| Luyana | |
|---|---|
| Esiluyana | |
| Native to | Zambia; immigrants in Namibia, Angola |
| Region | Okavango River |
Native speakers | 480 Luyana proper (2010 census)[1] 2,900 all Luyana (Kwandi, Kwangwa, and Luyana proper) (2010 census)[1] |
| Latin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | lyn |
| Glottolog | luya1241 |
K.31[2] | |
Luyana (Luyaana), also known as Luyi (Louyi, Lui, Rouyi), is a Bantu language spoken in Zambia and perhaps in small numbers in neighboring countries. It appears to be a divergent lineage of Bantu.[3] It is spoken by the Luyana people, a subgroup of the Lozi people.
Ethnologue lists Kwandi, Mbowe, Mbume, and possibly Kwangwa ("Kwanga") as dialects. Maho (2009) classifies these as distinct languages; it is not clear if any of them are part of the divergent Luyana branch of Bantu, or if they are Kavango languages.[2]
The writing system of the Luyana language was developed in 2011[4] and uses the Latin script.[4]
The language is taught in primary schools and secondary schools.[4]
- ^ a b Luyana at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022)
- ^ a b Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
- ^ Bantu Classification Archived 2012-06-24 at the Wayback Machine, Ehret, 2009.
- ^ a b c https://www.ethnologue.com/language/lyn Luyana | Ethnologue
