Lozi language

{{Infobox language | name = Lozi | nativename = Silozi | states = Botswana • Namibia • Zambia | region = Western Zambia • Zambezi Region | speakers = 725,000 | date = 1982–2010 censuses | ref = e18 | familycolor = Niger-Congo | fam2 = Atlantic–Congo | fam3 = Volta-Congo | fam4 = Benue–Congo | fam5 = Bantoid | fam6 = Southern Bantoid | fam7 = Bantu | fam8 = Southern Bantu | fam9 = Sotho–Tswana | minority = {{NAM}} {{ZAM}} | script = Latin (Lozi alphabet) Zambian Braille Ditema tsa Dinoko | iso2 = loz | iso3 = loz | glotto = lozi1239 | glottorefname = Lozi | lingua = 99-AUT-ef | guthrie = K.20 (K.21) | altname = Rozi }} {{Infobox Bantu name|Mulozi|Balozi|Silozi|Bulozi|root=Lozi}}

[[File:WIKITONGUES- Winnie speaking siLozi.webm|thumb|A Lozi speaker, recorded in Namibia.]]

'''Lozi''', also known as '''Silozi''' and '''Rozi''', is a Bantu language of the Niger–Congo language family within the Sotho–Tswana branch of Zone S (S.30), that is spoken by the Lozi people, primarily in southwestern Zambia and in Namibia. The language is most closely related to Northern Sotho (''Sesotho sa Leboa''), Tswana (''Setswana''), Kgalagari (''SheKgalagari'') and Sotho (''Sesotho''/Southern Sotho). Lozi is sometimes written as ''Rotse''. ''Silozi'' is the endonym (the name of the language used by its native speakers).

The origins of Silozi can be traced back to a mixture of languages, primarily Luyana and Kololo. The Luyana people migrated south from the Kingdom of Luba and Kingdom of Lunda in the Katanga area of the Congo River basin, either late in the 17th century or early in the 18th century. They settled on the floodplains of the upper Zambezi River in what is now western Zambia, where they established a kingdom called Barotseland or Bulozi.

In the 1830s, the Kololo people, originally from the area near Senekal, Free State province of South Africa, fled northwards to escape the Mfecane under King Shaka Zulu (died 1828). They employed tactics learned from the Zulu armies to conquer the Luyana on the Zambezi floodplains, imposing their rule and language. However, by 1864, the indigenous population revolted and overthrew the Kololo. By then, the original Luyana language had largely been replaced by a new hybrid language, Silozi.

Today, Silozi is spoken in Namibia and Zambia.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-07-09 |title=An Introduction To Zambia's Lozi People |url=https://theculturetrip.com/africa/zambia/articles/an-introduction-to-zambias-lozi-people |access-date=2024-08-03 |website=the Culture Trip -Africa |language=}}</ref>

==Phonology== Lozi has 5 vowels:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Vowels ! !Front !Central !Back |- ! High |{{IPA link|i}} | |{{IPA link|u}} |- ! Mid |{{IPA link|e}} | |{{IPA link|o}} |- !Low | |{{IPA link|a}} | |}

20 consonants are in Lozi:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Consonants ! colspan="2" | !Labial !Alveolar !Palatal/ Postalveolar !Velar !Glottal |- ! colspan="2" |Nasal |{{IPA link|m}} |{{IPA link|n}} |{{IPA link|ɲ}} |{{IPA link|ŋ}} | |- ! rowspan="2" |Plosive !voiceless |{{IPA link|p}} |{{IPA link|t}} |{{IPA link|c}} |{{IPA link|k}} | |- !voiced |{{IPA link|b}} |{{IPA link|d}} |{{IPA link|ɟ}} |{{IPA link|ɡ}} | |- ! rowspan="2" |Fricative !voiceless |{{IPA link|f}} |{{IPA link|s}} |{{IPA link|ʃ}} | |{{IPA link|h}} |- !voiced | |{{IPA link|z}} | | | |- ! colspan="2" |Approximant | |{{IPA link|l}} |{{IPA link|j}} |{{IPA link|w}} | |}

Tone is marked as high or low.<ref>{{Cite book |title=An Outline of Silozi Grammar |last=Fortune |first=George |publisher=Bookworld Publishers|year=2001}}</ref>

