Chichewa

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The Bantu language spoken mainly in Malawi and parts of Zambia and Mozambique ; a member of the Chewa people, an ethnic group of central and eastern Africa
2. A Bantu tongue widely used in Malawi and nearby regions of Zambia and Mozambique ; someone belonging to the Chewa ethnic group of southeastern Africa
3. The language of Malawi and adjacent areas of Zambia and Mozambique ; a individual who descends from the Chewa people of central and eastern Africa

Etymology: The name Chichewa is a compound built from two parts: "chi-", a prefix meaning "language" in the Bantu languages, and "Cheŵa", the name of the people whose speech it is. So the language's name literally means "the language of the Chewa," and the speakers themselves are the Chewa, who live across central and eastern Africa. The prefix is an ancient Bantu feature, and its presence in this name reflects a naming pattern that runs through many African language names. The name is one of the more transparent in this vocabulary: a language label built directly from a people's name and a common prefix. The Chewa name itself is the older element, and the language was named after its community rather than the other way round. Chichewa is the language of Malawi and of neighbouring areas of Zambia and Mozambique. As a noun, the term also names a person descended from the Chewa people, so the same word covers both the speech and the people who speak it.