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In other languages: English | Nyanja

Malawi

Languages

Description

The official language is English.

Major languages include:

• Chichewa - also known as Chewa. A language spoken by over 57% of the population.
• Chinyanja - 12.8% of the population.
• Chiyao - also referred to as Yao language. 10.1% of the population.
• Chitumbuka - also referred to as Tumbuka language. 9.5% of the population.

Other native languages are:

• Malawian Lomwe - spoken by around 250,000 in the southeast of the country.
• Kokola - spoken by around 200,000 people also in the southeast.
• Lambya - spoken by around 45,000 in the northwestern tip.
• Ndali - spoken by around 70,000.Gary Robinson ---
• Nyakyusa-Ngonde - spoken by around 300,000 in northern Malawi.
• Malawian Sena - spoken by around 270,000 in southern Malawi.
• Tonga - spoken by around 170,000 in the north.

Word List(s)

• 3100 Most Common Daily Use English-Chichewa Words And Their Meaning - Meaning in Hindi
• Useful phrases in Chichewa - Omniglot
• Useful Chichewa words & Phrases - Crafted Africa
• Useful phrases in Tumbuka - Omniglot
• Useful Tongan phrases - Omniglot

Alphabet and Pronunciation

Alphabet

• Chewa Language Vowels and Consonants - Wikipedia
• Chichewa alphabet - Omniglot
• Yao alphabet - Omniglot
• Lambya alphabet - Omniglot
• Nihali alphabet - Omniglot
• Sena alphabet - Omniglot
• Tongan alphabet - Omniglot

Pronunciation

• Chewa is a tonal language - Wikipedia
• Chewa Tonal details - Wikipedia
• Chickewa pronunciation - Omniglot
• Yao pronunciation - Omniglot
• Tumbuka pronunciation - Omniglot
• Lambya pronunciation - Omniglot
• Nihali pronunciation - Omniglot
• Sena pronunciation - Omniglot

Language Aids and Dictionaries

Dictionaries

• Paas, Steven. Chichewa-English/English-Chichewa dictionary. Cape Town: Oxford University Press, 2017. Available at: WorldCat.
• Paas, Steven. English-Chichewa-Chinyanja dictionary. Zomba [Malawi]: Kachere Series, 2005. Available at: WorldCat.
• Turner, William Y. Chitumbuka chitonga-english/english-chitumbuka chitonga dictionary. n.p.: Educa Books, 1996. Available at: WorldCat.

Online Dictionaries

• Dictionary English - Tumbuka - Glosbe
• Dictionary Malawi Lomwe - English - Glosbe
• Dictionary Kokola - English - Glosbe
• Dictionary English - Lambya - Glosbe
• Dictionary English - Ndali - Glosbe
• Dictionary English - Nyakyusa-Ngonde - Glosbe
• Dictionary English - Tongan - Glosbe

Language Aids

• Kamanga, Mervis. Chewa (Chichewa) dictionary & phrasebook. New York, NY: Hippocrene Books, Inc, 2020. Available at: WorldCat.
• Watkins, Mark Hanna. A grammar of Chichewa, a Bantu language of British Central Africa. New York: Kraus Reprint, 1966. Available at: WorldCat.
• Monella, Pierpaolo and Victor Wolfer . Chitumbuka grammar. Balaka, Malawi: Montfort Media, 2014. Available at: WorldCat.

Additional Resources

• Thomson, T. D. A practical approach to Chinyanja. Zomba, Nyasaland: The Government Printer, 1955. Available at: WorldCat.