Nyiha, Tanzania

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A language of Tanzania

ISO 639-3
nih
Alternate Names
Isinyixa, Kinyiha, Nyiha, Nyika, Nyixa
Autonym
Ishinyiha, Shinyiha
Population

276,000 in Tanzania (Mradi wa Lugha za Tanzania 2009), increasing. Total users in all countries: 632,000.

Location

Mbeya region: Mbozi district, Lake Rukwa south and west.

Language Maps
Language Status

5 (Developing).

Classification
Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantoid, Southern, Narrow Bantu, Central, M, Nyiha-Safwa (M.23)
Dialects

Mbozi, Sumbawanga. Reportedly similar to Lambya [lai]. Lexical similarity: 67% with Nyika, Tanzania [nkt]; 74% with Malila [mgq]; 71% with Safwa [sbk] (Roth 2011).

Typology

SVO; prepositions; noun head initial; noun classes; verbal affixation for subject, object, tense, aspect, mood and derivation; 34 consonant phonemes; 10 vowel phonemes; tonal.

Language Use

Most domains except education, government. Used by all. Positive attitudes.

Language Development
SIL has transition literacy work (Swahili to Nyiha). Literature. Grammar. Texts. NT: 1913–1966.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Nyiha, Tanzania
Writing

Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

Different from Nyika [nyf] (Kigiryama) of Kenya. Christian.

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