| Iramba | |
|---|---|
| Nilamba | |
| Native to | Tanzania |
| Ethnicity | Nilamba, Iambi |
Native speakers | 682,000 (2016)[1] |
Niger–Congo?
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | nim |
| Glottolog | nila1242 |
F.31[2] | |
Iramba, also known as Nilamba (there is no distinction between [ɾ] and [l]) is a Bantu language spoken by the Nilamba and Iambi people of the Iramba District in the Singida Region of Tanzania.
Forms of the name occur with and without the prefix ni- or i-, as well as iki- (Swahili ki-) as the noun-class prefix for 'language', and variation of r ~ l ~ ly in the root. This results in many superficial variants, including Nilamba, Niramba, Nilyamba, Nyilamba, Ikinilamba, Ikiniramba, Ilamba, Iramba, Kinilamba, Kiniramba; there is also Nilambari.
The 50,000 Iambi speak a slightly divergent dialect, sometimes listed as a distinct language. On the other hand, the Isanzu language is sometimes included as a dialect.[2]