A preliminary documentation of Siluyana: comparing Mbowe and Mwenyi

Nancy Kula, University of Essex

Project Details:

Small Grant. Duration: 2012-2013. £9,976

Project Summary:

This project provides a preliminary documentation of Mbowe and Mwenyi (14°S, 22°E) of the Siluyana dialect cluster in the Western Province of Zambia. The main dialect Luyi is no longer spoken with only 3 rememberers remaining. Mbowe has 2,690 speakers and Mwenyi an estimated 6,000. Documentation will produce audio and video data of different speech genres and create archival data providing a database for future documentation of the cluster. Documenting these two languages will provide key evidence for understanding the dynamics of language and identity in the area in both its historical and structural dimensions.