The Languages in Malawi by Jared

            In Malawi there are 2 main languages.  There is Chichewa, which is the national language, and there is Tumbuka (also known as chiTumbuka).  Chichewa is mostly spoken in the southern region and the capital.  Tumbuka is spoken in the northern region, from about Kasungu to Karonga.  In the far north, there are about 25 more dialects.

            In Tumbuka, once you know many of the root words, the rest comes easier.  Unfortunately, you have to make many changes to those root words depending on who you are addressing.  It also depends on the party, mood, or tense of the verbs in the sentence.  You change the words by adding prefixes and suffixes.  If you speak in the past tense, you don’t only change the verbs; you also change all of the words in the sentence.

            The language also has some complexity.  Rather than have one word for a certain noun and just adding an adjective to clarify on that noun, the language has a totally new word for that noun.  Gift, for example, is one of the words like this.  If it is a birthday gift, then the Tumbuka word is totally different.  If the gift is a Christmas gift, then the Tumbuka word is totally different.  This presents some difficulty in learning the language.

            Another interesting thing about the language is the certain greetings you use for different times of day.  Here are the morning greetings and responses:

           

            A:  Monire.  Mwagona uli?   =  Hello. How did you sleep?

            B:   Nagona makola.  Kwali imwe?  =  I slept fine. How about you?

            A:  Nagona makola. =  I slept fine.

 

            A: Mwawuka uli?   =   How did you wake up?

            B:  Nawuka makola, kwali imwe? = I woke up fine, how about you?

            A: Nawuka makola.  = I woke up fine.

Here is the afternoon greeting:

  A:  Mwatandala uli? = “How did you spend the day”

  B:  Natandala makola, kwali imwe? = I spent the day well, how about you?

  A:  Natandala makola. =  I spent the day well.

 

Once you know how to make the changes to the sentences and know the sentence structure, the language becomes much simpler.  I try to learn some, and then I try it out on the house help.  They’re very patient, thankfully.  I hope to be able to speak the language in a couple of years.