Mwani | Ethnologue

A language of Mozambique

ISO 639: wmw
Alternate Names: Ibo, Muane, Mwane, Mwaní, Namwaní, Quimuane
Autonym: Kimwani
Population: 166,000, all users. L1 users: 146,000 (2017). L2 users: 20,000.
Location:: Cabo Delgado province: coast north of Pemba, Arimba to Palma, Ibo and Mocimboa da Praia; Querimba archipelago offshore.
Language Status: 5* (Developing).
Classification: Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantoid, Southern, Narrow Bantu, Central, G, Swahili (G.403)
Dialects: Wibo (Kiwibo), Kisanga (Kikisanga, Quissanga), Nkojo (Kinkojo), Nsimbwa (Kinsimbwa). Not intelligible of Swahili [swh]. Kiwibo is prestige dialect. Kinsimbwa, the northernmost Mocimboa da Praia dialect, is inherently intelligible with others, even though it is the most distinct. Lexical similarity: 60% with Swahili [swh], 48% with Yao [yao].
Language Use: Home, community, religion, commerce. Also use Makhuwa [vmw]. Also use Portuguese [por]. Also use Swahili [swh]. Used as L2 by Makwe [ymk].
Language Development: Literacy rate in L2: 30%–40% in Arabic, 30%–40% in Portuguese [por]. Dictionary. NT: 2013.
Language Resources: OLAC resources in and about Mwani
Writing: Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab]. Latin script [Latn].
Other Comments: Muslim.

Location: Cabo Delgado province: coast north of Pemba, Arimba to Palma, Ibo and Mocimboa da Praia; Querimba archipelago offshore.