Luchazi language

Luchazi (Lucazi, Chiluchazi) is a Bantu language of Angola and Zambia. Missionary Emil Pearson created Ngangela as a standard language by mixing[6] Mbunda, Luchazi, Luvale and Luimbi languages, to allow a single translation of the Bible for the four communities[7]. Ethnically distinct varieties, many of which are subsumed under the generic term Ngangela, are all "fully intelligible".[8] These are: Luchazi, Nyemba, Mbwela of Angola (Ambuella, Shimbwera, not to be confused with Mbwela of Zambia), Nkangala, Mbunda, Luimbi (Lwimbi), Yauma, Songo, Chimbandi[9][10] and Ngondzela. Therefore, it is highly erroneous to suggest that Ngangela is Luchazi[11].

Luchazi
Chiluchazi
Native to	Angola, Zambia
Native speakers	431,000 (2010-2014)[1]
Language family	Niger–Congo Atlantic–Congo Benue–Congo Southern Bantoid Bantu (Zone K) Chokwe–Luchazi (K.10) Luchazi
Official status
Recognised minority language in	Angola
Language codes
ISO 639-3	lch – inclusive code Individual codes: lch – Luchazi nba – Nyemba mfu – Mbwela
Glottolog	luch1239  Luchazi[2] nyem1238  Nyemba[3] mbwe1238  Mbwela[4]
Guthrie code	K.13, K.12b, K.17[5]

Phonology

Consonants

The following table displays all the consonants in Luchazi:[12]

		Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Labial- velar	Glottal
Plosive	voiceless	p	t tʲ^1	t͡ʃ	k
	prenasalized	ᵐpʰ ᵐb	ⁿtʰ ⁿd	ᶮd͡ʒ	ᵑkʰ ᵑɡ
Affricate			t͡s^1
Fricative	voiceless	f	s	ʃ^2			h
	voiced	β	z
Approximant			l	j		w
Nasal		m	n	ɲ	ŋ^2

^1 May not be actual phonemes.

^2 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. Practically all the consonants have similar differences. The language contains many consonantal glides, including the prenasalized plosives and the voiceless alveolar sibilant affricate (the ts sound).[13]

Vowels [14]

	Front	Back
Close	iː	uː
Mid	ɛː	ɔː
Open	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 so-called 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

Luchazi 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.[15]

References

1. "Lucazi". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
2. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Luchazi". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
3. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Nyemba". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
4. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Mbwela". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
5. Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
6. "English-Ngangela Dictionary", By Emil Pearson, Seal Beach, California, May 1971, Se terminó la impression de este libro en los talleres de Tipográfica Indigena, Domingo Dier 503, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico el dia 15 de febrero de 1973, FOREWORD p. 7
7. Robert Papstein, "The Central African Historical Research Project", in Harneit-Sievers, 2002, A Place in the World: New Local Historiographies from Africa and South Asia, p. 178
8. Nyemba at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
9. Emil Pearson, "People of the Aurora"
10. Emil Pearson, "Tales of the Aurora"
11. "English-Ngangela Dictionary", By Emil Pearson, Seal Beach, California, May 1971, Se terminó la impression de este libro en los talleres de Tipográfica Indigena, Domingo Dier 503, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico el dia 15 de febrero de 1973, FOREWORD p. 7
12. Gerhard Kubik, 2006, Tusona: Luchazi Ideographs : a Graphic Tradition of West-Central Africa, pp. 300, 303
13. Emil Pearson, Luchazi Grammar, pp. 5, 6, 7
14. Emil Pearson, Luchazi Grammar, pp. 5, 6, 7
15. Emil Pearson, "Luchazi Grammar", pp. 5