Kishambaa
Shambala
Atlantic-Congo (Bantu, Northeast Coast)
Shambala (Kishambaa, also Sambaa) is a Bantu G23 language of the Usambara mountains in northeastern Tanzania, the language of the Shambaa people whose 19th-century Kingdom of Usambara under King Kimweri ye Nyumbai was an important pre-colonial polity. The Roehl (1911) German missionary dictionary was the first comprehensive lexical resource. Despite the small modern speaker base relative to Swahili, Shambala retains active intergenerational transmission in mountain villages where its rich agricultural vocabulary maps the elevation-zoned ecology.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Shambala
Water
mazi
/mazi/
Fire
moto
/moto/
Sun
zuwa
/zuwa/
Moon
mwezi
/mwezi/
Star
nyenyezi
/ɲeɲezi/
Mother
mama
/mama/
Father
baba
/baba/
I
niye
/nije/
You
weye
/weje/
Name
izina
/izina/
Eye
izo
/izo/
Hand
ukono
/ukono/
Heart
mwoyo
/mwojo/
Love
kwenda
/kwenda/
Tree
mti
/mti/
House
nyumba
/ɲumba/
Dog
mbwa
/mbwa/
Cat
paka
/paka/
Eat
kuya
/kuja/
Drink
kunywa
/kuɲwa/
One
imo
/imo/
Two
mbili
/mbili/
Hello
nashukuru
/naʃukuɾu/
Thank you
asante
/asante/
Good
hedi
/hedi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Atlantic-Congo (Bantu, Northeast Coast) languages
| Meaning | Shambala | Maore Comorian | Sena | Machame | Asu | Nyaturu | Makonde |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | mazi /mazi/ | maji /maji/ | madzi /madzi/ | mringa /mɾiŋɡa/ | mende /mende/ | maazi /maːzi/ | mashi /maʃi/ |
| Fire | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ | mòò /moːʔ/ | mshika /mʃika/ | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ |
| Sun | zuwa /zuwa/ | jua /dʒua/ | dzuwa /dzuwa/ | ìsùwà /isuwa/ | idhuva /iðuʋa/ | nzua /nzua/ | lyuva /ʎuβa/ |
| Moon | mwezi /mwezi/ | mwezi /mwezi/ | mwedzi /mwedzi/ | mwezi /mwezi/ | mwezi /mwezi/ | umweri /umweɾi/ | mwedi /mwedi/ |
| Star | nyenyezi /ɲeɲezi/ | nyota /ɲota/ | nyenyezi /ɲeɲezi/ | nyenyeri /ɲeɲeri/ | nyenyeri /ɲeɲeri/ | nyeenyeeri /ɲeːɲeːri/ | ntondwa /ntondwa/ |
| Mother | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mai /mai/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ |
| Father | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | tata /tata/ | baba /baba/ |
| I | niye /nije/ | wami /wami/ | ine /ine/ | inyi /iɲi/ | mine /mine/ | une /une/ | une /une/ |
| You | weye /weje/ | wawe /wawe/ | iwe /iwe/ | uwe /uwe/ | uwe /uwe/ | uwe /uwe/ | uve /uve/ |
| Name | izina /izina/ | dzina /dzina/ | dzina /dzina/ | irina /irina/ | izina /izina/ | izina /izina/ | lina /lina/ |
| Eye | izo /izo/ | jicho /dʒiʃo/ | diso /diso/ | rítiò /ɾitio/ | iiso /iːso/ | iriiso /iɾiːso/ | liso /liso/ |
| Hand | ukono /ukono/ | mkono /mkono/ | nkono /nkono/ | kùoòko /kuoːko/ | mkono /mkono/ | ukuboko /ukuboko/ | nkono /nkono/ |
| Heart | mwoyo /mwojo/ | moyo /moʝo/ | mtima /mtima/ | mòyò /mojo/ | ngiti /ŋɡiti/ | umutima /umutima/ | mtima /mtima/ |
| Love | kwenda /kwenda/ | mahaba /mahaba/ | kufuna /kufuna/ | ìkwenda /ikwenda/ | lumba /lumba/ | butogwa /butoɡwa/ | kupenda /kupenda/ |
| Tree | mti /mti/ | mti /mti/ | mtengo /mteŋɡo/ | mtí /mti/ | mti /mti/ | umuti /umuti/ | mti /mti/ |
| House | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /njumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ |
| Dog | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /ɱbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | nshenye /nʃeɲe/ |
| Cat | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ |
| Eat | kuya /kuja/ | kula /kula/ | kudya /kudja/ | ìlya /iʎa/ | kurya /kuɾja/ | kuria /kuɾia/ | kulya /kuʎa/ |
| Drink | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kumwa /kumwa/ | ìnyo /iɲo/ | kunwa /kunwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kukumbila /kukumbila/ |
| One | imo /imo/ | moja /moja/ | posi /posi/ | ìmwí /imwi/ | imwe /imwe/ | umwe /umwe/ | nimo /nimo/ |
| Two | mbili /mbili/ | mbili /ᵐbili/ | piŵiri /piwiri/ | iwi /iwi/ | avili /aβili/ | aviri /aβiri/ | vavili /vaʋili/ |
| Hello | nashukuru /naʃukuɾu/ | Habari /habari/ | mwadzukabwanji /mwadzukabwandʒi/ | máshàlòmà /maʃaloma/ | shiloi /ʃiloi/ | mbukire /mbukiɾe/ | nakushukuru /nakuʃukuɾu/ |
| Thank you | asante /asante/ | asante /asante/ | ndatenda /ndatenda/ | ahsànte /ahsante/ | mwasanga /mwasaŋɡa/ | asante /aˈsante/ | nashukuru /naʃukuɾu/ |
| Good | hedi /hedi/ | nzuri /ɲzuri/ | nadidi /nadidi/ | ìchá /itʃa/ | mwamba /mwamba/ | kihi /kihi/ | shibwana /ʃibwana/ |
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