Chivanhu and the Shona alphabet

chivanhu

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1: African traditional culture (tsika nemagariro epasichigare)

2: the formal language (mutauro wechiShona) that's widely spoken in the Republic of Zimbabwe

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Note: ChiShona language consists of other dialects such as Zezuru, Karanga, Korekore, Manyika, and Ndau. The most spoken Shona dialect is Zezuru whilst the hardest to understand among them all is Ndau. Yeah, it's really hard fo' sho'. It's one of those things where if you didn't grow up exposed to it, the chances of showing interest as an adult are slim.

Example usage 1:

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Person X: "Chivanhu chedu chinoyera asi chave kukanganikwa nevechidiki."

Person Y: "Vapfana vemazuvano vanobatira zvemhiri yemakungwa pamusoro."


Example Usage 2:

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Person X: "Kuchopa kwaarikuita chivheti adii asasa hake neChivanhu"

Person Y: "Uyo mdara agara anezvinomunetsa musiyeyi akadero."

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The difference between the Shona and English alphabets is that in the former you won't find the following alphabet letters:

• L
• Q
• X

However, in Zim slang, you may come across words that contain the letters L, X, and Q and that's because Zim slang incorporates Shonglish/Chivanglish, Chibhende, and the Ndebele language of which the latter is also another major official language in the Republic of Zimbabwe.