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Comorian
Shikomor
Spoken in Comoros and Mayotte
Region Throughout Comoros and Mayotte; also in Madagascar and Réunion
Total speakers 350,702 (2004)
Language family Niger-Congo
Language codes
ISO 639-1 None
ISO 639-2 bnt
ISO 639-3 variously:
zdj – Ngazidja dialect
wni – Ndzwani dialect
swb – Maore Comorian
wlc – Mwali dialect

Comorian (Shikomor) is the most widely used language on the Comoros (independent islands in the Indian Ocean, off Mozambique and Madagascar) and Mayotte. It is a set of Swahili dialects but with a much stronger Arabic influence than standard Swahili. Each island has a different dialect; that of Anjouan is called Shindzuani, that of Mohéli Shimwali, that of Mayotte Shimaore, and that of Grande Comore Shingazija. No official alphabet existed in 1992, but Arabic and Latin scripts were both used.

Shimasiwa is another name for Comorian, meaning "language of islands". It is the language of Udzima wa ya Masiwa, the national anthem.

Bibliography

  • Ahmed-Chamanga, Mohamed. (1992) Lexique Comorien (shindzuani) - Français. Paris: L'Harmattan.
  • Ahmed-Chamanga, Mohamed. (1997) Dictionnaire français-comorien (dialecte Shindzuani). Paris: L'Harmattan.
  • Johansen, Aimee. A History of Comorian Linguistics. in John M. Mugane (ed.), Linguistic Typology and Representation of African Languages. Africa World Press. Trenton, New Jersey.

External links








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