Ndau (also called
Chindau,
Chindau,
Ndzawu,
Njao,
Sofala,
Southeast Shona,
Chidanda) is one of the
Shona dialects. It is spoken by people from the region of
Chipinge (
Zimbabwe). Some of its vocabulary is very similar to that of
Ndebele and often this dialect can sound very different from that of basic Shona.
Reading the Ndau phrase below (Lord's Prayer), differences from the Shona language are relatively minor, but certainly present:
Baba edu ari mudenga, ngariremeredzwe zina renyu. UMambo hwenyu ngahuuye. Kuda kwenyu ngakuitwa munyika kudai ngomudenga. Tipei ngeiri zuva kurya kwedu kunotamika nyamashi. Tirekererei ndaa dzedu kudai tisu takarekerera avo vane ndaa kwetiri. Usatipinza mukuedzwa, asi tinunure kuno uwo wakashata.
The equivalent paragraph in 'Standard Shona' is:
Baba vedu vari kudenga, ngariremekedzwe zita renyu. UMambo hwenyu ngahwuuye. Kuda kwenyu ngakuitwe panyika sokudenga. Tipei nhasi kudya kwedu kwakaringana. Tiregererei zvatinokutadzirai sezvatinoregerera avo vanotitadzira. Musatipinze mukuedzwa, asi tinunure kuno wakaipa.
Alphabet
While the mainstream Shona language excludes L, Q and X from its alphabet, it is not the same with the Ndau language as shown by the examples below:
(1) Mainstream Shona "
Akatizira and the Ndau version
Akafohla, 'L' is used.
(2) Mainstream Shona "
kuridza tsamwa and the Ndau version
kuxapa, 'X' is used.
(3) Mainstream Shona "
Kurara and the Ndau version
Kuqambaya, 'Q' is used.
References
Category:Southern Bantu languages
