Bantu
Let an agent handle Bantu languages by branch, language, speakers and features, using the term linguistically, noting its offensive apartheid-era usage for people, and preferring specific language and people names.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent handle Bantu languages by branch, language, speakers and features, using the term linguistically, noting its offensive apartheid-era usage for people, and preferring specific language and people names.
A large group of several hundred closely related languages spoken across Central, East and Southern Africa, such as Swahili, Zulu, Xhosa, Shona, Kikongo and Lingala, forming a branch of the Southern Bantoid languages within Niger-Congo; in South Africa the word Bantu was also misused under apartheid and is considered offensive when applied to people.
What it is for: Linguistic classification and language resources.
It can be identify Bantu languages and branches; find speaker data from sources; describe features such as noun classes; use specific names for peoples respectfully.
Distinguishing features
Several hundred languages
Noun class systems
Wide geographic spread
Term carries historical sensitivity
What it looks like
Not physical; spoken and written languages.
How it is recognised
Noun class prefixes
Guthrie zone codes
Use for people can be offensive in South Africa
Related models
is a kind of - category
is part of - family
includes - members
is classified by - systems
In practice
Families and kinds
Swahili and other East African Bantu
Nguni languages such as Zulu and Xhosa
Shona and Central Bantu
Western Bantu languages
Mbam and Bubi groups
Identifiers
ISO 639-5 bnt language group code
Standards and regulation
ISO 639 language codes
Language rights in national constitutions
Failure modes and hazards
Using Bantu as a label for people in offensive ways
Treating hundreds of languages as one
Outdated speaker figures
Also called
+89
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Languages Which language.
Specific names matter.
Which
Language.
Which
Language.
- Which specific Bantu language is meant? definition
- Which branch or Guthrie zone does it belong to? provenance
Speakers
Numbers.
Speakers
Speakers.
- How many speakers does it have, according to which source? measurement
- Is it an official language anywhere? provenance
Features Linguistics.
Features are shared.
Noun classes
Prefixes.
Noun classes
Noun classes.
- How do noun classes work in this language? definition
- Which reference grammar describes them? provenance
Tone
Tonal systems.
Tone
Tone.
- Is the language tonal, and how is tone marked? definition
- Which sources describe it? provenance
Sensitivity Term usage.
The term has a painful history.
People
Offensive usage.
People
Usage for people.
- Is the word being used for people in a way considered offensive? boundary
- Which specific names for peoples should be used instead? action
History
Apartheid misuse.
History
Historical misuse.
- How was the term misused under apartheid, according to historians? provenance
- How is it used in linguistics today? definition
Resources Learning.
Resources support languages.
Learn
Courses.
Learn
Learning resources.
- Which resources exist for learning this language? provenance
- Are they made with speaker communities? boundary
Technology
Language tech.
Technology
Language technology.
- Which language technology tools support it? provenance
- How good are they? boundary
What the second pass must settle
- Should each language be a separate entry?
- How should classifications be compared?
- How should the sensitivity be displayed?