- Source: Luchazi
Luchazi (Lucazi, Chiluchazi) is a Bantu language of Angola and Zambia. Luchazi is the principal language of the Ngangela Group. Ngangela is a term coined by the Vimbundu traders and missionaries in 18th century to describe the tribes occupying the area of eastern-central Angola.
Phonology
= Consonants
=The following table displays all the consonants in Luchazi:
^1 Occur rarely, may only exist in loanwords.
The position of the speech-organs in producing the consonants is different from the positions taken in producing the similar sounds in European languages. T and D, for example, are lower than in English but higher than in Portuguese. L is flatter-tongued than in either English or Portuguese. The language contains many consonantal glides, including the prenasalized plosives and the voiceless alveolar sibilant affricate (the ts sound).
= Vowels
=The close front vowel (i), when occurring before another vowel, becomes a semi-consonant and is written y, unless it is immediately preceded by a consonant, when it remains i. Examples: yange, viange.
The vowels have the Continental or Italian values. They are shorter when unstressed and are prolonged when doubled or when stressed at the end of a word.
The vowel a is Long when accented, as a in tata, nana.
Short when unstressed or before two consonants or y or s and in monosyllabic adverbs, as a in tata, paya, asa, hanga. Prolonged when doubled or stressed at the end of a word or syllable. Example: ku laako.
The vowel e is Long when accented, as a in heta, seza.
Short when unstressed, as a in hete, seze.
Short with the value of e in henga, lenda before two consonants. Exceptions are hembo and membo (due to coalescence of vowels). Many words derived from Portuguese have the short vowel though not followed by two consonants. Examples: pena, papelo, luneta, ngehena, etc. Prolonged when stressed at the end of a word.
The vowel i is Long when accented, as e in tina, sika.
Short when unstressed or before two consonants, as e in citi, linga. In monosyllabics it is short, as i in it. Examples: ni, ndi. Prolonged when stressed. Examples: ti, fui.
The vowel o is Long when accented, as o in sota, koka.
Short when unstressed, as o in soko, loto.
Short, with value of o in onga, yoya, kosa, luozi, ndo, before two consonants or y or s, and sometimes before z and in some monosyllables. The o is long in zoza and ngozi. Sometimes prolonged when stressed at the end of a word. Example: to.
The vowel u is Long when accented, as u in tuta, fula.
Short, when unstressed or before two consonants or before s, as u in futuka, mbunga, kusa.
Orthography
Luchazi is written using the Latin alphabet, with most characters representing the same sound as in English, with some exceptions. c is pronounced like ch in church, n followed by k or g is always nasal like ng in ring, the sound of v is bilabial instead of labiodental.
= Alphabet
=A - [a/aː]
B - [β]
C/Ch - [t͡ʃ/t͡ʃʰ]
D - [d/d̪/ð]
E - [ɛ/e/ɛː]
F - [f]
G - [g]
H - [h/x]
I - [i/iː]
J - [d͡ʒ]
K - [k]
L - [l/ɭ]
M - [m]
N - [n]
Ny - [ɲ]
O - [ɔ/ɔː]
P - [p]
R - [ɹ]
S - [s]
Sh - [ʃ]
T - [t/t̪/θ], [tʲ~t͡s] before [i]
U - [u/uː]
W - [w]
Y - [j]
Z - [z]
D, G, J, R, and Sh only exist in loanwords.
= Other letters
=ai - [aɪ̯]
au - [aʊ̯]
ei - [eɪ̯]
ia - [i̯a]
ie - [i̯e]
io - [i̯o]
iu - [i̯u]
kh - [kʰ]
mb - [mb]
mph - [mpʰ]
nch - [ɲt͡ʃʰ]
nd - [ⁿd]
ng - [ŋg/ŋ]
nj - [ɲd͡ʒ]
nk - [ŋkʰ]
nt - [ⁿtʰ]
ph - [pʰ]
th - [tʰ]
ua - [u̯a]
ue - [u̯e]
ui - [u̯i]
uo - [u̯o]