# Ndonga

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Dialect in Namibia

Oshindonga Oshindonga Native to Namibia and southern Angola Region Ovamboland Native speakers 810,000 (2006)[1] Language family Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Benue–Congo Southern Bantoid Bantu Kavango–Southwest Southwest Bantu Ovambo Oshindonga Language codes ISO 639-1 ng ISO 639-2 ndo ISO 639-3 ndo Glottolog ndon1254 Guthrie code R.22[2] Linguasphere 99-AUR-lc

**Oshindonga**, is a [Bantu](/source/Bantu_language) dialect spoken in [Namibia](/source/Namibia) and parts of [Angola](/source/Angola). It is a standardized [dialect](/source/Dialect) of the [Ovambo language](/source/Ovambo_language), and is [mutually intelligible](/source/Mutual_intelligibility) with [Kwanyama](/source/Kwanyama_dialect), the other Ovambo dialect with a standard written form. With 810,000 speakers, the language has the largest number of speakers in Namibia.

[Martti Rautanen](/source/Martti_Rautanen) translated the [Bible](/source/Bible) into the Oshindonga dialect. Beginning his work in 1885, he published the New Testament in 1903, but it took until 1920 to finish the Old Testament. His Bible translation became the basis of a standardized form of Ndonga.[3]

## Phonology

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### Vowels

Oshindonga uses a five-vowel system:

Front Back Close i u Mid e o Open a

### Consonants

Oshindonga contains the following consonant phonemes:

Labial Dental Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal Nasal voiceless m̥ n̥ ŋ̊ voiced m n ɲ ŋ Plosive voiceless p t k ʔ voiced b d g affricate ts Fricative voiceless f θ s ʃ x h voiced v ð z ʒ ɣ Approximant median w j lateral l

Prenasalized sounds are listed below:

- [m̥p], [mb], [ɱv], [n̥θ], [nð], [n̥ʃ], [n̥t], [nd], [nz], [n̥ts], [ŋk], [ŋɡ]

Oshindonga also contains many other consonant compounds, listed below:

- [m̥pʰ], [n̥tʰ], [n̥kʰ], [m̥pʰw], [n̥tʰw], [n̥kʰw], [n̥dz], [n̥tsʰ], [ndʒ], [xw], [tsʼ] (voiceless, ejective, alveolar affricate), [psʲ] (voiceless, palatalized, labio-alveolar affricate)

### Tones

Oshidonga has two tones: high and low.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-e18_1-0)** [Oshindonga](https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/ndo/) at *[Ethnologue](/source/Ethnologue)* (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Guthrie_2-0)** Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. [New Updated Guthrie List Online](https://web.archive.org/web/20180203191542/http://goto.glocalnet.net/mahopapers/nuglonline.pdf)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["Namiweb.com"](https://web.archive.org/web/20130213062434/http://www.namibweb.com/olukonda.htm). Namibweb.com. Archived from [the original](http://www.namibweb.com/olukonda.htm) on 2013-02-13. Retrieved 2013-03-16.

- Fivaz, Derek (2003). *A Reference Grammar of Oshindonga* (2 ed.). Windhoek: Out of Africa Publishers.

## External links

***[Ndonga test](https://incubator.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wp/ng)*** of [Wikipedia](/source/Wikipedia) at [Wikimedia Incubator](https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Incubator)

- [Ndonga](http://www.flw.com/languages/ndonga.htm)

v t e Languages of Angola Official language Portuguese National languages Bolo Chokwe Gciriku Hakaona Herero Holu Ibinda Khwe Kimbundu Kongo !Kung Kung-Ekoka Kuvale Kwadi Kwangali Kwanyama Lunda Mbunda Ndonga Oshiwambo Umbundu Lucazi Luimbi Luvale Luyana Mashi Mbali Mbangala Mbukushu Ndombe Ngambwe Ngoya Nkumbi Nsongo Nyaneka Nyengo Ruund Sama Sekele Zemba

v t e Languages of Namibia Official language English Recognized regional Oshiwambo Kwanyama Ndonga Afrikaans German Other Bantu languages Otjiherero Rukwangali Setswana Zemba Gciriku Fwe Kuhane Thimbukushu Shiyeyi Khoisan Nama/Damara Naro ǃXóõ Kung-Ekoka ǂKxʼauǁʼein Kxoe Sign languages Namibian Sign Language Immigrant languages Portuguese

v t e 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)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ndonga](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ndonga) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ndonga?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.