View source for Lozi language

{{Short description|Bantu language spoken in southern Africa}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2018}}

{{refimprove|date=February 2018}}

{{Infobox language
| name             = Lozi
| nativename       = Silozi
| states           = [[Botswana]] • [[Namibia]] • [[Zambia]]
| region           = [[Barotseland|Western Zambia]] • [[Zambezi Region]]
| speakers         = 725,000
| date             = 1982–2010 [[census]]es
| ref              = e18
| familycolor      = Niger-Congo
| fam2             = [[Atlantic–Congo languages|Atlantic–Congo]]
| fam3             = [[Volta-Congo]]
| fam4             = [[Benue–Congo languages|Benue–Congo]]
| fam5             = [[Bantoid]]
| fam6             = [[Southern Bantoid languages|Southern Bantoid]]
| fam7             = [[Bantu languages|Bantu]]
| fam8             = [[Southern Bantu languages|Southern Bantu]]
| fam9             = [[Sotho–Tswana languages|Sotho–Tswana]]
| minority         = {{NAM}}<br>{{ZAM}}
| script           = [[Latin script|Latin]] (Lozi alphabet)<br/>[[Zambian Braille]]<br>[[Ditema tsa Dinoko]]
| iso2             = loz
| iso3             = loz
| glotto           = lozi1239
| glottorefname    = Lozi
| lingua           = 99-AUT-ef
| guthrie          = K.20 (K.21)
| altname          = Rozi
}}
{{Infobox Bantu name|Mulozi|Balozi|Silozi|Bulozi|root=Lozi}}

[[File:WIKITONGUES- Winnie speaking siLozi.webm|thumb|A Lozi speaker, recorded in [[Namibia]].]]

'''Lozi''', also known as '''Silozi''' and '''Rozi''', is a [[Bantu language]] of the [[Niger–Congo languages|Niger–Congo language family]] within the [[Sotho–Tswana languages|Sotho–Tswana branch]] of [[Guthrie classification of Bantu languages#Zone S|Zone S (S.30)]], that is spoken by the [[Lozi people]], primarily in southwestern [[Zambia]] and in Namibia. The language is most closely related to [[Northern Sotho language|Northern Sotho]] (''Sesotho sa Leboa''), [[Tswana language|Tswana]] (''Setswana''), [[Kgalagadi language|Kgalagari]] (''SheKgalagari'') and [[Sotho language|Sotho]] (''Sesotho''/Southern Sotho). Lozi is sometimes written as ''Rotse''. ''Silozi'' is the [[exonym and endonym|endonym]] (the name of the language used by its native speakers).

The origins of Silozi can be traced back to a mixture of languages, primarily [[Luyana language|Luyana]] and [[Kololo people|Kololo]]. The Luyana people migrated south from the [[Kingdom of Luba]] and [[Kingdom of Lunda]] in the Katanga area of the [[Congo River basin]], either late in the 17th century or early in the 18th century. They settled on the floodplains of the upper [[Zambezi|Zambezi River]] in what is now [[Western Province, Zambia|western Zambia]], where they established a kingdom called [[Barotseland]] or [[Barotseland|Bulozi]].

In the 1830s, the [[Kololo people]], originally from the [[Free State (province)|Free State province]] of [[South Africa]], fled northwards to escape the [[Mfecane]] under [[Shaka|King Shaka Zulu]] (died 1828). They employed tactics learned from the [[Zulu people|Zulu]] armies to conquer the Luyana on the [[Barotse Floodplain|Zambezi floodplains]], imposing their rule and language. However, by 1864, the indigenous population revolted and overthrew the Kololo. By then, the original [[Luyana language]] had largely been replaced by a new <u>hybrid</u> language, Silozi.

Today, Silozi is spoken in [[Namibia]] and [[Zambia]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-07-09 |title=An Introduction To Zambia's Lozi People |url=https://theculturetrip.com/africa/zambia/articles/an-introduction-to-zambias-lozi-people |access-date=2024-08-03 |website=the Culture Trip -Africa |language=}}</ref>

==Phonology==
Lozi has 5 vowels:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Vowels
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! [[High vowel|High]]
|{{IPA link|i}}
|
|{{IPA link|u}}
|-
! [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|{{IPA link|e}}
|
|{{IPA link|o}}
|-
![[Low vowel|Low]]
|
|{{IPA link|a}}
|
|}

20 consonants are in Lozi:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|+ Consonants
! colspan="2" |
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
![[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
![[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]/<br>[[Postalveolar consonant|Postalveolar]]
![[Velar consonant|Velar]]
![[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
|{{IPA link|m}}
|{{IPA link|n}}
|{{IPA link|ɲ}}
|{{IPA link|ŋ}}
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Plosive]]
!<small>voiceless</small>
|{{IPA link|p}}
|{{IPA link|t}}
|{{IPA link|c}}
|{{IPA link|k}}
|
|-
![[Voice (phonetics)|<small>voiced</small>]]
|{{IPA link|b}}
|{{IPA link|d}}
|{{IPA link|ɟ}}
|{{IPA link|ɡ}}
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Fricative]]
!<small>voiceless</small>
|{{IPA link|f}}
|{{IPA link|s}}
|{{IPA link|ʃ}}
|
|{{IPA link|h}}
|-
![[Voice (phonetics)|<small>voiced</small>]]
|
|{{IPA link|z}}
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Approximant]]
|
|{{IPA link|l}}
|{{IPA link|j}}
|{{IPA link|w}}
|
|}

Tone is marked as high or low.<ref>{{Cite book |title=An Outline of Silozi Grammar |last=Fortune |first=George |publisher=Bookworld Publishers|year=2001}}</ref>

