Kwanyama dialect facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kwanyama |
|
|---|---|
| Oshikwanyama | |
| Native to | Namibia and Angola |
| Region | Ovamboland |
| Native speakers | (250,000 in Namibia (2006); 420,000 in Angola cited 1993)e18 |
| Language family |
Niger–Congo
|
| Guthrie code | R.21 |
| Linguasphere | 99-AUR-la |
Kwanyama (also called Cuanhama) is an important language spoken in two African countries. It is a national language in both Angola and Namibia.
Kwanyama is a special kind of Ovambo language. It is a "standardized dialect," which means it has a clear set of rules for how it is written and spoken. People who speak Kwanyama can usually understand Oshindonga. Oshindonga is another dialect of the Ovambo language.
Kwanyama and the Bible
The entire Christian Bible has been translated into Kwanyama. The first full Kwanyama Bible was published in 1974. It was called Ombibeli.
More recently, in 2019, a modern translation of the New Testament was released. This part of the Bible is called the New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. You can find it in Kwanyama both in print and online.
