Luyana (Esiluyana)

Luyana is a Bantu language spoken by about 296,000 people mainly along the Okavango River in the southwest of Zambia, and also in Namibia and Angola. In particular, it is spoken in the Lozi-Luyan zone of the Western Province of Zambia.

Luyana is also known as Louyi, Lui, Luyi, Si-Luyana or Rouyi. Luyana speakers call their language Esiluyana. Dialects possibly include Kwani, Mbowe, Mbume and Kwangwa, although they are classified as separate languages by some linguists.

A way to write Luyana with the Latin alphabet was developed in 2011, and it is taught in primary and secondary schools in Zambia. There is a Luyana translation of the New Testament of the Bible.

Luyana alphabet and pronunciation

Luyana alphabet and pronunciation

Download an alphabet chart for Luyana (Excel)
Details of Luyana pronunciation provided by Wolfram Siegel (PDF)

Sample text

  1. Cwale Jesu sebeli waambela nji, “Aba mulapela, mwambe nji, ‘Sitetu, elitina lyowe liikale eli no kukena, kwiiye omubuso wowe.
  2. Otube balelo esilyanu setu omo otubelanga mu liywaa ni liywaa.
  3. Otu lemene emibonda yetu kanyi omo tulemenanga akwetu awo atu foseza. Ole kutu leselela okwingena mu miliko.’”

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/4077/LUK.11.LYN

Translation

  1. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
  2. Give us day by day our daily bread.
  3. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
    The Lord's Prayer - Luke 11: 2-4

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/1/LUK.11.KJV

Sample video in Luyana

Links

Information about Luyana
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luyana_language
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idioma_luyana
https://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/luya1241
http://www.language-archives.org/language/lyn

Bantu languages

Aka, Bafaw-Balong, Bangi, Basaa, Bemba, Bembe, Bena, Benga, Bhaca, Bube, Bukusu, Bulu, Central Teke, Chichewa, Chokwe, Chuwabu, Comorian, Dciriku, Digo, Duala, Eton, Ewondo, Fang, Ganda/Luganda, Gogo, Gusii, Gwere, Haya, Hehe, Herero, Ibinda, Ikizu, Ikoma, Jita, Kabwa, Kako, Kamba, Kiga, Kikuyu, Kimbundu, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Kisi, Kogo, Komo, Kongo, Konjo, Koti, Kukuya, Kunda, Kuria, Kwambi, Lambya, Lingala, Loma, Lozi, Luba-Katanga, Luchazi, Lunda, Luvale, Luyana, Makaa, Makonde, Makhuwa, Mandekan, Maore, Masaaba, Mbama, Mbere, Mbukushu, Mbunda, Mbuun, Mende, Mongo, Mpiemo, Mushungulu, Mwani, Nambya, Nande, Ngoni, Nkore, North Teke, Northern Ndebele (South Africa), Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), Northern Sotho, Nyamwezi, Nyakyusa, Nyemba, Nyole, Nyoro, Nyungwe, Nzadi, Oroko, OshiWambo, Pagibete, Punu, Ronga, Safwa, Sena, Sengele, Shona, Soga, Songe, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Sukuma, Swahili, Swati, Tanga, Tembo, Tonga, Tooro, Tshiluba, Tsonga, Tswa, Tswana, Tumbuka, Umbundu, Venda, Vwanji, Xhosa, Yao, Yasa, Zigula, Zinza, Zulu

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 01.04.25. Last modified: 01.04.25

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