The Shona languages (also called the Shonic group) are a
clade of
Bantu languages coded Zone S.10 in
Guthrie's classification. According to Nurse & Philippson (2003), the languages form a valid node. They are:
In the 1920s, the
Rhodesian administration was faced with the challenge of preparing schoolbooks and other materials in the various languages and dialects and requested the recommendation of the South African linguist
Clement Doke. Based on his 1931 report,
Standard Shona was developed from the Central Shona varieties. Because of the presence of the capital city in the Zezuru region, that variety has come to dominate in Standard Shona.
Some classifications include the Shonic group in
Southern Bantu, with the other Zone S languages; others treat it separately.
References
Doke, Clement M. Report on the Unification of the Shona Dialects. Government of Southern Rhodesia: Government Blue Book, 1931.
The Shona languages (also called the Shonic group) are a
clade of
Bantu languages coded Zone S.10 in
Guthrie's classification. According to Nurse & Philippson (2003), the languages form a valid node. They are:
In the 1920s, the
Rhodesian administration was faced with the challenge of preparing schoolbooks and other materials in the various languages and dialects and requested the recommendation of the South African linguist
Clement Doke. Based on his 1931 report,
Standard Shona was developed from the Central Shona varieties. Because of the presence of the capital city in the Zezuru region, that variety has come to dominate in Standard Shona.
Some classifications include the Shonic group in
Southern Bantu, with the other Zone S languages; others treat it separately.
References
Doke, Clement M. Report on the Unification of the Shona Dialects. Government of Southern Rhodesia: Government Blue Book, 1931.