Luvale language
Bantu language of Angola and Zambia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Luvale (also spelt Chiluvale, Lovale, Lubale, Luena, Lwena) is a Bantu language spoken by the Lovale people of Angola and Zambia.
Is is the native language of 180 thousand people in Angola (as of 2024), mostly in the Moxico Leste Province, where a third of the population speaks it as a native language.[3] It is recognized as a regional language for educational and administrative purposes in Zambia, where about 168,000 people speak it (as of 2006). Luvale uses a modified form of the Latin alphabet in its written form.[4]
Luvale is closely related to Chokwe.
Vocabulary
It contains many loanwords from Portuguese from colonial contact during 20th century,[5] such as:
| Luvale | Portuguese | English |
|---|---|---|
| xikata | escada | ladder |
| xikitelu | mosquitero | mosquito net |
| ngatwe | gato | cat |
| mbalili | barril | powder keg (lit. barrel) |
| kaluwaxa | carro | bicycle |
| semana | semana | week |
Most verbs begin with "ku" in the infinitive form. In a modern dictionary, verbs are listed without the "ku" prefix, unlike in older dictionaries.
| Verb | Without Prefix | English infinitive |
|---|---|---|
| kutonga | tonga | to sew |
| kwimba | imba | to sing |
| kwehuka | ehuka | to step aside |
Phonology
Consonants
Consonants may also occur as labialized [ʷ] or palatalized [ʲ].
