Oshindonga
/oʃiˈndɔŋɡa/noun
Oshindonga is a Bantu language of Namibia and one of the principal varieties of the Oshiwambo language group.
Did you know?Oshindonga belongs to the wider Oshiwambo group, whose languages are spoken across northern Namibia and southern Angola, where language and ethnic identity are closely intertwined.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Bantu period
Proto-Bantu
*o- / *ki- noun-class system
“Bantu languages developed noun-class prefixes that classify beings, objects, and abstract concepts; the precise prehistoric source of Oshindonga’s oshi- form is reconstructed comparatively.”
Precolonial period
Bantu languages
Ndonga
“Ndonga referred to a major Ovambo-speaking community and its regional variety in the area now associated especially with central and northern Namibia.”
19th Century
Oshindonga
oshi-Ndonga
“The form combined the language-related prefix oshi- with Ndonga, producing the sense “the Ndonga language.””
19th–20th Century
German / English usage
Oshindonga
“European missionaries and administrators increasingly used the name in written descriptions, translations, and educational materials.”
Modern English
English
Oshindonga
“The established name for the standardized Ndonga variety and a major written language of Namibia.”
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