Tonga language (Malawi)
Tonga (native name Chitonga) is a Bantu language spoken mainly in the Nkhata Bay District of Malawi. The number of speakers is estimated to be 170,000 (2001 estimate). According to the Mdawuku wa Atonga (MWATO) (formerly the Nkhata Bay Tonga Heritage) there are also significant numbers of speakers living elsewhere in Malawi and in neighbouring countries.
| Tonga | |
|---|---|
| Malawi Tonga | |
| ChiTonga | |
| Native to | Malawi |
| Ethnicity | Tonga |
Native speakers | 170,000 (2001) |
| Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | tog |
| ISO 639-3 | tog |
| Glottolog | tong1321 |
N.15 | |
The Tonga language of Malawi is described as "similar" to Tumbuka, and Turner's dictionary (1952) lists only those words which differ from the Tumbuka, with the added comment that "the Tonga folk, being rapid speakers, slur or elide the final syllable of many words, e.g. kulira becomes kuliya, kukura becomes kukuwa, kutola becomes kuto’." Tonga (Nyasa), i.e. Malawian Tonga, is grouped in the Glottolog classification along with Tumbuka in a single group.
Malawian Tonga is classified by Guthrie as being in Zone N15, whereas the Zambian Tonga is classified as Zone M64 and can thus be considered a different language.