Bantu languages
Bantu Languages
The Bantu languages (== Template:IPA ==
The Template:IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a system of phonetic notation based primarily on the Latin alphabet. It was devised by the International Phonetic Association in the late 19th century as a standardized representation of the sounds of spoken language.
Pronunciation
The pronunciation of the term "IPA" is /aɪ piː eɪ/ in English.
Etymology
The term "IPA" is an acronym for the International Phonetic Alphabet. The International Phonetic Association, founded in 1886, created the IPA to provide a single, universal system for the transcription of spoken language.
Related Terms
- Phonetic notation: A system used to visually represent the sounds of speech. The IPA is one type of phonetic notation.
- Phonetics: The study of the physical sounds of human speech. It is concerned with the physical properties of speech sounds (phonemes), and the processes of their physiological production, auditory reception, and neurophysiological perception.
- Phonology: The study of the way sounds function within a particular language or languages. While phonetics concerns the physical production, acoustic transmission and perception of the sounds of speech, phonology describes the way sounds function within a particular language or languages.
- Transcription (linguistics): The systematic representation of spoken language in written form. The source of the words transcribe and transcription, the term means "to write across" in Latin, and it's the process of converting spoken language into written form. In linguistics, this is often done using the IPA.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Bantu languages
- Wikipedia's article - Bantu languages
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Languages: - East Asian
中文,
日本,
한국어,
South Asian
हिन्दी,
Urdu,
বাংলা,
తెలుగు,
தமிழ்,
ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian
Indonesian,
Vietnamese,
Thai,
မြန်မာဘာသာ,
European
español,
Deutsch,
français,
русский,
português do Brasil,
Italian,
polski) are a large family of languages spoken by the Bantu peoples throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.
Etymology
The term "Bantu" comes from the word for "people" or "humans" in many Bantu languages. It was first used by Wilhelm Bleek (1827–1875), a German linguist and anthropologist, as he sought to classify African languages.
Classification
The Bantu languages are a branch of the larger Niger-Congo language family, which includes around 250 languages and dialects. Each language is unique, but they share certain characteristics, such as the use of tones and a similar grammatical structure.
Geographic Distribution
Bantu languages are spoken in a region stretching from Central Africa across the African Great Lakes to Southern Africa. This includes countries such as South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Notable Languages
Some of the most widely spoken Bantu languages include Swahili, Zulu, Xhosa, and Shona. Swahili, in particular, is used as a lingua franca in much of East Africa.
Phonology
Bantu languages are tonal and use pitch to distinguish meaning. They also have a complex system of noun classes, similar to gender in languages like French or German.
Related Terms
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