Kamba language

Kamba/ˈkæmbə/, or Kikamba, is a Bantu language spoken by millions of Kamba people, primarily in Kenya, as well as thousands of people in Uganda, Tanzania, and elsewhere. In Kenya, Kamba is generally spoken in four counties: Machakos, Kitui, Makueni, and Kwale. The Machakos dialect is considered the standard variety and has been used in translation. The other major dialect is Kitui.

For other uses, see Kamba language (disambiguation).
Kamba
Kikamba
Native toKenya, Tanzania
RegionMachakos, Kitui, Makueni, and Shimba Hills
EthnicityAkamba
Native speakers
4.6 million (2019 census)
600,000 L2 speakers
Dialects
  • Masaku
  • Mumoni
  • North Kitui
  • South Kitui
Language codes
ISO 639-2kam
ISO 639-3Either:
kam – Kamba
dhs – Dhaiso (Thaisu)
Glottologkamb1297
E.55–56
ELPDhaiso

Kamba has lexical similarities to other Bantu languages such as Kikuyu, Meru, and Embu.

The Swedish National Museums of World Culture holds field recordings of kamba language made by Swedish ethnographer Gerhard Lindblom in 1911–12. Lindblom used phonograph cylinders to record songs along with other means of documentation in writing and photography. He also gathered objects, and later presented his work in The Akamba in British East Africa (1916).

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