Nyungwe (Cinyungwe, Chinyungwe or Nhungue) is a Bantu language of Mozambique. It is used as a trade language throughout Tete Province. It belongs in the Southeastern Bantu branch, particularly in Guthrie zone N. It is closely related to Sena, Chewa, Nsenga and Tumbuka.
Geographic distribution Nyungwe is spoken by more than 439,000 people in Mozambique along the Zambezi River, principally in Tete Province.
Official status While Portuguese is the only official language of Mozambique, Nyungwe is one of the recognized national languages.
Phonology The phonological inventory is:http://lidemo.net/biblioteca/resources/view/nyu/ling/NYU_T000007.pdf Transition primer for Portuguese to Nyungwe
Vowels FrontBackHigh Mid Low
Consonants
History Many vocabulary words collected by David Livingstone in Tete in the 1850s, and Courtois in the 1890s are similar to the words in common use by Nyungwe-speaking people today.
Livingstone Courtois Martins Translation Molungo Mulungu Mulungu God Mozungo Muzungu Muzungu White man
Examples Nyungwe English Sulo adayanya uxamwali na Moto Rabbit makes friends with fire Munembi: Basílio Gimo Author: Basílio Gimo Pantsiku inango sulo akhazunga m’phepete mwa gombe,
ndipo mbvuu ikhabzizungirambo icimbadya mauswa yakusvipirira
m’phepete mwa gombe momwe mukhana sulomo.
Mbvuu iribe kuwona kuti sulo akhali m’phepete mule, na tenepo mbvuu idamuponda mwendo sulo.
Ndipo sulo adalira, acipfuwula aciwuza mbvuu kuti:
“Iwe mbvuu uli kuwona lini kuti uli kundiponda mwendo?” One day, rabbit was walking by the river
and hippo was also walking there eating grass
by the shore of the river where rabbit was.
Hippo didn't see that rabbit was by the shore there and so hippo stepped on rabbit's foot.
Then rabbit cried, and yowled saying to hippo,
"You hippo! Can't you see that you've stepped on my foot?"
References
External links O Centro de Estudos de Línguas Moçambicanas (NELIMO) The Mozambican authority on languages. Publications in Nyungwe at lidemo.net A blog about the Nyungwe Bible translation