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
31 core words in Nyaturu
Water
maazi
/maːzi/
Fire
moto
/moto/
Sun
nzua
/nzua/
Moon
umweri
/umweɾi/
Star
nyeenyeeri
/ɲeːɲeːri/
Mother
mama
/mama/
Father
tata
/tata/
I
une
/une/
You
uwe
/uwe/
Name
izina
/izina/
Eye
iriiso
/iɾiːso/
Hand
ukuboko
/ukuboko/
Heart
umutima
/umutima/
Love
butogwa
/butoɡwa/
Tree
umuti
/umuti/
House
nyumba
/ɲumba/
Dog
imbwa
/imbwa/
Cat
paka
/paka/
Eat
kuria
/kuɾia/
Drink
kunywa
/kuɲwa/
One
umwe
/umwe/
Two
aviri
/aβiri/
Hello
mbukire
/mbukiɾe/
Thank you
asante
/aˈsante/
Good
kihi
/kihi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Niger-Congo languages
| Meaning | Nyaturu | Sangu | Shambala | Asu | Nyamwezi | Sena | Tumbuka |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | maazi /maːzi/ | ameenzi /ameːnzi/ | mazi /mazi/ | mende /mende/ | minzi /minzi/ | madzi /madzi/ | maji /madʒi/ |
| Fire | moto /moto/ | umoto /umoto/ | moto /moto/ | mshika /mʃika/ | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ | moto /moto/ |
| Sun | nzua /nzua/ | liluga /liluɡa/ | zuwa /zuwa/ | idhuva /iðuʋa/ | izuba /izuβa/ | dzuwa /dzuwa/ | zuwa /zuwa/ |
| Moon | umweri /umweɾi/ | umwesi /umwesi/ | mwezi /mwezi/ | mwezi /mwezi/ | ng'wezi /ŋweːzi/ | mwedzi /mwedzi/ | mwezi /mwezi/ |
| Star | nyeenyeeri /ɲeːɲeːri/ | nyenyezi /ɲeɲezi/ | nyenyezi /ɲeɲezi/ | nyenyeri /ɲeɲeri/ | nyenyeezi /ɲeˈɲeːzi/ | nyenyezi /ɲeɲezi/ | nyenyezi /ɲeɲezi/ |
| Mother | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mama /mama/ | mayu /majʊ/ | mai /mai/ | amama /amama/ |
| Father | tata /tata/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | baba /baba/ | adada /adada/ |
| I | une /une/ | une /une/ | niye /nije/ | mine /mine/ | nene /ˈnene/ | ine /ine/ | ine /ine/ |
| You | uwe /uwe/ | uwe /uwe/ | weye /weje/ | uwe /uwe/ | gwegwe /ˈɡweɡwe/ | iwe /iwe/ | iwe /iwe/ |
| Name | izina /izina/ | litawa /litawa/ | izina /izina/ | izina /izina/ | lina /ˈlina/ | dzina /dzina/ | zina /zina/ |
| Eye | iriiso /iɾiːso/ | iliho /iliho/ | izo /izo/ | iiso /iːso/ | liso /liso/ | diso /diso/ | jiso /dʒiso/ |
| Hand | ukuboko /ukuboko/ | ukuboko /ukuboko/ | ukono /ukono/ | mkono /mkono/ | ikobo /ikoβo/ | nkono /nkono/ | woko /woko/ |
| Heart | umutima /umutima/ | umutima /umutima/ | mwoyo /mwojo/ | ngiti /ŋɡiti/ | mtima /mtima/ | mtima /mtima/ | mtima /mtima/ |
| Love | butogwa /butoɡwa/ | ulungu /uluŋɡu/ | kwenda /kwenda/ | lumba /lumba/ | butogwa /butoɡwa/ | kufuna /kufuna/ | kutemwa /kutemwa/ |
| Tree | umuti /umuti/ | umuti /umuti/ | mti /mti/ | mti /mti/ | mti /mti/ | mtengo /mteŋɡo/ | khuni /kʰuni/ |
| House | nyumba /ɲumba/ | inyumba /iɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | kaya /kaja/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ | nyumba /ɲumba/ |
| Dog | imbwa /imbwa/ | imbwa /imbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | mbwa /mbwa/ | ncheŵe /ntʃewe/ |
| Cat | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | paka /paka/ | chona /tʃona/ |
| Eat | kuria /kuɾia/ | kulya /kuʎa/ | kuya /kuja/ | kurya /kuɾja/ | kulya /kuʎa/ | kudya /kudja/ | kurya /kuɾja/ |
| Drink | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunwa /kunwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kunwa /kunwa/ | kunywa /kuɲwa/ | kumwa /kumwa/ | kumwa /kumwa/ |
| One | umwe /umwe/ | imo /imo/ | imo /imo/ | imwe /imwe/ | imo /imo/ | posi /posi/ | cimoza /tʃimoza/ |
| Two | aviri /aβiri/ | avili /aβili/ | mbili /mbili/ | avili /aβili/ | ibili /iβili/ | piŵiri /piwiri/ | ŵiŵiri /βiβiɾi/ |
| Hello | mbukire /mbukiɾe/ | mbasala /mbasala/ | nashukuru /naʃukuɾu/ | shiloi /ʃiloi/ | mwadita /mwadita/ | mwadzukabwanji /mwadzukabwandʒi/ | monire /moniɾe/ |
| Thank you | asante /aˈsante/ | nashukulu /naʃukulu/ | asante /asante/ | mwasanga /mwasaŋɡa/ | twabakaba /twaβakaβa/ | ndatenda /ndatenda/ | yewo /jewo/ |
| Good | kihi /kihi/ | kwifwa /kwifwa/ | hedi /hedi/ | mwamba /mwamba/ | lihi /lihi/ | nadidi /nadidi/ | cwemi /tʃwemi/ |
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