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Ethnologue: Languages of the World
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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Africa > Tanzania > Fipa

Fipa

A language of Tanzania

ISO 639-3: fip

Population  195,000 in Tanzania (2002 census). About 140,000 speakers of Northern, 45,000 of Kwa, and 10,000 of Milanzi varieties.
Region  Rukwa region, Sumbawanga Urban and Nkansi districts, between lakes Tanganyika and Rukwa. Also in Malawi.
Language map  Tanzania, reference number 69
Alternate names   Cifipa, Fiba, Icifipa, Kifipa
Dialects  Kwa, Milanzi (Sukuma, Sukuuma), Northern (Kandasi, Kandaasi). Over half of the ethnic Fipa speak a speech variety called Fipa-Mambwe, which is a dialect of Mambwe-Lungu [mgr]. More research needs to be carried out into whether the Kwa dialect speakers can adequately understand the Northern variety.
Classification  Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantoid, Southern, Narrow Bantu, Central, F, Tongwe (F.10)
Language development  Swahili. English. NT: 1988.
Comments  Agriculturalists: millet, maize, lima beans, sweet potatoes, cassava, peanuts, spinach, tomatoes, onions, potatoes, chiles, sorghum, bananas, papayas, oranges, limes, mangoes, tobacco, coconuts, wheat, coffee; animal husbandry: cattle, sheep, goats, fowl, pigeons; fishermen. Christian, traditional religion, Muslim.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

LINDFORS, Anna-Lena; NAGLER, Louise; WOODWARD, Mark, authors. 2010. "A sociolinguistic survey of the Fipa language community: ethnic identity and dialect diversity."  Available online