Zemba
Dhimba
Native toAngola, Namibia
EthnicityHerero, Tjimba
Native speakers
Angola: 18,000 (2011)[1]
Namibia: 7,000 (2016)
Language codes
ISO 639-3dhm
Glottologzemb1238
R.311[2]
ELPHimba

Zemba or Dhimba is a Bantu language spoken mainly in Angola where the language has about 18,000 speakers, and also in Namibia with some 7,000.[1] It is closely related to Herero, and is often considered a dialect of that language, especially as the Zemba are ethnically Herero.

There are various spellings and pronunciations of the name: Zimba, Dhimba, Tjimba, Chimba, etc. However, when spelled Tjimba or Chimba in English, it generally refers to the Tjimba people, non-Herero hunter-gatherers who speak Zemba. The spelling Himba should be distinguished from the Himba people and their dialect of Herero.

Ethnologue separates Zemba as a distinct language from Himba (Otjihimba, Ovahimba), classified as a dialect of Herero proper.[3] Maho (2009), however, sets up a Northwest Herero language, which includes Zemba; from the map, it would appear to include Himba and Hakaona as well.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 Zemba at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. 1 2 Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
  3. ↑ Herero at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon


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