Ndau
Language · official in 1 country
Ndau, or chiNdau, is a Shona language of southeastern Zimbabwe and central Mozambique that writes l, q and x, three letters mainstream Shona leaves out. It needs them for a lateral sound and two clicks acquired from neighbouring Nguni languages. The 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe made it an official language.
The language on record
- Own name
- chiNdau
- ISO 639-3
- NDC
- Script
- Latin
- Family
- Shonic Bantu
- Official in
- 1 country
Where Ndau is official
One country: Zimbabwe, where Ndau was named official in 2013. Mozambique, home to many of its speakers, is not on the list.
Official beside Ndau
About Ndau
How far Ndau sits from Standard Shona
Ndau is mutually intelligible with Manyika, Zezuru and Karanga, fairly highly, though some speakers of other Shona varieties find it hard to follow. The Lord's Prayer shows the distance. The Ndau version opens Baba edu ari mudenga, ngariremeredzwe zina renyu; Standard Shona, based mainly on Zezuru, opens Baba vedu vari kudenga, zita renyu ngarikudzwe. The Shona article calls Ndau Eastern Shona and notes that Ndau literacy material has been introduced into primary schools.
Why Ndau spelling has room for clicks
Where Shona writes akatizira, Ndau writes akafohla, using hl for the sound [ɬ]. The letter x marks one click, as in kuxapa, and q another, as in kuqambaya, where Shona says kurara. Mainstream Shona has none of the three letters.
Who put Ndau proverbs into print
C. Kamba Simango, a Vandau ethnographer, supplied the Ndau texts and translations in Natalie Curtis Burlin's Songs and Tales from the Dark Continent, published in 1920. The book has rain ceremony songs, a love song, laments and dance songs with their music. In 1922 Simango and Franz Boas published 20 Ndau fables and 29 proverbs with English translations in the Journal of American Folklore. The first proverb reads Simba lo ngwena lili mumfula, the strength of the crocodile is in the water.
Common questions
Questions about Ndau
Is Ndau a dialect of Shona?
It is often considered one, and its own article calls it a Shona language. Understanding between Ndau and Standard Shona is fairly high but not complete, and Zimbabwe's constitution lists Ndau as an official language in its own right.
Where is Ndau spoken?
In southeastern Zimbabwe and central Mozambique.
What other names does Ndau go by?
Chindau, Ndzawu, Njao and Chidanda, besides chiNdau.