Chokwe language


Chokwe is a Bantu language spoken by the Chokwe people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola and Zambia. It is recognised as a national language of Angola, where half a million people were estimated to have spoken it in 1991; another half a million speakers lived in the Congo in 1990, and some 20,000 in Zambia in 2010. It is used as a lingua franca in eastern Angola.

Writing system

Angola's Instituto de Línguas Nacionais has established spelling rules for Chokwe with a view to facilitate and promote its use.

Phonology

Vowels

Consonants

Affricate sounds /t͡ʃ, d͡ʒ, ⁿd͡ʒ/ may also be pronounced as palatal stops .

Tones

Chokwe has three tones as /v́/, /v̀/, and /v̂/.