Kalanga (TjiKalanga / Ikalanga)

Kalanga is a member of the Shona group of Southern Bantu languages. It is spoken by about 1.55 million Kalanga people in southwestern Zimbabwe and northeastern Botswana.

Kalanga is known asTjiKalanga in Zimbabwe and asIkalanga in Botswana. The Kalanga people call themselvesBakalanga It is an officially recognized language in both countries, and is taught in schools. Dialects include TjiLilima, TjiGwizi, TjiTalaunda, TijNanzwa and Tjindondondo or Tjikalanga Proper. Other dialects are disappearing as their speakers shift to the more widely-spoken ones.

TheTjiLilima dialect is spoken in the south of the Tutume District, and in the Tonota and North-East districts of Botswana, and in the Bulilima and Mangwe districts of Zimbabwe. Speakers of this dialect call themselvesBaLilima orBaWhumbe.

TheTjiGwizi dialect is spoken mainly in the north of the Tutume District, and in the Boteti sub-district of the Central District of Botswana.

TheTjiTalaunda dialect is spoken by the Batalaunda in the villages of Serowe and Mahalapye in the Central District of Botswana, and in the Matobo and Gwanda districts of Zimbabwe.

TheTjiNanzwa dialect is spoken by the BaNanzwa people mainly in the Hwange District of Zimbabwe. The number of speakers of TjiNanzwa is declining and they are adopting other Kalanga dialects.

TheTjindondondo dialect is spoken in the Bulilima and Mangwe districts of the Matabeleland South Province, and in the Tsholotsho District of the Matabeleland North province of Zimbabwe.

Kalanga was first written in the early 20th century using the Latin alphabet.

Kalanga alphabet (Elphabeeti eya Olukalanga)

Download an alphabet chart for Kalanga (Excel)
Details of Kalanga pronunciation provided by Wolfram Siegel (PDF)

Sample text

Laka loyetata mituzi hhuba latjipola, Gaabadzo wakabe eligele pekwe njinga iye ntome kwezila muntuzi wenswin’wa. Wake akalembedza homo yepulastiki panyanga hule akagadzika saka lebgwisa ebva kunokhwisa kutjigayo. Pehhugwi waka akambala baki tjitjena tjaka tjibonakala kuti hayi, makole aba manji.

Source:https://kalanga.org/texts-in-kalanga/mihodzi-yebunwa/

Sample videos in and about Kalanga

Links

Information about Kalanga
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalanga_language
https://kalanga.org/language/
https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/kala1384
https://www.101lasttribes.com/tribes/kalanga.html
https://tgsilundikaculturalcommunitycentre.org/the-history-of-kalanga-people/
http://www.language-archives.org/language/kck

Kalanga Talking Dictionary
https://livingdictionaries.app/kalanga/entries

Bantu languages

Aka,Aushi,Bafaw-Balong,Bangi,Bangubangu,Basaa,Bemba,Bembe,Bena,Benga,Bhaca,Bila,Bube,Budu,Bujeba,Bukusu,Bulu,Bushong,Central Kilimanjaro,Central Teke,Chichewa,Chokwe,Chopi,Chuwabu,Comorian,Dciriku,Digo,Duala,Eton,Ewondo,Fang,Fuliiru,Fwe,Ganda/Luganda,Giryama,Gogo,Gungu,Gusii,Gwere,Gyele,Ha,Haya,Hehe,Herero,Ibinda,Idaxo-Isuxa-Tiriki,Ikizu,Ikoma,Jita,Kabwa,Kako,Kalanga,Kamba,Kanyok,Kgalagadi,Kiga,Kikuyu,Kimbundu,Kinyarwanda,Kirundi,Kisi,Kobo,Kogo,Komo,Kongo,Konjo,Koti,Kuhane,Kukuya,Kunda,Kuria,Kwambi,Kwangali,Kwasio,Lambya,Lega,Lengola,Lingala,Loma,Lomwe,Lozi,Luba-Katanga,Luchazi,Lunda,Luvale,Luyana,Makaa,Makonde,Makhuwa,Mandekan,Maore,Masaaba,Mbama,Mbere,Mbosi,Mbugu,Mbukushu,Mbunda,Mbuun,Mende,Mongo,Mpiemo,Mushungulu,Mwani,Myene,Nambya,Nande,Ndau,Ndonga,Ngoni,Ngwii,Njebi,Nkore,North Teke,Northern Ndebele (South Africa),Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe),Northern Sotho,Nyamwezi,Nyakyusa,Nyemba,Nyole,Nyoro,Nyungwe,Nzadi,Oroko,OshiWambo,Pagibete,Pare,Punu,Rangi,Ronga,Safwa,Seki,Sena,Sengele,Shambala,Shona,Soga,Songe,Southern Ndebele,Southern Sotho,Suba,Sukuma,Swahili,Swati,Taita,Talinga,Tanga,Tembo,Tetela,Tonga,Tongwe,Tooro,Tshiluba,Tsonga,Tswa,Tswana,Tumbuka,Turu,Umbundu,Venda,Vili,Vwanji,Wanzi,West Teke,Xhosa,Yakam,Yansi,Yao,Yasa,Yeyi,Zigula,Zinza,Zulu

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 24.07.25. Last modified: 24.07.25

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