Nyanja

Nyanja, also called ChiNyanja or Chinyanja, is a Bantu language in the Niger-Congo family, spoken by the Nyanja people in parts of southeastern Africa. It is one of the Chewa-Nyanja languages and shares core features with related languages in the group.

Classification-wise, Nyanja belongs to the Bantu branch of the Niger-Congo family, within the Chewa-Nyanja subgroup. It has historical and linguistic ties to other languages in this cluster, such as Chewa (Chichewa), and forms part of the broader Bantu language continuum.

Geographic distribution and speakers provide that Nyanja is primarily spoken in Zambia (notably the Eastern Province and surrounding urban areas), Malawi (eastern and southern regions), and parts of Mozambique (including Zambezia and Nampula provinces). Smaller communities exist in neighboring countries. In many urban centers, Nyanja functions as a community language and lingua franca alongside other local languages and official languages.

Writing system and dialects: Nyanja is normally written with the Latin alphabet. It has several regional varieties, including Malawi’s Chinyanja varieties and Zambia’s Nyanja varieties, which are largely mutually intelligible and share a common literary and educational framework in some areas.

Usage and status: While English and Portuguese dominate formal education and administration in some countries, Nyanja is widely used in everyday communication, local media, and cultural contexts. It is taught as a subject in some schools and features in Bible translations and other language resources, underscoring its regional importance.