Ndonga
In the world of Ndonga, there are endless aspects that deserve to be explored and analyzed carefully. From its origins to its relevance today, Ndonga has been the subject of fascination and debate. In this article you will embark on a journey through the different aspects that make up Ndonga, from its sociocultural implications to its impact on everyday life. Through reflection and deep analysis, you will discover the complexity and importance of Ndonga in the modern world. Get ready to expand your horizons and immerse yourself in a universe of knowledge and discovery!
| Ndonga | |
|---|---|
| ndonga | |
| Native to | Namibia and southern Angola |
| Region | Ovamboland |
Native speakers | 810,000 (2006)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | ng |
| ISO 639-2 | ndo |
| ISO 639-3 | ndo |
| Glottolog | ndon1254 |
R.22[2] | |
| Linguasphere | 99-AUR-lc |
Ndonga, also called Oshindonga, is a Bantu dialect spoken in Namibia and parts of Angola. It is a standardized dialect of the Ovambo language, and is mutually intelligible with Kwanyama, the other Ovambo dialect with a standard written form. With 810,000 speakers, the language has the largest number of speakers in Namibia.
Martti Rautanen translated the Bible into the Ndonga dialect. Beginning his work in 1885, he published the New Testament in 1903, but it took until 1920 to finish the Old Testament. His Bible translation became the basis of a standardized form of Ndonga.[3]
Phonology
 |
Vowels
Oshindonga uses a five-vowel system:
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u |
| Mid | e | o |
| Open | a | |
Consonants
Oshindonga contains the following consonant phonemes:
| Labial | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | voiceless | m̥ | n̥ | ŋ̊ | |||
| voiced | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |||
| Plosive | voiceless | p | t | k | ʔ | ||
| voiced | b | d | g | ||||
| affricate | ts | ||||||
| Fricative | voiceless | f | θ | s | ʃ | x | h |
| voiced | v | ð | z | ʒ | ɣ | ||
| Approximant | central | w | j | ||||
| lateral | l | ||||||
Prenasalized sounds are listed below:
- , , , , , , , , , , ,
Oshindonga also contains many other consonant compounds, listed below:
- , , , , , , , , , , (voiceless, ejective, alveolar affricate), (voiceless, palatalized, labio-alveolar affricate)
Tones
Oshidonga has two tones: high and low.
References
- ^ Ndonga at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
- ^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
- ^ "Namiweb.com". Namibweb.com. Archived from the original on 2013-02-13. Retrieved 2013-03-16.
- Fivaz, Derek (2003). A Reference Grammar of Oshindonga (2 ed.). Windhoek: Out of Africa Publishers.
External links
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