A dictionary of Mijikenda (formerly Kinyika) dialects collected by Johannes Rebmann and Johann Ludwig Krapf beginning as early as 1846. Rebmann collected most of the data from local informants in Kisulutini, a settlement near Rabai Mpya.
Figure 1. CMS Mission Station at Kisulutini
Figure 2. Johannes Rebmann
Figure 3. Johann Ludwig Krapf
Nika, or kinyika, is the previous name for ChiMijikenda, a Bantu language spoken by around 2.6 million people in eastern Kenya. It is closely related to Kiswahili, Shicomorian, Kipokomo, and Kielewa, which together form the Sabaki Branch of Northeast Central Bantu languages. Krapf and Rebmann distinguished three dialects in their dictionary: Giryama (northern), Rabai (central), and Digo (southern). Modern linguistic studies generally distinguish among two (northern and southern). Speakers of ChiMijikenda traditionally distinguish \ nine dialects each tied to one of nine (kenda) ancestral settlements (miji).
Mijikenda is referenced as:
NYF in Ethnologue (https://www.ethnologue.com/language/nyf/)
E.70 Nyika in Maho’s updated Guthrie Classification Codes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mijikenda_language
Since the language collection was primarily conducted in settlements around Rabai, dictionary entries are considered to be from the Rabai dialect unless indicated otherwise. The compilers included many words from other Bantu languages, including dialects of Kiswahili, as indicated in the table below. It is not always apparent if these inclusions should be regarded as loanwords into ChiMijikenda dialects or simply gathered along with ChiMijikenda data.
|
Abbreviation |
Meaning |
|
K. |
Collected by Krapf, but Rebmann thinks the word needs more investigation. |
|
Kid. |
Kidigo (a southern Mijikenda/Nika dialect) |
|
Kig. |
Kigiriama (a northern Mijikenda/Nika dialect) |
|
Kij. |
Kijomba (a Kiswahili dialect, Jomvu town near Rabai) |
|
Kik. |
Kikamba, (a Central Kenya Bantu dialect) |
|
Kim. |
Kimvita (the Kiswahili dialect of Mombasa) |
|
Kins. |
Kiniasa (Nyasa dialect, Mozambique origin) |
|
Kir. |
Kiravai / Kirabai (a central Mijikenda/Nika dialect) |
Informants for the language data have not been identified. Most were likely Rabai men in the surrounding community of Kisulutini. Rebmann appears to be the primary collector of the linguistic data, but it was compiled and edited by Krapf. The final editing for publication was accomplished by Thomas Henry Sparshott, “the best available scholar for the purpose”. As such, many of the entries are incomplete, providing only words in ChiMijikenda without any corresponding definition. Some entries include only a headword.
A foreword to the dictionary indicates that Rebmann had prepared a copy for printing and sent it from Germany to England, but this copy was lost. So, the dictionary is based on a “rough copy” that was missing several pages. Attempts were made to fill in the missing pages through correspondence with missionaries in the field. Research is ongoing to identify those pages and the missionaries.
This dictionary aimed to provide maximal information, including proposed etymological origins, grammatical information, related words, translated definitions into English, example sentences, derivations, and frequent ethnolinguistic notes.
[headword,] [headword alternate spelling,] [(language source),] [part of speech abbreviation.] [(genitive radical, pl. Corresponding Plural Class Prefix),] [(= comparable word {in other language}),] [See related word {;related word; related word}.] [Definition{; alternate definition}. {Usage Notes.}] [in Cognate Language Alternative Definition] [Sample sentence {(=clarification through additional related words) { Translation of Sample Sentence }.] [Der. (or Dim.), Derivations (sometimes specifically diminutives) separated by semicolons].
|
1 |
Headword |
Bold |
|
2 |
headword alternate spelling |
Bold |
|
3 |
Language source |
May be etymological origin or cognate or loan word in any given example. |
|
4 |
part of speech abbreviation |
Italic |
|
5 |
Noun class agreements |
|
|
6 |
Related words |
Always preceded by See. If there are multiple words, they are separated by a semi-colon, but this section always ends in a period. |
|
7 |
Language source origin of related word |
|
|
8 |
Definition |
English |
|
9 |
Usage Notes |
Any number of sentences |
|
10 |
Sample sentence |
Any number of sentences |
|
11 |
Derivations |
Successive derivations separated by a semicolon. |
|
12 |
Notes or commentary. |
Any number of sentences |
Adui, n. See Onia; Ruma; Ereka; Ndui; Udui. An enemy.
Adzala (Kig.), v. a. (= Idzala, Kir.).
Avahiwa, or Ahahiwa, v. p. Wa henda avahiwa.
Avasa, Avaza, v. a., to lend. Ni avaza uchi, Lend me some today.
Dzulu, n.
Alamula, v. a., (1) to widen, to enlarge. Ku alamula tundu, To enlarge a hole. (2) To judge. Ku alamulini musiriche atu ku heha tu. Nina alamula keri irio udzungu, zinda alamula tamu irio ulongo (ndo Abe-Wesa dzuka adzotioamba).
