{{Short description|Bantu language spoken in Angola and Zambia}} {{Textbook|date=April 2018}} {{Infobox language |name=Luchazi |nativename=''Chiluchazi'' |altname=Ngangela, Lucazi |states=[[Angola]], [[Zambia]] |region= |speakers=431,000 |date=2010-2014 |ref=<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/language/lch|title=Lucazi|work=Ethnologue|access-date=2018-08-14|language=en}}</ref> |familycolor=Niger-Congo |fam2=[[Atlantic–Congo languages|Atlantic–Congo]] |fam3=[[Benue–Congo languages|Benue–Congo]] |fam4=[[Southern Bantoid languages|Southern Bantoid]] |fam5=[[Bantu languages|Bantu]] ([[Guthrie classification of Bantu languages#Zone K|Zone K]]) |fam6=[[Chokwe–Luchazi languages|Chokwe–Luchazi]] (K.10) |minority=Angola (as "Nganguela" or "Ganguela") |iso3=lch |lc1=lch|ld1=Luchazi |lc2=nba|ld2=Nyemba (Ngangela) |lc3=mfu|ld3=Mbwela |glotto=luch1239 |glottoname=Luchazi |glotto2=nyem1238 |glottoname2=Nyemba |glotto3=mbwe1238 |glottoname3=Mbwela |guthrie=K.13, K.12b, K.17 }}
'''Luchazi''' (also called ''Lucazi''<ref name="MK2002">{{cite journal |last1=Marten |first1=Lutz |last2=Kula |first2=Lucy Chongo |title=Semantic transparency in phonology: Telicity and vowel copying in Dciriku |journal=Phonologica |date=2002 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lutz-Marten-2/publication/237629347_Semantic_transparency_in_phonology_Telicity_and_vowel_copying_in_Dciriku_1/links/00b7d533bd2b09e890000000/Semantic-transparency-in-phonology-Telicity-and-vowel-copying-in-Dciriku-1.pdf}}</ref> or ''Chiluchazi'') is a [[Bantu languages|Bantu language]] of [[Angola]] and [[Zambia]]. Luchazi is the principal language of the [[Ngangela]] people.<ref name=Pearson>Emil Pearson, "Luchazi Grammar", pp. 5-7</ref> Ngangela is a term coined by the Vimbundu traders and missionaries in 18th century to describe the tribes occupying the area of eastern-central Angola.<ref>Gerhard Kubik and Moses Yotamu, 1998, "The Luchazi People. Their History and Chieftaincy", pp. 16, 123</ref>
==Distribution== Luchazi is spoken in eastern Angola, around the town of [[Muié]]. It is part of a [[dialect continuum]] that includes [[Nyemba language|Nyemba]], [[Mbunda language|Mbunda]], [[Ngonzela language|Ngonzela]], and other dialects. Luchazi and Ngangela can also be used as blanket terms for all variants within the dialect continuum. Based on the similarities and differences across these dialects, it appears that Luchazi speakers migrated from their original settlements, explaining some geographically disparate connections to other dialects.<ref name="Fleisch2009">{{cite journal |last1=Fleisch |first1=Axel |title=Language History in SE Angola. The Ngangela-Nyemba Dialect Cluster |journal=SUGIA Sprache und Geschichte in Afrika |date=2009 |volume=20 |pages=97–111 |url=https://researchportal.helsinki.fi/en/publications/language-history-in-se-angola-the-ngangela-nyemba-dialect-cluster/ |access-date=2 April 2026 |issn=0170-5946}}</ref>{{rp|100-104,108}}
==Phonology== ===Consonants=== The following table displays all the consonants in Luchazi:<ref name=Kubik>Gerhard Kubik, 2006, ''Tusona: Luchazi Ideographs : a Graphic Tradition of West-Central Africa'', pp. 300, 303</ref><ref name=Fleisch2000 />
