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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:'Flogging a Dead Cow?' The Revival of Malawian Chingoni
Author:Kishindo, Pascal J.ISNI
Year:2002
Periodical:Nordic Journal of African Studies
Volume:11
Issue:2
Pages:206-223
Language:English
Geographic term:Malawi
Subjects:Ngoni
Ngoni language
Peoples of Africa (Ethnic Groups)
Politics and Government
External link:https://www.njas.fi/njas/article/view/356/339
Abstract:The first group to intrude upon 19th-century Malawi was the militant Ngoni, an offshoot of the South African Zulu. This paper explores how Chingoni, a language of the conquering Ngoni, lost out to Chitumbuka and Chichewa, the languages of the conquered Tumbuka and Chewa respectively, to the extent of being moribund as a language of everyday communication. Since language is usually considered to be a marker of identity, the link between the Ngoni identity and Chingoni is also explored and it is concluded that language is not a sine qua non of group identity. The paper also examines efforts being made by the Abenguni Revival Association to revive Chingoni, which is now considered an endangered language. It concludes that, although these efforts are laudable, it is unlikely that they will produce positive long-term results. Bibliogr., notes, ref., sum. [Journal abstract]
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