Luchazi language

Luchazi (Lucazi, Chiluchazi) is a Bantu language of Angola and Zambia. Luchazi is the principal language of the Ngangela Group.[3] Ngangela is a term coined by the Vimbundu traders and missionaries in 18th century to describe the tribes occupying the area of eastern-central Angola.[4]

Luchazi
Ngangela
Chiluchazi
Native toAngola, Zambia
Native speakers
431,000 (2010-2014)[1]
Official status
Recognised minority
language in
 Angola (as "Nganguela" or "Ganguela")
Language codes
ISO 639-3lch – inclusive code
Individual codes:
lch – Luchazi
nba – Nyemba (Ngangela)
mfu – Mbwela
Glottologluch1239  Luchazi
nyem1238  Nyemba
mbwe1238  Mbwela
K.13, K.12b, K.17[2]

Phonology

Consonants

The following table displays all the consonants in Luchazi:[5]

Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar Labial-
velar		 Glottal
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Plosive voiceless p t tʲ1 t͡ʃ k
prenasalized ᵐb ⁿd ᶮd͡ʒ ᵑɡ
prenasalized asp. ᵐpʰ ⁿtʰ ᵑkʰ
Affricate t͡s
Fricative voiceless f s ʃ1 h
voiced β z
Approximant l j w
^1 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. The language contains many consonantal glides, including the prenasalized plosives and the voiceless alveolar sibilant affricate (the ts sound).[6]

Vowels[7] [8]
Front Back
Close ɪ iː ʊ uː
Mid ɛ ɛː ɔ ɔː
Open a 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 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.[3]

Alphabet
  • A - [a/aː]
  • B - [β]
  • C/Ch - [t͡ʃ/t͡ʃʰ]
  • D - [d/d̪/ð]
  • E - [ɛ/e/ɛː]
  • F - [f]
  • G - [g]
  • H - [h/x]
  • I - [i/iː]
  • J - [d͡ʒ]
  • K - [k]
  • L - [l/ɭ]
  • M - [m]
  • N - [n]
  • Ny - [ɲ]
  • O - [ɔ/ɔː]
  • P - [p]
  • R - [ɹ]
  • S - [s]
  • Sh - [ʃ]
  • T - [t/t̪/θ], [tʲ~t͡s] before [i]
  • U - [u/uː]
  • W - [w]
  • Y - [j]
  • Z - [z]

D, G, J, R, and Sh only exist in loanwords.[9]

Other letters
  • ai - [aɪ̯]
  • au - [aʊ̯]
  • ei - [eɪ̯]
  • ia - [i̯a]
  • ie - [i̯e]
  • io - [i̯o]
  • iu - [i̯u]
  • kh - [kʰ]
  • mb - [mb]
  • mph - [mpʰ]
  • nch - [ɲt͡ʃʰ]
  • nd - [ⁿd]
  • ng - [ŋg/ŋ]
  • nj - [ɲd͡ʒ]
  • nk - [ŋkʰ]
  • nt - [ⁿtʰ]
  • ph - [pʰ]
  • th - [tʰ]
  • ua - [u̯a]
  • ue - [u̯e]
  • ui - [u̯i]
  • uo - [u̯o]


References
  1. "Lucazi". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2018-08-14.
  2. Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
  3. Emil Pearson, "Luchazi Grammar", pp. 5
  4. Gerhard Kubik and Moses Yotamu, 1998, "The Luchazi People. Their History and Chieftaincy", pp. 16, 123
  5. Gerhard Kubik, 2006, Tusona: Luchazi Ideographs : a Graphic Tradition of West-Central Africa, pp. 300, 303
  6. Emil Pearson, Luchazi Grammar, pp. 5, 6, 7
  7. Emil Pearson, Luchazi Grammar, pp. 5, 6, 7
  8. Fleisch, Axel (2000). Lucazi grammar: a morphosemantic analysis. Köln: Rüdiger Köppe.
  9. "Luchazi language and alphabet". Omniglot. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
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