Luvale language (original) (raw)

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Bantu language of Angola and Zambia

Luvale (also spelt Chiluvale, Lovale, Lubale, Luena, Lwena) is a Bantu language spoken by the Lovale people of Angola and Zambia.

Is is the native language of 180 thousand people in Angola (as of 2024), mostly in the Moxico Leste Province, where a third of the population speaks it as a native language.[3] It is recognized as a regional language for educational and administrative purposes in Zambia, where about 168,000 people speak it (as of 2006). Luvale uses a modified form of the Latin alphabet in its written form.[4]

Luvale is closely related to Chokwe.

It contains many loanwords from Portuguese from colonial contact during 20th century,[5] such as:

Most verbs begin with "ku" in the infinitive form. In a modern dictionary, verbs are listed without the "ku" prefix, unlike in older dictionaries.

Consonants of Luvale[6]

| | Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | | | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | | | | Plosive/Affricate | voiceless | p | t | tʃ | k | | | prenasal | ᵐb | ⁿd | ᶮdʒ | ᵑɡ | | | | Fricative | voiceless | f | s | ʃ | | h | | voiced | v | z | ʒ | | | | | Approximant | w | l | j | | | |

Consonants may also occur as labialized [ʷ] or palatalized [ʲ].

Vowels of Luvale[6]

• Bernard K. Mbenga
• Samba Yonga
• Mokoomba

1. ^ Luvale at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
2. ^ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
3. ^ "Resultados Definitivos do Recenseamento Geral da População e Habitação - 2024" (PDF) (in Portuguese). 2025-11-20.
4. ^ "Luvale (Chiluvale)". Omniglot. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
5. ^ Albaugh, Ericka A.; de Luna, Kathryn M. (2018). Tracing language movement in Africa. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 263, 267, 269, 271. ISBN 9780190657550.
6. ^ a b Horton, A. E. (1949). A Grammar of Luvale (2nd ed.). Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press.{{[cite book](/wiki/Template:Cite%5Fbook "Template:Cite book")}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)

• Horton, A. E. (1949). A Grammar of Luvale. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press.
• Horton, Albert E. (1953). A Dictionary of Luvale. El Monte, Calif.: Lithographed by Rahn Bros. Print. & Lithographing.
• kasahorow (2025). Luvale Learner's Dictionary. New York City, New York: kasahorow.

• "Luvale Reading Lessons". Lubuto Library Special Collections. Archived from the original on 2015-06-21. Retrieved 2014-05-04.
• Moses C.B. Mulongesa, Vishimo vya Kuuko, Lubuto Library Special Collections, accessed May 3, 2014.
• Luvale language books, Lubuto Library Special Collections
• OLAC resources in and about the Luvale language