Tongwe
A language of Tanzania
| Population | 13,000 (2001). Ethnic population: 31,551 (2000). |
| Region | Kigoma District, Kigoma region, Lake Tanganyika east shore, between Ilagala village north, and Kashagulu south; Kigoma and Rukwa regions boundary, east; Lake Tanganyika west shore; Small groups (20%- 30% of the population) in Uvinza and Nguruka villages. |
| Language map |
Tanzania, reference number 26 |
| Alternate names | Kitongwe, Sitongwe |
| Dialects | Lexical similarity: 83%–91% with Bende [bdp] (with different varieties). |
| Classification | Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantoid, Southern, Narrow Bantu, Central, F, Tongwe (F.10) |
| Language use | In the mountains, vigorous all ages, in Kalya and Kashagulu some Swahili [swh], in other areas speakers are over 40. Home, and with the Bende. Mainly older adults. Attitude testing indicates high prestige. Some also use Swahili. |
| Language development | Dictionary. |
| Comments | Fishermen; agriculturalists: maize, cassava, rice (close to lake shore), millet, peanuts, sweet potatoes. Traditional religion, Muslim. |
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