Rwa (E621A), Uru (E622D), and Mkuu (E623C): Less-described varieties of Kilimanjaro Bantu (Chaga) languages

Abstract This chapter presents a descriptive overview of Chaga languages (E60), focusing on varieties which have little or no linguistic description so far, namely Rwa (E621A) of West Kilimanjaro, Uru (E622D) of Central Kilimanjaro, and the Mkuu variety of Rombo (E623). The chapter highlights typologically salient features from a cross-Bantu viewpoint, including phenomena to which hitherto little attention has been paid in the literature. In the section on phonology, some relatively rare segmental features are mentioned, with a brief introduction of the tonal phenomena. The section on morphology, which is the main part of this chapter, deals mainly with Chaga-internal structural variation of the verb. In the section on syntax, one of the main topics is the interrelation between negation, topic marking, and clause types. The chapter also discusses processes of gradual transition across Chaga languages, based on data from a wide area of Kilimanjaro which reflects internal typological diversity found in this language group.