Bemba language
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| Bemba | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chibemba | ||
| Spoken in |  Zambia Democratic Republic of the Congo Tanzania |
|
| Total speakers | 4,208,940 | |
| Language family | Niger-Congo | |
| Official status | ||
| Official language in | Zambia (regional language) |
|
| Regulated by | No official regulation | |
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1 | None | |
| ISO 639-2 | bem | |
| ISO 639-3 | bem | |
The Bemba language, Chibemba, also known as Cibemba, Ichibemba, Icibemba and Chiwemba, is a Bantu language that is spoken primarily in Zambia by the Bemba people and about 18 related ethnic groups. It is the second-most spoken lanuage in Zambia, after Nyanja. The noun class prefix 'chi-' indicates languages and the prefix 'ba-' indicates people, so 'Babemba' also means the Bemba people. The other close tribe is the Bisa people living in Mpika and Lake Bangweulu areas.
Chibemba is also spoken, to a lesser extent, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, and Botswana.
It is an SVO language, and is also a tonal language.
