Linguistics in the Corridor: A Review of Research on the Bantu Languages of South-West Tanzania, North-East Zambia, and North Malawi
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Date
2001
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Abstract
Eastern Bantu languages spoken in the 'Corridor' between Lakes Nyasa and Tanganyika include Pimbwe, Rungwa, Fipa, Rungu, Mambwe, Wanda, Nyamwanga, Lambya, Malila, Nyiha, Safwa, Nyakyusa, Ndali and Wungu. There is a widely agreed division of Corridor languages into three basic groups: Mwika (western Corridor), Nyika (central Corridor) and Nyakyusa-Ndali (East Corridor). Wungu appears to be an isolate and its classification remains controversial. As an ethnographic and linguistic area, the Corridor straddles the border region of three different countries and includes large parts of southwest Tanzania, northeast Zambia, and the north of Malawi. Several languages are spoken across international borders and found in either all three or two of these countries. Even the better-known languages of the Corridor remain inadequately described. Lack of cooperation among researchers in different countries compounds the problem because sometimes the same variety has different names and researchers in different countries adopt different approaches in studying the same language
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Language classification, Bantu languages
Citation
Swilla, I.N. and Walsh, M.T., 2001. Linguistics in the Corridor: a review of research on the Bantu languages of south-west Tanzania, north-east Zambia, and north Malawi. Journal of Asian and African Studies, (61), pp.275-302.