Makonde language

Makonde
Chi(ni)makonde
Native to	Tanzania, Mozambique, Malawi, Kenya
Ethnicity	Makonde, Ndonde Hamba
Native speakers	(2.1 million cited 1987–2016)
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Volta-Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Southern Bantoid Bantu Rufiji–Ruvuma Ruvuma Makonde languages Makonde
Dialects	? Matembwe–Machinga Mabiha Ndonde Hamba (Mawanda)
Writing system	Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3	Variously: kde – Makonde mvw – Machinga njd – Ndonde Hamba wtb – Matambwe
Glottolog	mako1251  Makonde mach1265  Machinga mata1313  Matambwe
Guthrie code	P.23,24,25
ELP

Person	Mmakonde
People	Wamakonde
Language	Kimakonde
Country	Umakonde

Makonde, or Kimakonde, is the language spoken by the Makonde, an ethnic group in southeast Tanzania and northern Mozambique. Makonde is a central Bantu language closely related to Yao. The Matambwe (Matembwe) and Mabiha (Maviha) dialects are divergent, and may not be Makonde.

A mosquito-borne viral fever first identified on the Makonde Plateau is named Chikungunya, which is derived from the Makonde root verb kungunyala (meaning "that which bends up", "to become contorted," or "to walk bent over"). The derivation of the term is generally falsely attributed to Swahili.

Phonology

The following are the consonants and vowels of the Makonde language:

Vowels

	Front	Back
High	i	u
Mid	e	o
Low	a

There also tends to be a rising final vowel sound /vv́/ within vowel combinations.

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Plosive	voiceless	p	t		k
	voiced	b	d		ɡ
	prenasal	ᵐb	ⁿd	ᶮɟ	ᵑɡ
Affricate				tʃ
Fricative			s			h
Nasal		m	n	ɲ	ŋ
Lateral			l
Approximant		ʋ		j	w