Ila (Chiila) is a language of Zambia. Maho (2009) lists Lundwe (Shukulumbwe) and Sala as distinct languages most closely related to Ila. Ila is one of the languages of the Earth included on the Voyager Golden Record.
Phonology The following phonology data follows a 1927 report by Clement Martyn Doke.
Vowels + Ila / Kafwe Twa / Lundwe vowels Front Back Near-close Mid Open
Vowels may be nasalized before voiceless fricatives, and length is freely variable. There are no diphthongs.
In Ila proper, is between front and central positions , noticeably further forward than in Kafwe Twa and Lundwe, where it is more standard central . All other vowels are phonetically lower (more open) than their cardinal values: . Before laterals , mid lowers even further to approach an open-mid quality .
Consonants Letters shown in are Doke's orthography where it differs from typical IPA transcriptions.
+Ila / Kafwe Twa / Lundwe consonants Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal Nasal () () Plosive Fricative Approximant Flap
Uncommon fricatives The set that Doke wrote as are described as "labio-glottal" fricatives. is voiceless, is voiced, and is a nasalized form of . Doke noted that the voiceless fricative had previously been written as or , and the voiced fricative as . He described them as "modified glottal fricatives" with concurrent lip friction and the tongue kept in a velar position, thus giving them a -like glide. He also provided an alternate description of them as velarized variants of typical glottal fricatives with lip friction similar to that of a bilabial fricative . They might thus be transcribed as , or more precisely as .
Lundwe and Kafwe Twa are described as having a "palato-glottal" fricative in place of , which he wrote as , a combination of and . It has a nasalized form in nasal environments. The tongue position is approximately the same as but with strong glottal friction. The variants might thus be transcribed as (with the diacritic for breathy voice).
Tonality and stress Doke noted that there are high, mid, and low tones, which he transcribed as for high, unmarked for mid, and for low. There are many instances in which tone is used to distinguish terms. For example, versus , versus .
Orthography According to Smith & Dale (1919):Edwin Smith & Andrew Murray Dale, The Ila-Speaking Peoples of Northern Rhodesia, 1919, reprinted by University Books Inc., New York, 1968.
ch in fact varies from "k" to a "weak" version of English "ch", to a "strong" "ch" to "ty". j as the voiced sound corresponding to this therefore varies "g"/English "j"/ "dy" / and "y". v is reportedly a voiced labiodental fricative /v/ as in English , and vh the same labialised and aspirated /vʷʰ/ ("lips more rounded with a more distinct emission of breath"). zh is the voiced post-alveolar fricative /ʒ/; French as in bonjour. ng is the voiced velar nasal followed by a voiced velar plosive, /ŋg/ as in RP English "finger", while ng' is a plain voiced velar nasal /ŋ/ as in "singer" - a similar distinction is observed in Swahili.e.g. D.V.Perrott, Teach Yourself Swahili, English Universities Press, London, 1969.
Doke provides the following recommended orthography: Letter a b c d e g h ɦ i k l m n ɲ ŋ o p s ʃ t u w y z ʒ IPA
Example terms
imboni - pupil of the eye ipeezhyo - brush; broom indimi - tongues lemeka - honour (verb) bamba - arrange Bamambila - they arrange for me Balanumba - they praise me bobu buzani - this meat Bobu mbuzani - this is meat chita - to do, same is used to mean 'I have no idea' chisha - to cause to do katala - to be tired katazhya - to make tired ukatazhya-refuse to be sent;scarce dakuzanda-I love you twalumba-Thank you impongo - a goat
Ideophones or imitation words
Words in English such as "Splash!", "Gurgle", "Ker-putt" express ideas without the use of sentences. Smith and Dale point out that this kind of expression is very common in the Ila language:
You may say Ndamuchina anshi ("I throw him down"), but it is much easier and more trenchant to say simply Ti!, and it means the same.Smith & Dale, volume 2, page 293.
