Native to Angola, Zambia Native speakers 640,000 (2001–2010) | Ethnicity Lovale Recognised minority
language in Zambia | |
Language family Niger–Congo
Atlantic–Congo
Benue–Congo
Bantoid
Bantu (Zone K)
Chokwe–Luchazi (K.10)
Luvale Writing system Latin (Luvale alphabet)
Luvale Braille | ||
Luvale (also spelled Chiluvale, Lovale, Lubale, Luena, Lwena) is a Bantu language spoken by the Lovale people of Angola and Zambia. It is recognized as a regional language for educational and administrative purposes in Zambia, where about 168,000 (2006) people speak it.
Luvale is closely related to Chokwe.
In fiction
In the Swedish 1997 murder mystery novel "Faceless Killers", Inspector Kurt Wallander investigates a murderous racist attack on a refugee center in Skane and finds it difficult to communicate with a witness who speaks only the Luvale language. The problem is resolved when a 90-year-old woman is found, who is a former missionary who speaks Luvale fluently, and she acts as the interpreter.
References
Luvale language Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA