The dz / z correspondence (and dj / j)
Lesson 3 of 7≈ 10 min
Only a few words
Second correspondence: in a few words, a western voiced affricate answers to a fricative in shimaoré.
- *dz → z: mwidzi (Ng, Nz) / mwizi* (Ma) « thief »
- *dj → j: madji (Ng) / maji* (Nz, Ma) « water »
It is not a general rule: the Nisusoma shimaore booklet (CASNAV, 2019) writes dzitso (eye), dzinyo (tooth), dzina (name), udzisa (to ask), ndzia (path) — with dz, as in the west (pp. 31, 42, 44, 51).
The correspondence is therefore checked word by word. For « water », the line even runs between the west (madji) and the east (maji, also in shindzuani according to Ahmed-Chamanga, 1992, p. 14).
dz / z correspondence examples
The last three rows: shimaoré keeps dz (Nisusoma shimaore booklet, 2019, pp. 31 and 51).
| Meaning | Ng / Nz | Ma |
|---|---|---|
| thief | mwidzi | mwizi |
| water | madji (Ng) | maji (Nz, Ma) |
| eye | dzitso | dzitso |
| name | dzina | dzina |
| tooth | dzinyo | dzinyo |
| to feed | hudza | uza (with hu-/u-) |
The dj / j correspondence
Rarer, but follows the same simplification logic.
| Meaning | Ng / Nz | Ma |
|---|---|---|
| water | madji (Ng) | maji (Nz, Ma) |
| foreigner | mdjeni | mjeni (or mdjeni, varying) |
| Friday | idjimwa | idjimwa (often preserved) |
Listening
- mwidzi (Ng) ↔ mwizi (Ma)
- madji (Ng) ↔ maji (Nz, Ma)
- dzina (Ng) = dzina (Ma)
Note on modern loanwords
Watch out: not every z in shimaoré comes from a shiNgazidja dz. Many modern loanwords (from Arabic, swahili, French) have a native z in all varieties.
- zarde (garden, from French) — z in every variety
- zalumeti (matches) — z in every variety
The dz / z correspondence, where it exists, only affects old Bantu words, and only some of them. Loanwords keep their form in all dialects.
Practice
Convert dzina (« name », Ng) into shimaoré.
Source (NG)dzinaTargetConvert maji (Ma) into shiNgazidja.
Source (MA)majiTarget
Mini-quiz
In mwidzi (Ng) / mwizi (Ma), the shiNgazidja dz answers to…
…a ___ in shimaoré.
One sound, several spellings: pv
The next lesson covers the [β] sound, a v pronounced with both lips. It exists in shiNgazidja, shimaoré and part of Anjouanese; the 2019 norm writes it pv everywhere.