Tonga language (Mozambique)

Bantu language spoken in Mozambique

Tonga
Tonga-Inhambane
Gitonga
Native to	Mozambique
Native speakers	330,000 (2017)^[1]
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Bantu Southern Bantu Tonga
Language codes
ISO 639-3	`toh`
Glottolog	`gito1238`
Guthrie code	`S.62`^[2]

The Tonga language of Mozambique, or Gitonga (spelled Guitonga in Portuguese) is a Bantu language spoken along the southern coast of the country. Often thought to be closest to Chopi to its south, the two languages have only a 44% lexical similarity.

References

^ Tonga at Ethnologue (26th ed., 2023)
^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online

External links

Christian hymns, together with some of the Psalms of David in the language of the Ba Tonga, as spoken in the district of Inhambane, east Africa (1901)
Ruthe. Samuele: Ruth, and I. Samuel, chapters I to IV, in the Gitonga language (1902)
Itestamente lipya nya pfumu yatu Jesu Kristu: kanga ku lobidwego ki gitonga (1905)

Narrow Bantu languages (Zones N–S) (by Guthrie classification)

Zone N

N10	N11 Manda N12 Ngoni N13 Matengo N14 Mpoto N15 Tonga [N101 Ndendeule N102 Nindi N121 Ngoni of Malawi
N20	N21 Tumbuka [N201 Mwera of Mbamba Bay
N30	N31a Nyanja N31b Cewa N31c Manganja
N40	N41 Nsenga N42 Kunda N43 Nyungwe N44 Sena N45[44] Rue N46[44] Podzo [N441 Sena-Malawi

Zone P

P10	P11 Ndengereko P12 Ruihi P13 Matumbi P14 Ngindo P15 Mbunga
P20	P21 Yao P22 Mwera P23 Makonde P24 Ndonde P25 Mabiha
P30	P31 Makua P32 Lomwe P33 Ngulu P34 Cuabo [P311 Koti P312 Sakati P331 Lomwe of Malawi P341 Moniga

Zone R

R10	R11 Umbundu R12 Ndombe R13 Nyaneka R14 Khumbi [R101 Kuvale R102 Kwisi R103 Mbali
R20	R21 Kwanyama R22 Ndonga R23 Kwambi R24 Ngandyera [R211 Kafima R212 Evale R213 Mbandja R214 Mbalanhu R215 Ndongwena R216 Kwankwa R217 Dombondola R218 Esinga R241 Kwaluudhi R242 Kolonkadhi-Eunda
R30	R31 Herero [R311 North-West Herero R312 Botswana Herero
R40	R41 Yei

Zone S

S10	S11 Korekore S12 Zezuru S13a Manyika S13b Tebe S14 Karanga S15 Ndau S16 Kalanga
S20	S21 Venda
S30	S31a Tswana S31b Kgatla S31c Ngwatu S31d[311] Khalaxadi S32a Pedi S32b Lobedu S33 Sotho [S301 Phalaborwa S302 Kutswe S303 Pai S304 Pulana
S40	S41 Xhosa S42 Zulu S43 Swati S44 (Northern) Ndebele [S401 Old Mfengu S402 Bhaca S403 Hlubi S404 Phuthi S405 Nhlangwini S406 Lala S407 South Ndebele S408 Sumayela Ndebele
S50	S51 Tswa S52[53] Gwamba S53 Tsonga S54 Ronga [S511 Hlengwe
S60	S61 Copi S62 Tonga [S611 Lenge

Italics indicate extinct languages.
Languages between parentheses are varieties of the language on their left.

The Guthrie classification is geographic and its groupings do not imply a relationship between the languages within them.

Narrow Bantu languages by Guthrie classification zone templates: Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones A–B); Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones C–D); Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones E–H); Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones J–M); Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones N–S)