== Orthography ==

Lozi uses the [[Latin script]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.omniglot.com/writing/lozi.htm|title=Lozi language and alphabet|website=www.omniglot.com|access-date=2019-08-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Zambia|title=Zambia - PanAfriL10n|date=2013-09-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929101318/http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Zambia|access-date=2019-08-26|archive-date=2013-09-29}}</ref> which was introduced by [[Christian mission|missionaries]]. In 1977, Zambia standardised the language's orthography.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Lozi#toc7|title=Lozi - PanAfriL10n|date=2013-11-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110235805/http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Lozi#toc7|access-date=2019-08-26|archive-date=2013-11-10}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Letters ([[upper case]])
| A || B || C || CH || D || E || F || G || H || I || J || K || L || M || N || Ñ || O || P || S || SH || T || U || W || Y || Z
|-
!Letters ([[lower case]])
| a || b || c || ch || d || e || f || g || h || i || j || k || l || m || n || ñ || o || p || s || sh || t || u || w || y || z
|-
![[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]
| {{IPAblink|a}} || {{IPAblink|b}} || colspan="2" | {{IPAblink|tʃ}} || {{IPAblink|d}}|| {{IPAblink|e}}, {{IPAblink|ɛ}}, {{IPAblink|ɪ}} || {{IPAblink|f}} || {{IPAblink|x}} || {{IPAblink|h}} || {{IPAblink|i}} || {{IPAblink|dʒ}} || {{IPAblink|k}} || {{IPAblink|l}} || {{IPAblink|m}} || {{IPAblink|n}} || {{IPAblink|ɲ}} || {{IPAblink|o}}, {{IPAblink|ʊ}}, {{IPAblink|ɔ}} || {{IPAblink|p}} || {{IPAblink|s}} || {{IPAblink|ʃ}} || {{IPAblink|t}} || {{IPAblink|u}} || {{IPAblink|w}} || {{IPAblink|j}} || {{IPAblink|z}}
|}

== Vocabulary ==

{| class="wikitable"
|+Months of the year in Silozi
!Silozi
!English
|-
| Sope||January
|-
| Yowa||February
|-
| Liatamanyi||March
|-
| Lungu||April
|-
| Kandao||May
|-
| Mbuwana||June
|-
| Sikulu||July
|-
| Muyana||August
|-
| Muimunene||September
|-
| Yenda||October
|-
| Njimwana||November
|-
| Ñulule||December
|}
'''Counting numbers in Silozi'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Numbers in Lozi |url=https://www.omniglot.com/language/numbers/lozi.htm#:~:text=Numeral,muanda |access-date=2024-08-03 |website=www.omniglot.com}}</ref>

1	kalikamu

2	totubeli

3	totulalu

4	totune

5	ketalizoho

6	silezi

7	supile

8	ketalizoho ni totulalu

9	ketalizoho ni totune

10	lishumi

20	mashumi a mabeli

30	mashumi a malalu

40	mashumi a mane

50	mashumi a ketalizoho

60	mashumi a silezi

70	mashumi a supile

80	mashumi a supile ni kalikamu

90	mashumi a supile ni totubeli

100	muanda

== Silozi text ==

The following is a sample text in Silozi.

'''Silozi''': ''Kakuli [[Yahweh|Mulimu]] U latile hahulu batu ba lifasi, mane U ba file Mwan'a Hae wa libanda kuli mutu ufi ni ufi ya lumela ku Yena a si ke a shwa, kono a be ni bupilo bo bu sa feli.'' Joani 3:16<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.bible.com/bible/825/JHN.3.16.LOZI09 |title=Joani 3:16 {{!}} Bibele ye Kenile (Catholic Edition) (LOZI09) {{!}} |language=mul}}</ref>

'''English''': ''For [[Yahweh|God]] so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.'' John 3:16<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Gateway passage: John 3:16 - New King James Version |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203%3A16&version=NKJV |access-date=2024-08-03 |website=[[Bible Gateway]] |language=}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{incubator|code=loz}}
*[https://www.omniglot.com/writing/lozi.htm Lozi alphabet and pronunciation] at ''Omniglot.com''
*[https://www.language-museum.com/encyclopedia/l/lozi.htm A sample paragraph in Lozi] at ''www.language-museum.com''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060821084955/https://www.barotseland.com/silozi1.htm Silozi-English Dictionary, glossaries, beginner's guide, other info] at ''www.barotseland.com'', archived 2006-08-21
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181545/https://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/Lozi-english/ Lozi-English Dictionary] from [https://web.archive.org/web/20120223164907/http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/ Webster's Online Dictionary], archived 2007-09-30; [[Philip M. Parker#Online reference works|The Rosetta Edition]]
*[https://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Lozi PanAfrican L10n page on Lozi] at ''www.panafril10n.org''
*[https://www.language-archives.org/language/loz OLAC resources in and about the Lozi language] at ''www.language-archives.org''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090421223029/https://www.medguide.org.zm/translation/vocabtbl.htm Medical phrases in Lozi] at ''www.medguide.org.zm,'' archived 2009-04-21

=== Lozi language stories ===
*Sibetta, O. Kwibisa, ''{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20150621063012/https://lubutocollections.org/items/show/86 Ze Patezwi ba Banca]}}'' (1967, Zambia Publications Bureau) in {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110916152201/http://www.lubutocollections.org/ Lubuto Library Special Collections]}}, accessed May 3, 2014/archived 2015-06-21
*''[https://lubutocollections.org/items/browse?tags=Silozi Silozi language stories]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }},'' in ''Lubuto Library Special Collections'', accessed May 3, 2014
**[https://www.lubuto.org/collections Lubuto Library Project] at ''www.lubuto.org''

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