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" ! colspan=2| ! [[Bilabial consonant|Labial]] ! [[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]] ! [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]] ! [[Velar consonant|Velar]] ! [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]] |- ! colspan="2" rowspan="1" |[[Nasalization|Nasal]] | {{IPAlink|m}} | {{IPAlink|n}} | {{IPAlink|ɲ}} | {{IPAlink|ŋ}} | |- ! rowspan=3|[[Plosive]] ! <small>[[Voiceless consonant|voiceless]]</small> | {{IPAlink|p}} | {{IPAlink|t}} {{IPAlink|tʲ}}{{ref|1|1}} | | {{IPAlink|k}} | |- ! <small>[[prenasalized]]</small> | {{IPAlink|ᵐb}} | {{IPAlink|ⁿd}} | | {{IPAlink|ᵑɡ}} | |- ! <small>[[prenasalized]] [[Aspirated consonant|asp.]]</small> | {{IPAlink|ᵐpʰ}} | {{IPAlink|ⁿtʰ}} | | {{IPAlink|ᵑkʰ}} | |- ! rowspan="3" |[[Affricate]] !<small>[[Voiceless consonant|voiceless]]</small> | | {{IPAlink|t͡s}} | {{IPAlink|t͡ʃ}} | | |- !<small>[[prenasalized]]</small> | | {{IPAlink|ⁿt͡s}} | {{IPAlink|ᶮt͡ʃ}} | | |- !<small>[[prenasalized]] [[Voiced|vd.]]</small> | | {{IPAlink|ⁿd͡z}} | {{IPAlink|ᶮd͡ʒ}} | | |- ! rowspan=2|[[Fricative]] ! <small>[[Voiceless consonant|voiceless]]</small> | {{IPAlink|f}} | {{IPAlink|s}} | {{IPAlink|ʃ}}{{ref|1|1}} | | {{IPAlink|h}} |- ! <small>[[Voiced consonant|voiced]]</small> | {{IPAlink|β}} | {{IPAlink|z}} | {{IPAlink|ʒ}}{{ref|1|1}} | | {{IPAlink|ɦ}} |- ! colspan="2" rowspan="1" |[[Approximant]] | | {{IPAlink|l}} | {{IPAlink|j}} | {{IPAlink|w}} | |} :{{note|1|1}} Occur rarely, may only exist in loanwords.
The position of the speech-organs in producing the consonants is different from the positions taken in producing the similar sounds in European languages. T and D, for example, are lower than in English but higher than in Portuguese. L is flatter-tongued than in either English or Portuguese. The language contains many consonantal glides, including the prenasalized plosives and the voiceless alveolar sibilant affricate (the ts sound).<ref name=Pearson/>
=== Vowels === Source:<ref name=Pearson/><ref name=Fleisch2000>{{Cite book|last=Fleisch|first=Axel|title=Lucazi grammar: a morphosemantic analysis|location=Köln |publisher=Rüdiger Köppe|year=2000}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center; margin-right: 1em;" ! rowspan="1" | ! colspan="1" |[[Front vowel|Front]] ! colspan="1" |[[Back vowel|Back]] |- ! [[Close vowel|Close]] | {{IPA link|ɪ}} {{IPA link|iː}} | {{IPA link|ʊ}} {{IPA link|uː}} |- ! [[Mid vowel|Mid]] | {{IPA link|e̞|ɛ}} {{IPA link|ɛː}} | {{IPA link|o̞|ɔ}} {{IPA link|ɔ̝|ɔː}} |- ! [[Open vowel|Open]] | {{IPA link|a}} {{IPA link|aː}} | |- ! [[Diphthong]]s | colspan="3" | {{IPA|eɪ aɪ au ia ie }}<br>{{IPA|io iu ua ue ui uo}} |- |}
The close front vowel (i), when occurring before another vowel, becomes a [[semi-consonant]] and is written y, unless it is immediately preceded by a consonant, when it remains i. Examples: yange, viange.
The vowels have the Continental or Italian values. They are shorter when unstressed and are prolonged when doubled or when stressed at the end of a word.
* The vowel '''a''' is Long when accented, as ''a'' in ''tata, nana''. Short when unstressed or before two consonants or ''y'' or ''s'' and in monosyllabic adverbs, as ''a'' in ''tata, paya, asa, hanga''. Prolonged when doubled or stressed at the end of a word or syllable. Example: ''ku laako''.
* The vowel '''e''' is Long when accented, as ''a'' in ''heta, seza''. Short when unstressed, as ''a'' in ''hete, seze''. Short with the value of ''e'' in ''henga, lenda'' before two consonants. Exceptions are hembo and membo (due to coalescence of vowels). Many words derived from Portuguese have the short vowel though not followed by two consonants. Examples: ''pena, papelo, luneta, ngehena,'' etc. Prolonged when stressed at the end of a word.
* The vowel '''i''' is Long when accented, as ''e'' in ''tina, sika''. Short when unstressed or before two consonants, as ''e'' in ''citi, linga''. In monosyllabics it is short, as ''i'' in ''it''. Examples: ni, ndi. Prolonged when stressed. Examples: ti, fui.
