On this occasion, we delve into the exciting world of Sena language, a topic that has captured the attention of researchers, professionals and the general public. Sena language has been the subject of study and debate over the years, it arouses broad interest both in society and in the academic field. From its origins to its impact today, Sena language has been a source of reflection and analysis, generating numerous theories and approaches. In this article, we propose to explore the multiple facets of Sena language, addressing everything from its historical evolution to its implications in different contexts. Through a multidisciplinary approach, we aim to shed light on this topic that is so exciting and relevant today.
Sena | |
---|---|
Native to | Mozambique, Malawi, Zimbabwe |
Ethnicity | Sena |
Native speakers | 2,869,000 (2017–2020) |
Dialects |
|
Official status | |
Official language in | Zimbabwe (as 'Chibarwe') |
Recognised minority language in | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | Variously:seh – Mozambiquean Senaswk – Malawian Senabwg – Barwe |
Glottolog | nucl1396 Nuclear Senamala1475 Malawi Senabarw1243 Barwe |
N.44,441 (N.45,46) | |
Linguasphere | 99-AUS-xi; also 99-AUS-xj (Chi-Rue), 99-AUS-xk (Gombe), 99-AUS-xl (Sangwe), & 99-AUS-xm (Chi-Podzo) |
Sena is a Bantu language spoken in the four provinces of central Mozambique (Zambezi valley): Tete, Sofala, Zambezia and Manica. 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. It is one of the Nyasa languages.
Sena is spoken in several dialects, of which Rue (also called Barwe or Cibalke) and Podzo are divergent. The Sena of Malawi may be a distinct language. Barwe (Chibarwe) has official recognition in Zimbabwe.
Some remarks on Sena tenses can be found in Funnell (2004), Barnes & Funnell (2005) and in Kiso (2012).
Front | Central | Back | |
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Close | i | u | |
Mid | e | o | |
Open | a |
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 |