In Bantu languages, nouns are divided into classes, which are particular categories. So, we get the word Bantu, which means ‘human beings’ or ‘people’. The plural prefix for nouns related to humans that begin with mu- in most languages is ba-, as mentioned above. In many Bantu languages, muntu or mutu means ‘human being’ or ‘person’. (For example, in English, if we add the prefix im- to possible, we get the word impossible.)Īn example of a word using an affix is the word Bantu itself. An affix is a set of letters generally added to the beginning or end of a base word to change its meaning. Affixesīantu languages tend to heavily rely on the use of affixes. What do Bantu languages have in common?ĭue to their common ancestor, there are some specific features that most, if not all, Bantu languages have in common. This led to the development of the different Bantu languages that are spoken today. They took their knowledge of agriculture with them and settled in different places. Linguists believe this was spoken in what is now Cameroon, in Central Africa.Īround 2,500 – 3,000 years ago, it is believed that speakers of this Proto-Bantu language began to migrate eastward and southward. The Bantu languages spoken today descended from a common Proto-Bantu language. In contemporary decolonial South African linguistics, the term Ntu languages is often used. Usually, the language prefix ki- would be used, making the term KiNtu, but there is some controversy around this term and it is not often used in modern linguistics. This is because the prefix ba- specifically refers to people. Around one-sixth of Bantu speakers and one-third of all Bantu languages are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo alone.Īs well as being called Bantu languages, they can be referred to as Ntu languages. In the mid-2010s, the estimate was around 350 million people, which was around 30% of the population of the African continent and 5% of the overall global population. Hundreds of millions of people speak Bantu languages. There are estimated to be between 440-680 distinct languages, but this can depend on the definition of a language versus a dialect for the people who are doing the counting. The total number of languages in this family ranges in the hundreds.
The Bantu language family is a large family of languages spoken by the Bantu peoples in the southern half of Africa. What are some widely spoken Bantu languages?.What do Bantu languages have in common?.Absorbing a language couldn't be easier and uTalk Rhythms has over 120 different languages to choose from. Rhythms can be used anytime, anywhere: listen in the car or on the train, walking the dog, doing housework or exercising at the gym. You'll hear everything spoken by both a male and a female native speaker and there will be plenty of opportunity for you to test how well you're doing with the review stages built in at key points in each track.
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It covers absolute essentials such as how to greet people, basic directions, getting around, food and drink. If you just want a few simple words and phrases before going abroad, Rhythms is all you need. It will give you an easy road into starting to learn a completely new language. Simple words and phrases are set to a varied pattern of rhythms and music designed to help you learn and to keep you engaged so that you won't just switch off after five minutes. Summary: It's naturally easier to learn something when it's set to rhythmic music, so that is exactly what we've done.
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