ei - [eɪ̯]
- ia - [i̯a]
- ie - [i̯e]
- io - [i̯o]
- iu - [i̯u]
- kh - [kʰ]
- mb - [mb]
- mph - [mpʰ]
- nch - [ɲt͡ʃʰ]
- nd - [ⁿd]
- ng - [ŋg/ŋ]
- nj - [ɲd͡ʒ]
- nk - [ŋkʰ]
- nt - [ⁿtʰ]
- ph - [pʰ]
- th - [tʰ]
- ua - [u̯a]
- ue - [u̯e]
- ui - [u̯i]
- uo - [u̯o]
References
edit- ^ "Lucazi". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
- ^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
- ^ a b Emil Pearson, "Luchazi Grammar", pp. 5
- ^ Gerhard Kubik and Moses Yotamu, 1998, "The Luchazi People. Their History and Chieftaincy", pp. 16, 123
- ^ Gerhard Kubik, 2006, Tusona: Luchazi Ideographs : a Graphic Tradition of West-Central Africa, pp. 300, 303
- ^ Emil Pearson, Luchazi Grammar, pp. 5, 6, 7
- ^ Emil Pearson, Luchazi Grammar, pp. 5, 6, 7
- ^ Fleisch, Axel (2000). Lucazi grammar: a morphosemantic analysis. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe.
- ^ "Luchazi language and alphabet". Omniglot. Retrieved 5 March 2021.