Mbugu

Maʼa is a Bantu language of Tanzania.

The Mbugu people speak two divergent registers, which have been treated as separate languages by some authorities (e.g. Tucker and Bryan): Mbugu or "Normal Mbugu" (autonym kiMbugu) is purely Bantu, while Maʼa or "Inner Mbugu" (autonym kiMaʼa) consists of Cushitic vocabulary with Bantu morphology similar to that of Shambala and Pare. They share a grammar, to the point that their syntax is identical and a passage in one can be translated to the other simply by changing the content words.

The Cushitic element was identified as a unique branch of South Cushitic by Ehret. However, Kießling (2001) notes a large East Cushitic admixture. Mous presents the Cushitic element as a register of a Bantu language, and identifies it as largely East Cushitic rather than South Cushitic.

From Wikipedia · Mbugu language · CC BY-SA 4.0