== Orthography ==

Lozi uses the Latin script,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.omniglot.com/writing/lozi.htm|title=Lozi language and alphabet|website=www.omniglot.com|access-date=2019-08-26}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Zambia|title=Zambia - PanAfriL10n|date=2013-09-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929101318/http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Zambia|access-date=2019-08-26|archive-date=2013-09-29}}</ref> which was introduced by missionaries. In 1977, Zambia standardised the language's orthography.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Lozi#toc7|title=Lozi - PanAfriL10n|date=2013-11-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131110235805/http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Lozi#toc7|access-date=2019-08-26|archive-date=2013-11-10}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" |- !Letters (upper case) | A || B || C || CH || D || E || F || G || H || I || J || K || L || M || N || Ñ || O || P || S || SH || T || U || W || Y || Z |- !Letters (lower case) | a || b || c || ch || d || e || f || g || h || i || j || k || l || m || n || ñ || o || p || s || sh || t || u || w || y || z |- !IPA | {{IPAblink|a}} || {{IPAblink|b}} || colspan="2" | {{IPAblink|tʃ}} || {{IPAblink|d}}|| {{IPAblink|e}}, {{IPAblink|ɛ}}, {{IPAblink|ɪ}} || {{IPAblink|f}} || {{IPAblink|x}} || {{IPAblink|h}} || {{IPAblink|i}} || {{IPAblink|dʒ}} || {{IPAblink|k}} || {{IPAblink|l}} || {{IPAblink|m}} || {{IPAblink|n}} || {{IPAblink|ɲ}} || {{IPAblink|o}}, {{IPAblink|ʊ}}, {{IPAblink|ɔ}} || {{IPAblink|p}} || {{IPAblink|s}} || {{IPAblink|ʃ}} || {{IPAblink|t}} || {{IPAblink|u}} || {{IPAblink|w}} || {{IPAblink|j}} || {{IPAblink|z}} |}

== Vocabulary ==

{| class="wikitable" |+Months of the year in Silozi !Silozi !English |- | Sope||January |- | Yowa||February |- | Liatamanyi||March |- | Lungu||April |- | Kandao||May |- | Mbuwana||June |- | Sikulu||July |- | Muyana||August |- | Muimunene||September |- | Yenda||October |- | Njimwana||November |- | Ñulule||December |} '''Counting numbers in Silozi'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Numbers in Lozi |url=https://www.omniglot.com/language/numbers/lozi.htm#:~:text=Numeral,muanda |access-date=2024-08-03 |website=www.omniglot.com}}</ref>

1 kalikamu

2 totubeli

3 totulalu

4 totune

5 ketalizoho

6 silezi

7 supile

8 ketalizoho ni totulalu

9 ketalizoho ni totune

10 lishumi

20 mashumi a mabeli

30 mashumi a malalu

40 mashumi a mane

50 mashumi a ketalizoho

60 mashumi a silezi

70 mashumi a supile

80 mashumi a supile ni kalikamu

90 mashumi a supile ni totubeli

100 muanda

== Silozi text ==

The following is a sample text in Silozi.

'''Silozi''': ''Kakuli Mulimu U latile hahulu batu ba lifasi, mane U ba file Mwan'a Hae wa libanda kuli mutu ufi ni ufi ya lumela ku Yena a si ke a shwa, kono a be ni bupilo bo bu sa feli.'' Joani 3:16<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.bible.com/bible/825/JHN.3.16.LOZI09 |title=Joani 3:16 {{!}} Bibele ye Kenile (Catholic Edition) (LOZI09) {{!}} |language=mul}}</ref>

'''English''': ''For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.'' John 3:16<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bible Gateway passage: John 3:16 - New King James Version |url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203%3A16&version=NKJV |access-date=2024-08-03 |website=Bible Gateway |language=}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{incubator|code=loz}} *[https://www.omniglot.com/writing/lozi.htm Lozi alphabet and pronunciation] at ''Omniglot.com'' *[https://www.language-museum.com/encyclopedia/l/lozi.htm A sample paragraph in Lozi] at ''www.language-museum.com'' *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060821084955/https://www.barotseland.com/silozi1.htm Silozi-English Dictionary, glossaries, beginner's guide, other info] at ''www.barotseland.com'', archived 2006-08-21 *[https://web.archive.org/web/20070930181545/https://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/Lozi-english/ Lozi-English Dictionary] from [https://web.archive.org/web/20120223164907/http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/ Webster's Online Dictionary], archived 2007-09-30; The Rosetta Edition *[https://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/Lozi PanAfrican L10n page on Lozi] at ''www.panafril10n.org'' *[https://www.language-archives.org/language/loz OLAC resources in and about the Lozi language] at ''www.language-archives.org'' *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090421223029/https://www.medguide.org.zm/translation/vocabtbl.htm Medical phrases in Lozi] at ''www.medguide.org.zm,'' archived 2009-04-21

=== Lozi language stories === *Sibetta, O. Kwibisa, ''{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20150621063012/https://lubutocollections.org/items/show/86 Ze Patezwi ba Banca]}}'' (1967, Zambia Publications Bureau) in {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20110916152201/http://www.lubutocollections.org/ Lubuto Library Special Collections]}}, accessed May 3, 2014/archived 2015-06-21 *''[https://lubutocollections.org/items/browse?tags=Silozi Silozi language stories]{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }},'' in ''Lubuto Library Special Collections'', accessed May 3, 2014 **[https://www.lubuto.org/collections Lubuto Library Project] at ''www.lubuto.org''

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