# Sena language

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Bantu language of central Mozambique

Sena Native to Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe Ethnicity Sena Native speakers 2,869,000 (2017–2020)[1] Language family Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Benue–Congo Southern Bantoid Bantu Nyasa Sena (N40) ? Sena Dialects Rue (Barwe) Podzo Writing system Latin script Mwangwego script Official status Official language in Zimbabwe (as 'Chibarwe') Recognised minority language in Malawi Language codes ISO 639-3 Variously: seh – Mozambiquean Sena swk – Malawian Sena bwg – Barwe Glottolog nucl1396 Nuclear Sena mala1475 Malawi Sena barw1243 Barwe Guthrie code N.44,441 (N.45,46)[2] Linguasphere 99-AUS-xi; also 99-AUS-xj (Chi-Rue), 99-AUS-xk (Gombe), 99-AUS-xl (Sangwe), & 99-AUS-xm (Chi-Podzo)

A speaker of Barwe, a dialect of the Sena language. Portuguese is also spoken in this video.

**Sena** is a [Bantu language](/source/Bantu_language)[3] spoken in the four provinces of central [Mozambique](/source/Mozambique) ([Zambezi](/source/Zambezi) valley): [Tete](/source/Tete_Province), [Sofala](/source/Sofala), [Zambezia](/source/Zambezia_Province) and [Manica](/source/Manica_Province). There were an estimated 900,000 native Sena speakers in Mozambique in 1997, with at least 1.5 million if including those who speak it as a [second language](/source/Second_language). It is one of the [Nyasa languages](/source/Nyasa_languages).

Sena is spoken in several dialects, of which Rue (also called Barwe or Cibalke) and Podzo are divergent. The Sena of [Malawi](/source/Malawi) may be a distinct language. Barwe (Chibarwe) has official recognition in [Zimbabwe](/source/Zimbabwe).

Some remarks on Sena tenses can be found in Funnell (2004),[4] Barnes & Funnell (2005)[5] and in Kiso (2012).[6]

## Phonology

### Vowels

Front Central Back Close i u Mid e o Open a

### Consonants

Labial Alveolar Palato- alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal plain lab. Nasal m n ɲ ŋ Stop voiceless p t k aspirated pʰ tʰ kʰ voiced b d ɡ implosive ɓ ɗ (ɗʲ) Affricate voiceless p͡f t͡s p͡s t͡ʃ voiced b͡v d͡z b͡z d͡ʒ aspirated t͡ʃʰ Fricative voiceless f s sʷ ʃ h voiced v z zʷ ʒ Approximant l j w Trill r

- Labialized sounds /sʷ, zʷ/ can also be heard as retroflex [ʂ, ʐ] among different speakers.[7]

- /ɗ/ is heard as palatalized [ɗʲ] when followed by a /j/.

- The following sounds occur as prenasalized when after a homorganic nasal; [ᵐp, ᶬf, ᶬp͡f, ⁿt, ⁿs, ᶮt͡ʃ, ᵑk], [ᵐb, ᵐɓ, ᶬv, ᶬb͡v, ⁿd, ⁿɗ, ⁿz, ᶮd͡ʒ, ᵑɡ].[8]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-e26_1-0)** [Mozambiquean Sena](https://www.ethnologue.com/language/seh) at *[Ethnologue](/source/Ethnologue)* (26th ed., 2023) [Malawian Sena](https://www.ethnologue.com/language/swk) at *[Ethnologue](/source/Ethnologue)* (26th ed., 2023) [Barwe](https://www.ethnologue.com/language/bwg) at *[Ethnologue](/source/Ethnologue)* (26th ed., 2023)

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)** Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin (eds.). ["Sena"](http://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/nucl1396). *[Glottolog](/source/Glottolog)*. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Funnell, Barry J. (2004).["A Contrastive Analysis of Two Varieties of Sena".](http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/1830/01dissertation.pdf?sequence=2) MA dissertation, University of South Africa; ([Introduction](http://uir.unisa.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10500/1830/00front.pdf?sequence=1))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Barnes, Lawrie; Funnell, Barry (2005) ["Exploring the cross-border standardisation of Chisena"](https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10228190508566234). *Language Matters: Studies in the Languages of Africa.* Vol. 36.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Kiso, Andrea (2012), ["Tense and Aspect in Chichewa, Citumbuka, and Cisena"](http://su.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:546594/FULLTEXT01.pdf). Ph.D. Thesis. Stockholm University.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Ngunga, Armindo; Faquir, Osvaldo G. (2012). *Padronização da Ortografia de Línguas Moçambicanas: Relatório do III Seminário*. Maputo.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Kishindo, Pascal J.; Lipenga, Allan L. (2007). *Parlons Cisena: langue et culture du Mozambique*. Paris: L'Harmattan.

v t e Languages of Zimbabwe Official languages Zimbabwean English Chewa Chibarwe Kalanga Koisan Nambya Ndau Ndebele Shona Sotho Tonga Tsonga Tswana Venda Xhosa Zimbabwe Sign Unofficial languages Kunda Tswa Lozi Immigrant languages French Punjabi Hindi Chinese Portuguese

v t e Languages of Mozambique Official language Portuguese Indigenous languages Barwe Chewa Chichopi Chitonga Chuwabu Dema Gitonga Kimwani Koti Kunda Lomwe Maindo Makhuwa Makonde Makwe Manyika Nathembo Ndau Ngoni Nsenga Nyungwe Phimbi Ronga Sena Shona Swahili Swati Tawara Tewe Tsonga Tswa Yao Immigrant languages English Punjabi Hindi Sign languages Mozambican Sign Language

v t e Languages of Malawi Official languages English Regional languages Malawi Lomwe Ndali Tonga Tumbuka Chewa Yao

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)

Authority control databases National United States France BnF data Israel Other IdRef Yale LUX

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