Chishona
/tʃɪˈʃoʊnə/noun
Chishona is the Bantu language group spoken chiefly by the Shona peoples of Zimbabwe and neighboring regions.
Did you know?The prefix chi- is part of a widespread Bantu grammatical pattern used in names for languages, so Chishona literally identifies speech as belonging to the Shona people.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Bantu
Proto-Bantu
*ki-
“A noun-class prefix associated with languages, cultural objects, or related categories; the exact reconstructed form is conventionally written with an asterisk.”
Early Bantu
Bantu
ki-/chi-
“A developing Bantu prefix used in language names and words for culturally classified things.”
Precolonial period
Shona varieties
chiShona
“A native compound meaning the Shona language; orthography and pronunciation varied among communities.”
19th Century
English records
Shona
“An English rendering of the name for the Shona peoples and their related language varieties.”
20th Century
English
Chishona
“A standardized or Anglicized spelling used for the Shona language group, especially in linguistic and educational contexts.”
Modern English
English
Chishona
“The established name for the Shona language group, including major varieties such as Zezuru, Karanga, and Manyika.”
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