Shona

Shona is a native language of Zimbabwe. It is an official language of Zimbabwe (together with Ndebele and English), and spoken by more than 80% of Zimbabwe's population. Shona is also spoken by a substantial part of Mozambique. Other countries that host Shona language speakers are Zambia and Botswana.

History

\nThe archaeological ruins known as "Great Zimbabwe" have been radiocarbon dated to approximately 600 A.D. It is believed that the ancestors of modern day Shona built Great Zimbabwe and hundreds of other stone walled sites in Zimbabwe. It was not until the late 19th century that the peoples speaking several mutually intelligible languages were united under the Shona name. There are five main language clusters: Korekore, Zeseru, Manyika, Ndau, and Karanga. The last of these groups was largely absorbed by the Ndebele when they moved into western Zimbabwe in the 1830s. Shona are linguistically related to the central Bantu and most likely moved into present day Zimbabwe during the great Bantu expansion.

External Links

\n*Shona - English Dictionary Category:Zimbabwe\n