Some examples:
Muntu wawa - A person falls Wawa mba - falls headlong Mba! - He falls headlong Mbo! mbo! mbo! mbò! - (with lowered intonation on the last syllable) He falls gradually Mbwa! - flopping down, as in a chair Wa! wa! wa! wa!- The rain is pattering Pididi! pididi! pididi! - of a tortoise, falling over and over from a great height Ndamuchina anshi - I throw him down Ti! - ditto Te! - torn, ripped Amana te! - The matter's finished To-o! - So peaceful! Wi! - All is calm Ne-e! - All is calm Tuh! - a gun going off Pi! - Phew, it's hot! Lu! - Yuck, it's bitter! Lu-u! - Erh, it's sour! Lwe! - Yum, sweet! Mbi! - It's dark Mbi! mbi! mbi! mbi! - It's utterly dark Sekwè sekwè! - the flying of a goose nachisekwe - a goose
Grammar Class prefixes
As in many other languages, Ila uses a system of noun classes. Either the system as presented by Smith and Dale is simpler than that for Nyanja,Thomas Price, The Elements of Nyanja for English-Speaking Students, Church of Scotland Mission, Blantyre (Malawi), 1959. ChiChewa,ChiChewa Intensive Language Course, Language Centre, Lilongwe, 1969 Tonga,C.R.Hopwood, A Practical Introduction to ChiTonga, Zambia Educational Publishing House, Lusaka, 1940, 1992. or Bemba,Grammar notes in Rev. E. Hoch, Hippocrene Concise Dictionary: Bemba: Bemba - English, English - Bemba, Hippocrene Books, Inc., New York, 1998. or the authors have skated over the complexities by the use of the category "significant letter":
Class 1. singular: prefix: mu-; s/l. (= "significant letter" verb, adjective, etc. prefix appropriate to the class:) u-, w- Class 1. plural. prefix: ba-; s/l. b- Class 2. sing. prefix: mu-; s/l. u-, w- Class 2. pl. prefix: mi-; s/l. i-, y- Class 3. sing. prefix: i-, di-; s/l. l-, d- Class 3. pl. prefix: ma-; s/l. a- Class 4. sing. prefix: bu- abstract nouns; s/l. b- Class 4. pl. prefix: ma-; s/l. a- Class 5. sing. prefix: ku- often nouns of place; s/l. k- Class 5. pl. prefix: ma-; s/l. a- Class 6. sing. prefix: ka- a diminutive sense; s/l. k- Class 6. pl. prefix: tu- diminutive plural; s/l. t- Class 7. sing. prefix: chi- "thing" class; s/l. ch- Class 7. pl. prefix: shi-; s/l. sh- Class 8. sing. prefix: in-; s/l. i-, y- Class 8. pl. prefix: in-; s/l. y-, sh- Class 9. sing. prefix: lu-; s/l. l- Class 9. pl. prefix: in-; s/l. y-, sh- Class 10. sing. prefix: lu-; s/l. l- Class 10. pl. prefix: ma-; s/l. a-
The locatives form a special category: mu- - at rest in, motion into, motion out from; ku- - position at, to, from a- - rest upon, to or from off (Compare pa- prefix in Sanga, etc.Mukanda wa Leza (The Bible in KiSanga/Sanga, southern Congo D.R.), Trintarian Bible Society, London SW19, 1991.Lyndon Harries, A Grammar of Mwera Witwatersrand University Press, Johannesburg, 1950.)
Thus: Mung'anda mulashia - The inside of the house is dark. Kung'anda kulashia - Around the house it is dark. Ang'anda alashia - Darkness is upon the house.
The Ila verb system
The root is the part of the verb giving the primary meaning. To this can be added prefixes and suffixes: many elements can be united in this way, sometimes producing long and complex polysyllabic verb words. For example, from the root anga, "to tie", we can derive such a form as Tamuna kubaangulwila anzhyi? meaning, "Why have you still not untied them?"
Prefixes can show: tense subject object voice (exceptional)
Suffixes can show: voice tense (exceptional) mood
Here are some of the forms of the verb kubona, "to see". (Note that there are also negative forms, e.g. ta-tu-boni, "we do not see", that there is also a subjunctive mood, a conditional mood, a jussive mood and the imperative. Many subjunctive forms end in -e.
