Language contact and language change: the case for chiTumbuka in Northern Malawi

Abstract

This article raises problems regarding the confusion surrounding the classification of chiTumbuka among Bantu linguists. Some of this confusion stems from the fact that chiTumbuka spoken in the Mzimba-Lundazi region is really a merger between two originally different languages: chiTumbuka and isiZulu or chiNgoni. The article futher discusses particular aspects of this language change and its resultant influence from its contact with isiZulu or chiNgoni on the language and its users in the Mzimba-Lundazi region in particular, as well as elsewhere in northern Malawi. I conclude by suggesting that a standard dialect be chosen now, given its role as a regional lingua franca in northern Malawi.