Danda, v.a., to clamber, to climb with hands and feet, in contradistinction to Ku shombera. Yudzi-u-danda muhi hata yudzi-u-ingira. Muhi urio na kidini, usio pandiso, usio tahi vevi (= Ku danda and Ku shombera)
Dandasa, v.a. (= Ku handika; Ku anika; and Ku kunsula), to expand, to lay open, to spread out. Ku dandasa nguo kuamba i ume. Ku dandasa gumo ( = Ku- ri- kunsula sana).
Dzumbi, n. (ra, pl. Ma-), the space between the shoulders. Kanda ya hikuno dzumbini ka-va-kunika, sudi u-kunue nim utu. Gnania yuna dzumbi, or, Kidzumbi, yunakutuka mongo. Dim., Kadzumbi ; Kidzumbi, used of a crooked back, = Kanundu.
Figure 4 Template notes
We have often expanded abbreviations in the database. However, users consulting the images may find the abbreviations table below helpful.
|
Abbreviation |
Meaning |
|
adj. |
adjective |
|
adv. |
adverb |
|
conj. |
conjunction |
|
interj. |
interjection |
|
inter. pron. |
interrogative pronoun |
|
instr. |
instrumental |
|
n. |
noun |
|
n. coll. |
“Collective” noun |
|
n. pr. |
proper noun? |
|
pron. |
pronoun |
|
poss. pron. |
possessive pronoun |
|
prep. |
preposition |
|
rel. pron. |
relative pronoun |
|
v. |
verb |
|
verb. adj. |
verbal adjective |
|
v.a. |
transitive verb |
|
v.c. |
causative verb |
|
v.d. |
dative verb (prepositional form) |
|
v.n. |
neuter verb (states of being) |
|
v.p. |
passive verb |
|
v.r. |
? |
|
v. reit. |
Reiterative verb |
|
v. ref. |
Reflexive |
|
v. rel |
|
|
Sound (or “a sound”) |
Sound |
|
(may be combined with another POS) enclit. |
enclitic |
|
(may be combined with another POS) proclit. |
proclitic |
The assignment of nouns to Bantu noun classes is systematic in this dictionary. Instead of using numbers, the editors provided the appropriate genitive marker and the plural prefix of the entry.
For example, the root of the word Muodia is odia, with Mu- as the noun class prefix. “wa” is the form of the word “of” that connects Muodia to other nouns, as in: Muodia wa mbao, a quiver of wood. The prefix Mi- is the plural prefix for this noun class. It is given to distinguish it from the class of nouns for people, which has the prefixes Mu-, Wa-. The following chart extracts prefixes from sample nouns that Krapf used to demonstrate noun classes in An Outline of the Elements of the Kisuaheli Language, with Special Reference to the Kinika Dialect. In this early work, Krapf listed ten classes with singular and plural prefixes. Later scholars combined several of these classes (e.g. 2 and 3, and 4 and 5). However, the chart shows how Krapf linked noun prefixes to specific genitive particles in the language resources he created.
| Class | Single | Plural | Single "of" | Plural "of" | |
| 1 | mu | a | wa | a | |
| 2 | mu | mi | wa | ya | |
| 3 | mu | mi | wa | ya | |
| 4 | lu | ny | lua | sa [za] | |
| 5 | lu | ny | lua | sa [za] | |
| 6 | "no plural" | ya | sa [za] | ||
| 7 | None | ma | ra | ga | |
| 8 | "no plural" | ya | sa [za] | ||
| 9 | va | va | |||
| 10 | ki | vi | ja [cha] | wia [vya] |
The following chart adapts the dictionary treatment of noun classes to HALD’s standardized chart. A capitalized N in this chart represents a nasal prefix, which usually presents as /n/ but may also present as /ŋ/,/mb/, or /ny/. NB Neither Class 13 (with the noun prefix "ka") or Class 14 (With the noun prefix "u") is mentioned in Krapf's "Outline" but they are represented in this dictionary. Class 13 takes the genitive particle "ka" and "vi" as a plural prefix. Class 14 takes the gentive particle "wa" and rarely takes a plural with a Class 12 Nasal Prefix
| Class | Marker | |
| 1 | mu | Singular of 2 |
| 2 | a | Plural of 1 |
| 3 | mu | Singular of 4 |
| 4 | mi | Plural of 3 |
| 5 | "x" | Singular of 6 |
| 6 | ma | Plural of 5, 15 |
| 7 | ki | Singular of 8 |
| 8 | vi | Plural of 7, 13 |
| 9 | N | Singular of 10 |
| 10 | N | Plural of 9, 11 |
| 11 | lu | Singular of 10 |
| 12 | N | Singular of 14 |
| 13 | ka | Singular |
| 14 | u | Plural of 12 |
| 15 | ku | Infinitive |
| 16 | vo | Locative |
| 17 | ko | Locative |
| 18 | mo | Locative |
| 19 | ||
| 20 | Singular of 22 | |
| 21 | ||
| 22 | Plural of 20 | |
| 23 | ||
| 24 | ||
| 25 | Locative |
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