The root of the verb is in two forms:
(i) simple stem: bona : code - SS (ii) modified stem: bwene : code ₴ -SS tubona we (who) see -₵ tubwene we (who) have seen -A-SS twabona we saw, see, have seen -A-CHI-SS twachibona we continue seeing -A-YA-BU-SS twayabubona we are engaged in seeing -DI-MU-KU-SS tudmukubona we are seeing -CHI-SS tuchibona we continue to see -LA-SS tulabona we are constantly (usually, certainly) seeing -LA-YA-BU-SS tulayabubona we are being engaged in seeing -LA-YA-KU-SS tulayakubona we are habitually in the act of seeing -DI-₵ tulibwene we have seen -CHI-₵ tuchibwene we have been seeing -A-KA-SS twakabona we saw -A-KA-CHI-SS twakachibona we continued seeing -A-KA-YA-BU-SS twakayabubona we were engaged in seeing KA-SS katubona (Notice the position of tu here) we saw KA-₵ katubwene we did see -A-KU-SS twakubona we were seeing -A-KU-CHI-SS twakuchibona we were continuing to see -A-KU-YA-BU-SS twakuyabubona we were engaged in seeing -A-KU-₵ twakubwene we had seen -KA-LA-SS tukalabona we shall soon see -KA-LA-CHI-SS tukalachibona we shall continue seeing -KA-LA-YA-BU-SS tukalayabubona we shall be engaged in seeing
The above English renderings are approximate.
Certain suffixes add new dimensions of meaning to the root. Although these follow some logic, we again have to feel a way towards an adequate translation into English or any other language:
simple verb: bona - to see relative or dative form: -ila, -ela, -ina, -ena: bonena - to see to, for somebody, and so on extended relative: ilila, -elela, -inina, enena: bonenena - to see to, for somebody, etc. ililila - to go right away causative: -ya + many sound changes: chisha - to cause to do, from chita - to do capable, "-able": -ika, -eka: chitika - to be do-able passive: -wa: chitwa - to be done middle (a kind of reflexive that acts upon oneself - compare Greek): -uka: anduka - to be in a split position, from andulwa- to be split by somebody stative; in fixed constructions only: -ama: lulama - to be straight; kotama - to be bowed extensive: -ula: sandula - turn over; andula - split up extensive, with the sense of "keep on doing": -aula: andaula - chop up firewood equivalent of English prefix "re-": -ulula: ululula - to trade something over and over again, from ula - to trade or the equivalent of the English prefix "un-", also: -ulula: ambulula - to unsay, to retract reflexive - a prefix this time - di- : dianga - to tie oneself, from anga - to tie; dipa - to give to each other, from pa - to give reciprocal: -ana: bonana - to see each other intensive: -isha: angisha - to tie tightly reduplicative: - keep on turning aside, from ambuka - to turn aside
These can be used in composites: e.g. langilizhya - to cause to look on behalf of.
Oral literature In 1920, Edwin W. Smith and published The Ila-speaking Peoples of Northern Rhodesia in two volumes; the second volume features a large number of Ila texts with English translations.Smith, Edwin; Dale, Andrew, M. (1920). The Ila-speaking Peoples of Northern Rhodesia, volume II. The texts come from Ila people living along the Kafue River in what was then Northern Rhodesia. There are 60 folktales,Smith and Dale (1920), vol. 2, pp. 334-333. including a long cycle of stories about the trickster hare, along with proverbs,Smith and Dale (1920), vol. 2, pp. 311-417. riddles,Smith and Dale (1920), vol. 2, pp. 324-331. and dilemma tales.Smith and Dale (1920), vol. 2, pp. 331-333. Here are some of the proverbs: "Kwina mwami owakadizhala." "No chief ever gave birth to a chief (the hereditary principle by which a son follows his father is unknown to the Ba-ila)." "Chizhilo chibe chishinka museuna." "Any old pole will stop up a hole in the fence (i.e. everybody is useful to the community in some way or other)." "Mano takala mutwi omwi." "Wisdom does not dwell in one head." "Mukando mushie lubilo, mano tomushii." "You may outrun an old man, but you can't outdo him in wisdom." "Kabwenga moa ng'uongola." "It is the prudent hyena that lives long." Here are some of the riddles: