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Shi language

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Shi
Kishi/Mashi
Native toDemocratic Republic of Congo
RegionSud-Kivu Province
Native speakers
(660,000 cited 1991)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
shr – Shi
nyg – Nyindu
Glottologshii1238  Shi
nyin1248  Nyindu
JD.53,501[2]

Shi, or Nyabungu, is a Bantu language of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The Nyindu variety is heavily influenced by Lega, and speakers consider it a dialect of Lega rather than Shi, as Shi speakers see it. Maho (2009) leaves it unclassified as JD.501.[2]

The people who speak Mashi are known as Bashi. They are the largest tribe in South Kivu, whose capital city is Bukavu.

The Bashi occupy a vast region known as Bushi. Like Ngweshe, Kabare, Katana, Luhuinja, Burhinyi, Kaziba, Nyengezi, and Idjui where live the Bahavu who are also part of this group; Idjui is a large island in Kivu lake between DRC and Rwanda.

References

  1. ^ Shi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
    Nyindu at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online