* The vowel '''o''' is Long when accented, as ''o'' in ''sota, koka''. Short when unstressed, as ''o'' in ''soko, loto''. Short, with value of ''o'' in ''onga, yoya, kosa, luozi, ndo'', before two consonants or y or s, and sometimes before z and in some monosyllables. The o is long in ''zoza'' and ''ngozi''. Sometimes prolonged when stressed at the end of a word. Example: ''to''.
* The vowel '''u''' is Long when accented, as ''u'' in ''tuta, fula''. Short, when unstressed or before two consonants or before s, as ''u'' in ''futuka, mbunga, kusa''.
== Orthography == Luchazi is written using the [[Latin alphabet]], with most characters representing the same sound as in English, with some exceptions. c is pronounced like ''ch'' in ''church'', n followed by k or g is always nasal like ''ng'' in ''ring'', the sound of v is bilabial instead of labiodental.<ref name=Pearson/>
===Alphabet=== {|class="wikitable" style=text-align:center !colspan="25" |Majuscules |- |A |B |C |D |E |F |G |H |I |J |K |L |M |N |O |P |R |S |Sh |T |U |V |Y |Z |- !colspan="25" |Minuscules |- |a |b |c |d |e |f |g |h |i |j |k |l |m |n |o |p |r |s |sh |t |u |v |y |z |- !colspan="25" |Phonetic value |- |{{IPA link|a}}/{{IPA link|aː}} |{{IPA link|b}} |{{IPA link|t͡ʃ}}/{{IPA link|t͡ʃʰ}} |{{IPA link|d}}/{{IPA link|d̪}}/{{IPA link|ð}} |{{IPA link|ɛ}}/{{IPA link|e}}/{{IPA link|ɛː}} |{{IPA link|f}} |{{IPA link|ɡ}} |{{IPA link|h}} |{{IPA link|ɪ}}/{{IPA link|i}}/{{IPA link|iː}} |{{IPA link|d͡ʒ}} |{{IPA link|k}} |{{IPA link|l}}/{{IPA link|ɭ}} |{{IPA link|m}} |{{IPA link|n}} |{{IPA link|ɔ}}/{{IPA link|o}}/{{IPA link|ɔː}} |{{IPA link|p}} |{{IPA link|ɹ}} |{{IPA link|s}} |{{IPA link|ʃ}} |{{IPA link|t}}/{{IPA link|t̪}}/{{IPA link|θ}} |{{IPA link|ʊ}}/{{IPA link|u}}/{{IPA link|uː}}/{{IPA link|w}} |{{IPA link|β}} |{{IPA link|j}} |{{IPA link|z}} |}
B, D, G, J, R, and Sh only exist in loanwords.<ref>{{cite web |title=Luchazi language and alphabet |url=https://www.omniglot.com/writing/luchazi.htm |website=Omniglot |access-date=5 March 2021}}</ref>
===Letter combinations=== {|class="wikitable" style=text-align:center !colspan="24" |Multigraphs |- |ai |au |ei |ia |ie |io |iu |kh |mb |mp |nc |nd |ng |nj |nk |nt |ny |ph |th |ts |ua |ue |ui |uo |- !colspan="24" |IPA |- |{{IPA link|aɪ̯}} |{{IPA link|aʊ̯}} |{{IPA link|eɪ̯}} |{{IPA link|i̯a}} |{{IPA link|i̯e}} |{{IPA link|i̯o}} |{{IPA link|i̯u}} |{{IPA link|kʰ}} |{{IPA link|ᵐb}} |{{IPA link|ᵐpʰ}} |{{IPA link|ᶮt͡ʃʰ}} |{{IPA link|ⁿd}} |{{IPA link|ᵑɡ}}/{{IPA link|ŋ}} |{{IPA link|ᶮd͡ʒ}} |{{IPA link|ᵑkʰ}} |{{IPA link|ⁿtʰ}} |{{IPA link|ɲ}}i |{{IPA link|pʰ}} |{{IPA link|tʰ}} |{{IPA link|tʲ~t͡s}} |{{IPA link|u̯a}} |{{IPA link|u̯e}} |{{IPA link|u̯i}} |{{IPA link|u̯o}} |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Languages of Angola}} {{Narrow Bantu languages (Zones J–M)}}
{{Authority control}} [[Category:Chokwe-Luchazi languages]] [[Category:Languages of Angola]]