Shona
RegionZimbabwe
FamilyNiger-Congo (Bantu)
Speakers11 million total
ScriptLatin
TypeAlphabetic
About Shona
The majority language of Zimbabwe. Noun classes and agglutination shape its words. Known for its whistled zv sounds. The mbira thumb piano voices its spiritual music. A standard orthography spread in the 1950s alongside a growing novel tradition.
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