Lozi language
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2018) |
| Lozi | |
|---|---|
| Silozi | |
| Native to | Angola • Botswana • Namibia • South Africa • Zambia • Zimbabwe |
| Region | Western Zambia • Zambezi Region |
Native speakers | (725,000 cited 1982–2010 census)[1] |
| Latin (Lozi alphabet) Zambian Braille Ditema tsa Dinoko | |
| Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | loz |
| ISO 639-3 | loz |
| Glottolog | lozi1239 |
K.20 (K.21)[2] | |
| Linguasphere | 99-AUT-ef |
| Lozi | |
|---|---|
| Person | Mulozi |
| People | Balozi |
| Language | Silozi |
| Country | Bulozi |
Silozi is a Bantu language spoken by the Lozi people in Southern Africa. It belongs to the Niger-Congo language family, within the Sotho-Tswana branch of Zone S (S.30). Silozi is the endonym used by its native speakers, while Lozi is the exonym. The language is used formally in official, educational, and media contexts, and the Lozi population numbers approximately 1,561,900.[3]
The origins of Silozi can be traced back to a mixture of languages, primarily Luyana and Kololo. The Luyana people migrated south from the Kingdom of Luba and Kingdom of Lunda in the Katanga area of the Congo River basin, either late in the 17th century or early in the 18th century. They settled on the floodplains of the upper Zambezi in what is now western Zambia, where they established a kingdom called Barotseland or Bulozi.
In the 1830s, the Kololo people, originally from the Free State province of South Africa, fled northwards to escape the Mfecane under King Shaka Zulu. They employed tactics learned from the Zulu armies to conquer the Luyana on the Zambezi floodplains, imposing their rule and language. However, by 1864, the indigenous population revolted and overthrew the Kololo. By then, the original Luyana language had largely been replaced by a new hybrid language, Silozi.
Today, Silozi is spoken in Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, reflecting its historical development and cultural significance in the region.[4]
Phonology
[edit]Lozi has 5 vowels:
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | i | u | |
| Mid | e | o | |
| Low | a |
20 consonants are in Lozi:
| Labial | Alveolar | Palatal/ Postalveolar |
Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | ||
| Plosive | voiceless | p | t | c | k | |
| voiced | b | d | ɟ | ɡ | ||
| Fricative | voiceless | f | s | ʃ | h | |
| voiced | z | |||||
| Approximant | l | j | w | |||
Tone is marked as high or low.[5]
Orthography
[edit]Lozi uses the Latin script,[6][7] which was introduced by missionaries. In 1977, Zambia standardised the language's orthography.[8]
| Letters (upper case) | A | B | C | CH | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | Ñ | O | P | S | SH | T | U | W | Y | Z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letters (lower case) | a | b | c | ch | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | ñ | o | p | s | sh | t | u | w | y | z |
| IPA | [a] | [b] | [tʃ] | [d] | [e], [ɛ], [ɪ] | [f] | [x] | [h] | [i] | [dʒ] | [k] | [l] | [m] | [n] | [ɲ] | [o], [ʊ], [ɔ] | [p] | [s] | [ʃ] | [t] | [u] | [w] | [j] | [z] | |
Vocabulary
[edit]| Silozi | English |
|---|---|
| Sope | January |
| Yowa | February |
| Liatamanyi | March |
| Lungu | April |
| Kandao | May |
| Mbuwana | June |
| Sikulu | July |
| Muyana | August |
| Muimunene | September |
| Yenda | October |
| Njimwana | November |
| Ñulule | December |
Counting numbers in Silozi[9]
1 kalikamu
2 totubeli
3 totulalu
4 totune
5 ketalizoho
6 silezi
7 supile
8 ketalizoho ni totulalu
9 ketalizoho ni totune
10 lishumi
20 mashumi a mabeli
30 mashumi a malalu
40 mashumi a mane
50 mashumi a ketalizoho
60 mashumi a silezi
70 mashumi a supile
80 mashumi a supile ni kalikamu
90 mashumi a supile ni totubeli
100 muanda
Silozi text
[edit]The following is a sample text in Silozi.
Silozi: Kakuli Mulimu U latile hahulu batu ba lifasi, mane U ba file Mwan'a Hae wa libanda kuli mutu ufi ni ufi ya lumela ku Yena a si ke a shwa, kono a be ni bupilo bo bu sa feli. Joani 3:16[10]
English: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Lozi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
- ^ https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/13127
- ^ "An Introduction To Zambia's Lozi Tribe". Culture Trip. 2018-07-09. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ Fortune, George (2001). An Outline of Silozi Grammar. Bookworld Publishers.
- ^ "Lozi language and alphabet". www.omniglot.com. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
- ^ "Zambia - PanAfriL10n". 2013-09-29. Archived from the original on 2013-09-29. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
- ^ "Lozi - PanAfriL10n". 2013-11-10. Archived from the original on 2013-11-10. Retrieved 2019-08-26.
- ^ "Numbers in Lozi". www.omniglot.com. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
- ^ Joani 3:16 Kakuli Mulimu u latile hahulu batu ba lifasi, mane u ba file Mwan'a hae wa libanda kuli mutu ufi ni ufi ya lumela ku yena a si ke a shwa, kono a be ni bupilo bo bu sa feli. | Bibele ye Kenile (Catholic Edition) (LOZI09) | Download The Bible App Now.
- ^ "Bible Gateway passage: John 3:16 - New King James Version". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2024-08-03.
External links
[edit]
- Lozi alphabet and pronunciation at Omniglot
- A sample paragraph in Lozi
- Silozi-English Dictionary, glossaries, beginner's guide, other info
- Lozi English Dictionary from Webster's Online Dictionary - The Rosetta Edition
- PanAfrican L10n page on Lozi
- OLAC resources in and about the Lozi language
- Medical phrases in Lozi
Lozi language stories
[edit]- Sibetta, O.Kwibisa, Ze Patezwi ba Banca, Lubuto Library Special Collections, accessed May 3, 2014
- Silozi language stories[permanent dead link], Lubuto Library Special Collections, accessed May 3, 2014
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