Barwe
Language · official in 1 country
Barwe, written Chibarwe in Zimbabwe's constitution, is a divergent dialect of Sena, the Bantu language of the Zambezi valley in central Mozambique. It also goes by Rue and Cibalke. Sena belongs to the Nyasa languages, and Barwe is the one form of it with official recognition in Zimbabwe, where its speakers are few.
The language on record
- Own name
- Barwe
- ISO 639-3
- SEH
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Bantu
- Official in
- 1 country
Where Barwe is official
Zimbabwe alone. Its 2013 constitution lists Chibarwe; Mozambique, where Sena is chiefly spoken, has no entry here.
Official beside Barwe
About Barwe
Why this page describes Sena
No separate source covers Barwe, so the facts here come from the article on Sena, the language it belongs to. That article names Barwe, also called Rue or Cibalke, as one of two divergent Sena dialects. The other is Podzo. It adds that the Sena of Malawi may be a distinct language.
Where Sena speakers live
Sena is spoken in four provinces of central Mozambique along the Zambezi valley: Tete, Sofala, Zambezia and Manica. There were an estimated 900,000 native speakers in Mozambique in 1997, and at least 1.5 million counting those who speak it as a second language. The Languages of Zimbabwe article places Chibarwe mainly in Malawi and Mozambique, with a small number of speakers inside Zimbabwe.
How Chibarwe entered Zimbabwean law
Zimbabwe's 2013 Constitution names Chibarwe among the country's official languages, and the same text requires the state to promote each of them equally, in schools and in government. Before it, the official languages had been English, Shona and Ndebele.
Common questions
Questions about Barwe
Is Barwe a language or a dialect?
The Sena article treats it as a dialect of Sena, one of two that diverge from the rest. Zimbabwe's constitution lists it on its own, as Chibarwe.
Where do most Sena speakers live?
In central Mozambique, in the provinces of Tete, Sofala, Zambezia and Manica. Speakers in Zimbabwe are a small number.