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Glite Dictionary
Tonga language

Tonga language

9.6
A language spoken by the Tonga people in southern Zambia and northern Zimbabwe
  • noun
translation icon : idioma tonga
  • She is fluent in the Tonga language and speaks it at home with her family.

Examples

  • The Tonga language is taught in some schools in Zambia as part of the curriculum.

  • Researchers are documenting the Tonga language to help preserve the cultural heritage of the region.

  • The Tonga language is rich in proverbs.

  • Many children in Zambia learn the Tonga language at school.

  • Researchers are documenting the Tonga language to help preserve the cultural heritage of the region.

  • She is fluent in the Tonga language and speaks it at home with her family.

  • Many children in Zambia learn the Tonga language at school.

Synonyms

Tonga
vsTonga language
1 9.9

A Bantu language spoken in southern Zambia and northern Zimbabwe

is the same language description but without the regional phrase

Surface Forms

Tonga language singular
Tonga languages plural

Morphology

Tonga + language

This is a transparent compound: the name of a people/place 'Tonga' combined with 'language' straightforwardly denotes the language spoken by that group. The pattern (group/place + language) is cross-linguistically common and thus easily derivable by a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Tonga language comes from the name of the Tonga people who live in southern Zambia and northern Zimbabwe. It simply means the 'language' spoken by that 'people'.