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Ndau (also called chiNdau, Chindau, Ndzawu, Njao, Chidanda) is a Bantu language spoken by 1,400,000 people.

Ndau is a Shona language and it is mutually intelligible with other Shona languages such as Manyika, Zezuru and Karanga.The 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe accorded Ndau status as an official language.

It is a National language of Zimbabwe.

Sample text

The mutual intelligibility of Ndau with other Shona varieties is fairly high, but some speakers of other Shona varieties may find it difficult to understand. Differences and similarities can be measured by examining a Ndau version of Lord's Prayer:

Baba edu ari mudenga, ngariremeredzwe zina renyu. UMambo hwenyu ngahuuye. Kuda kwenyu ngakuitwa munyika kudai ngomudenga. Tipei nege kurya kwedu kwatinotama nyamashi. Tirekererei ndaa dzedu kudai tisu takarekerera avo vane ndaa kwetiri. Usatipinza mukuedzwa, asi tinunure kuno uwo wakashata.

The equivalent paragraph in Standard Shona (mainly based on Zezuru) is:

Baba vedu vari kudenga, zita renyu ngarikudzwe. UMambo hwenyu ngahwuuye. Kuda kwenyu ngakuitwe pasi sokudenga. Tipei nhasi kudya kwedu kwakwezuva. Tiregererei zvatinokutadzirai sekuregerera kwatinoita vakatitadzira. Musatipinze mukuedzwa, asi mutinunure mune zvakaipa.

Phonology

Consonants

• Other labialized sounds are labialized-whistled sounds as /sᶲʷ, zᵝʷ/.
• Other palatalized sounds are labialized-palatalized ones as /tʲʷ, rʲʷ/.
• Other affricate sounds are /p͡sᶲ, b͡zᵝ/.
• /h, hʷ/ may also range to voiced within dialectal areas.
• /β̞, β̞ʷ/ may also range to labio-dental in free variation.
• The velar implosive /ɠ/ only appears in a few words.
• /r/ when occurring before vowels /i, e/, can be heard as a lateral flap .
• Sibilant sounds /d͡z, s/ may have aspirated allophones as .
• Prenasal aspirated sounds /ᵐpʰ, ⁿtʰ, ᵑkʰ/ can have allophones as prenasal-devoiced plosives .

Vowels

Alphabet

While the mainstream Shona language excludes L, Q and X from its alphabet, Ndau orthography uses them as shown by the examples below:

1. Mainstream Shona "Akatizira and the Ndau version Akafohla: 'L' is used in the digraph hl for the sound [ɬ].
2. Mainstream Shona "kuridza tsamwa and the Ndau version kuxapa: 'X' is used for the click consonant [ᵏǁ].
3. Mainstream Shona "Kurara and the Ndau version Kuqambaya: 'Q' is used for the click consonant [ᵏǃ].

These sounds have been acquired from neighboring Nguni languages.

Proverbs, fables, and songs

In 1922, C. Kamba Simango, a Vandau ethnographer, working together with Franz Boas, published a collection of 20 Ndau fables and 29 Ndau proverbs, accompanied by an English translation, in the Journal of American Folklore. The following are some of the proverbs:

• "Simba lo ngwena lili mumfula." ("The strength of the crocodile is in the water.") (#1)
• "Chipanga achizivi vatendji." ("The knife does not know its owner; i.e. it cuts everyone, even its owner.") (#8)
• "Hove djinotevela mulambo wadjo." ("Fish follow their river; i.e. people will support their own family or tribe.") (#24)
• "Manthede a·novengana pakurga, napamfumfu anobesana." ("Baboons quarrel over food, but in danger help one another.") (#28)

Simango also provided the Ndau texts and translations that appear in Songs and Tales from the Dark Continent by Natalie Curtis Burlin, published in 1920. The book contains 6 proverbs in Ndau and English with commentary along with songs that include the Ndau lyrics, English translation, plus a transcription of the music. There are ritual songs, including Mate'ka, "Song of the Rain Ceremony;" Manthi'ki, "Spirit Song;" Lum'bo Lgo Lu'do, "Love-Song;" and Mafu've, "Dance of Girls," along with a selection of "Children's Songs," "Laboring Songs," and "Dance Songs," plus Kufa'mba, a mocking song and Chili'lo, a lament. There are also 2 songs in Ndau and in English included in the folktale, "How the Animals Dug Their Well," plus a song that is part of the "Legend of the Daughter and the Slave" and a song that is part of the "Legend of the Sky-Maiden." In an appendix, there is an interlinear word-for-word rendering of the Ndau proverbs and song lyrics into English.

References

1. Ndau at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
3. "Constitution of Zimbabwe (final draft)" (PDF). Government of Zimbabwe. January 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 October 2013 – via Kubatana.net.
4. Mkanganwi, Kumbirai G. (1972). An outline of the morphology of substantives in Ndau, with a preliminary note on Ndau phonology.
5. Borland, Colin H. (1970). Eastern Shona: a comparative dialect study. University of Cape Town.
6. Sithole, Emmanuel (2017). From dialect to 'official' language: towards the intellectualisation of Ndau in Zimbabwe. Rhodes University.
7. Boas, Franz; Simango, C. Kamba (1922). "Tales and Proverbs of the Vandau of Portuguese South Africa." Journal of American Folklore. 35 (136): 151-204.
8. Burlin, Natalie Curtis; Simango, C. Kamba; Čele, Madikane (1920). Songs and Tales from the Dark Continent.
9. Burlin 1920, p. 14.
10. Burlin 1920, pp. 81-129.
11. Burlin 1920, pp. 20-23.
12. Burlin 1920, pp. 24-28.
13. Burlin 1920, pp. 28-29.
14. Burlin 1920, pp. 29-30.
15. Burlin 1920, pp. 30-31.
16. Burlin 1920, pp. 32-35.
17. Burlin 1920, pp. 35-39.
18. Burlin 1920, pp. 39-40.
19. Burlin 1920, pp. 41-43.
20. Burlin 1920, pp. 45-47.
21. Burlin 1920, pp. 49-51.
22. Burlin 1920, pp. 51-53.
23. Burlin 1920, pp. 153-164.

• Shona languages
• Click languages