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
20 core words in Shambala
Water
mazi
/mazi/
Fire
moto
/moto/
Sun
zuwa
/zuwa/
Moon
mwezi
/mwezi/
Mother
mama
/mama/
Father
baba
/baba/
Eat
kuya
/kuja/
Drink
kunywa
/kuɲwa/
Love
kwenda
/kwenda/
Heart
mwoyo
/mwojo/
Tree
mti
/mti/
House
nyumba
/ɲumba/
Dog
mbwa
/mbwa/
Cat
paka
/paka/
Hand
ukono
/ukono/
Eye
izo
/izo/
Hello
nashukuru
/naʃukuɾu/
Thank you
asante
/asante/
One
imo
/imo/
Good
hedi
/hedi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Atlantic-Congo (Bantu, Northeast Coast) languages
| Meaning | Shambala | Makonde | Machame | Sena | Nyaturu | Nyamwezi | Asu |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | mazi /mazi/ | mashi /maʃi/ | mringa /mɾiŋɡa/ | madzi /madzi/ | maazi /maːzi/ | minzi /minzi/ | mende /mende/ |
| Fire | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ | mòò /moːʔ/ | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ | mshika /mʃika/ |
| Sun | zuwa /zuwa/ | lyuva /ʎuβa/ | ìsùwà /isuwa/ | dzuwa /dzuwa/ | nzua /nzua/ | izuba /izuβa/ | nyu /ɲu/ |
| Moon | mwezi /mwezi/ | mwedi /mwedi/ | mwezi /mwezi/ | mwedzi /mwedzi/ | umweri /umweɾi/ | ng'wezi /ŋweːzi/ | mwezi /mwezi/ |
| Mother | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mai /mai/ | mama /mama/ | mayu /majʊ/ | mama /mama/ |
| Father | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | tata /tata/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ |
| Eat | kuya /kuja/ | kulya /kuʎa/ | ìlya /iʎa/ | kudya /kudja/ | kuria /kuɾia/ | kulya /kuʎa/ | kurya /kuɾja/ |
| Drink | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunwa /kunwa/ | ìnyo /iɲo/ | kumwa /kumwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunwa /kunwa/ |
| Love | kwenda /kwenda/ | kupenda /kupenda/ | ìkwenda /ikwenda/ | kufuna /kufuna/ | butogwa /butoɡwa/ | butogwa /butoɡwa/ | lumba /lumba/ |
| Heart | mwoyo /mwojo/ | mtima /mtima/ | mòyò /mojo/ | mtima /mtima/ | umutima /umutima/ | mtima /mtima/ | ngiti /ŋɡiti/ |
| Tree | mti /mti/ | mti /mti/ | mtí /mti/ | mtengo /mteŋɡo/ | umuti /umuti/ | mti /mti/ | mti /mti/ |
| House | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | kaya /kaja/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ |
| Dog | mbwa /mbwa/ | nshenye /nʃeɲe/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ |
| Cat | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ |
| Hand | ukono /ukono/ | nkono /nkono/ | kùoòko /kuoːko/ | nkono /nkono/ | ukuboko /ukuboko/ | ikobo /ikoβo/ | mkono /mkono/ |
| Eye | izo /izo/ | liso /liso/ | rítiò /ɾitio/ | diso /diso/ | iriiso /iɾiːso/ | liso /liso/ | jicho /dʒitʃo/ |
| Hello | nashukuru /naʃukuɾu/ | nakushukuru /nakuʃukuɾu/ | máshàlòmà /maʃaloma/ | mwadzukabwanji /mwadzukabwandʒi/ | mbukire /mbukiɾe/ | mwadita /mwadita/ | shiloi /ʃiloi/ |
| Thank you | asante /asante/ | nashukuru /naʃukuɾu/ | ahsànte /ahsante/ | ndatenda /ndatenda/ | ahsante /ahsante/ | twabakaba /twaβakaβa/ | mwasanga /mwasaŋɡa/ |
| One | imo /imo/ | nimo /nimo/ | ìmwí /imwi/ | posi /posi/ | umwe /umwe/ | imo /imo/ | imwe /imwe/ |
| Good | hedi /hedi/ | shibwana /ʃibwana/ | ìchá /itʃa/ | nadidi /nadidi/ | kihi /kihi/ | lihi /lihi/ | mwamba /mwamba/ |
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