Kirimi
Nyaturu
Niger-Congo
Nyaturu (Kirimi, autonymously Kinyaturu) is a Bantu language of the Tanzania Central Bantu group (Glottolog F32), spoken by approximately 570,000 people in the Singida Region of central Tanzania, around the town of Singida (the regional capital and Nyaturu cultural center). The Nyaturu people are traditionally semi-nomadic cattle pastoralists and millet-sorghum agriculturalists of the central Tanzanian semi-arid plateau, sharing Lake Eyasi/Singida cluster F30 features with sister languages Langi (lag, F33) and more distantly with Nyamwezi (nym, F22). Linguistically, Nyaturu has typical Eastern Bantu features (16+ noun classes, complex verbal morphology with subject-object-tense-aspect agreement, two-tone register system), with Olson's 1964 SIL phonological description as the major modern documentation. The community has shifted significantly to Swahili in education and urban contexts but retains Nyaturu as the dominant home language in rural villages.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Nyaturu
Water
maazi
/maːzi/
Fire
moto
/moto/
Sun
nzua
/nzua/
Moon
umweri
/umweɾi/
Mother
mama
/mama/
Father
tata
/tata/
Eat
kuria
/kuɾia/
Drink
kunywa
/kuɲwa/
Love
butogwa
/butoɡwa/
Heart
umutima
/umutima/
Tree
umuti
/umuti/
House
nyumba
/ɲumba/
Dog
imbwa
/imbwa/
Cat
paka
/paka/
Hand
ukuboko
/ukuboko/
Eye
iriiso
/iɾiːso/
Hello
mbukire
/mbukiɾe/
Thank you
ahsante
/ahsante/
One
umwe
/umwe/
Good
kihi
/kihi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Niger-Congo languages
| Meaning | Nyaturu | Sangu | Shambala | Nyamwezi | Kirundi | Sena | Makonde |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | maazi /maːzi/ | ameenzi /ameːnzi/ | mazi /mazi/ | minzi /minzi/ | amazi /amaːzi/ | madzi /madzi/ | mashi /maʃi/ |
| Fire | moto /moto/ | umoto /umoto/ | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ | umuriro /umuɾiɾo/ | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ |
| Sun | nzua /nzua/ | liluga /liluɡa/ | zuwa /zuwa/ | izuba /izuβa/ | izuba /izuba/ | dzuwa /dzuwa/ | lyuva /ʎuβa/ |
| Moon | umweri /umweɾi/ | umwesi /umwesi/ | mwezi /mwezi/ | ng'wezi /ŋweːzi/ | ukwezi /ukwezi/ | mwedzi /mwedzi/ | mwedi /mwedi/ |
| Mother | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mayu /majʊ/ | mama /maːma/ | mai /mai/ | mama /mama/ |
| Father | tata /tata/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | data /data/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ |
| Eat | kuria /kuɾia/ | kulya /kuʎa/ | kuya /kuja/ | kulya /kuʎa/ | kurya /kuɾja/ | kudya /kudja/ | kulya /kuʎa/ |
| Drink | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunwa /kunwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kumwa /kumwa/ | kunwa /kunwa/ |
| Love | butogwa /butoɡwa/ | ulungu /uluŋɡu/ | kwenda /kwenda/ | butogwa /butoɡwa/ | urukundo /uɾukundo/ | kufuna /kufuna/ | kupenda /kupenda/ |
| Heart | umutima /umutima/ | umutima /umutima/ | mwoyo /mwojo/ | mtima /mtima/ | umutima /umutima/ | mtima /mtima/ | mtima /mtima/ |
| Tree | umuti /umuti/ | umuti /umuti/ | mti /mti/ | mti /mti/ | igiti /iɡiti/ | mtengo /mteŋɡo/ | mti /mti/ |
| House | nyumba /ɲumba/ | inyumba /iɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | kaya /kaja/ | inzu /inzu/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ |
| Dog | imbwa /imbwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | nshenye /nʃeɲe/ |
| Cat | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | akayabu /akajabu/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ |
| Hand | ukuboko /ukuboko/ | ukuboko /ukuboko/ | ukono /ukono/ | ikobo /ikoβo/ | ukuboko /ukuboko/ | nkono /nkono/ | nkono /nkono/ |
| Eye | iriiso /iɾiːso/ | iliho /iliho/ | izo /izo/ | liso /liso/ | ijisho /idʒiʃo/ | diso /diso/ | liso /liso/ |
| Hello | mbukire /mbukiɾe/ | mbasala /mbasala/ | nashukuru /naʃukuɾu/ | mwadita /mwadita/ | amahoro /amahoɾo/ | mwadzukabwanji /mwadzukabwandʒi/ | nakushukuru /nakuʃukuɾu/ |
| Thank you | ahsante /ahsante/ | nashukulu /naʃukulu/ | asante /asante/ | twabakaba /twaβakaβa/ | murakoze /muɾakoze/ | ndatenda /ndatenda/ | nashukuru /naʃukuɾu/ |
| One | umwe /umwe/ | imo /imo/ | imo /imo/ | imo /imo/ | rimwe /ɾimwe/ | posi /posi/ | nimo /nimo/ |
| Good | kihi /kihi/ | kwifwa /kwifwa/ | hedi /hedi/ | lihi /lihi/ | nziza /nziza/ | nadidi /nadidi/ | shibwana /ʃibwana/ |
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