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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Africa > Malawi > Nyanja

Nyanja

A language of Malawi

ISO 639-3: nya

Population  7,000,000 in Malawi (Johnstone and Mandryk 2001). Population total all countries: 8,659,700.
Region  West central and southwest. Also in Botswana, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
Language map  Malawi
Alternate names   Chewa, Chinyanja
Dialects  Chewa (Chichewa, Cheva, Sheva), Ngoni, Manganja (Waganga, Cimanganja), Nyasa, Peta (Cipeta, Maravi, Marave, Malawi).
Classification  Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantoid, Southern, Narrow Bantu, Central, N, Nyanja (N.30)
Language use  Official language. Most Ngoni in Malawi speak the Chewa dialect or Tumbuka [tum].
Language development  Newspapers. Radio programs. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible: 1905.
Writing system  Latin script.
Comments  SVO. Traditional religion, Christian.

Also spoken in:

Mozambique

Language name   Nyanja
Population  599,000 in Mozambique (2006).
Region  Niassa, Zambezia, and Tete provinces. Chewa is in Macanga District, Tete; Ngoni in Sanga and Lago in Niassa, Angonia in Tete; Nsenga in Zumbo in Tete; Nyanja is along Lake Niassa in Niassa and Tete.
Language map  Mozambique, reference number 27
Alternate names  Chinyanja
Dialects  Chewa (Cewa, Chichewa, Cicewa), Ngoni (Cingoni), Nyanja (Cinyanja).
Comments  The Ngoni people in Angonia District of Tete Province in western Mozambique have adopted Nyanja as their first language. Traditional religion, Christian.
 

Zambia

Language name   Nyanja
Population  803,000 in Zambia (Johnstone and Mandryk 2001). 196,640 Chewa, 256,588 Ngoni, 8,032 Kunda (1969 census).
Region  Eastern and Central provinces.
Language map  Zambia, reference number 25
Alternate names  Chinyanja
Dialects  Chewa (Cewa), Peta (Cipeta, Chipeta, Malawi, Maravi, Marave), Chingoni (Ngoni), Manganja (Waganga), Nyasa, Kunda.
Language use  Official language of police and Zambia regiment. Language of education, administration.
Language development  Taught in primary and secondary schools.
Comments  The Kunda dialect is distinct from Kunda [kdn] of Mozambique in the Senga-Sena group.
 

Zimbabwe

Language name   Nyanja
Population  252,000 in Zimbabwe (1969 census).
Alternate names  Chinyanja
 

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

FRANTZ, Donald G., author. 1984. "A level-oriented constraint on agreement control in Chichewa."

WENDLAND, Ernst R., author. 1975. Lexical recycling in Chewa discourse: aspects of linguistic form and function in the surface realization of a narrative organizational model.