Shona
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Shona is a Bantu language spoken primarily in Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It matters because it is the primary language of millions of people in the region and represents an important part of southern African linguistic and cultural heritage.
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Shona (/ˈʃoʊnə/ SHOH-nə; endonym: chiShona [tʃiʃona]) is a Bantu language spoken by the Shona people of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The term is variously used to collectively describe all the Central Shonic varieties (comprising Zezuru, Manyika, Korekore and Karanga or Ndau) or specifically Standard Shona, a variety codified in the mid-20th century. By the broader definition, the language is spoken by over 14 million people.
The larger group of historically related languages—called Shona or Shonic languages by linguists—also includes Ndau (Eastern Shona) and Kalanga (Western Shona). In Guthrie's classification of Bantu languages, zone S.10 designates the Shonic group.
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Africa articles needing expert attentionISO language articles citing sources other than EthnologueLanguage articles citing Ethnologue 28Language articles with Linguasphere codeLanguages articles needing expert attentionLanguages of BotswanaLanguages of MozambiqueLanguages of South AfricaLanguages of ZambiaLanguages of ZimbabweLanguages with ISO 639-1 code