Shona alphabet

Shona
Native to	Zimbabwe, Mozambique
Native speakers	8.3 million, Shona proper (2007) 10.8 million Zezuru, Karanga, Korekore (2000) 15 million incl. Manyika, Ndau (2000–2006)
Language family	Niger–Congo Atlantic–Congo Benue–Congo Southern Bantoid Bantu Shona (S.10) Shona
Dialects	Korekore Zezuru Manyika Karanga Ndau
Writing system	Latin script (Shona alphabet) Shona Braille
Official status
Official language in	Zimbabwe
Language codes
ISO 639-1	sn
ISO 639-2	sna
ISO 639-3	Variously:  – Zezuru, Karanga, Korekore  – Tavara (Korekore)  – Manyika  – Tewe (Manyika)  – Ndau
Glottolog	core1255  Core Shona tawa1270  Tawara
Guthrie code	S.11–15
Linguasphere	99-AUT-a = List 99-AUT-aa (standardised Shona)+ 99-AUT-ab (chiKorekore incl. varieties -aba to -abk)+ 99-AUT-ac (chiZezuru -aca..-ack)+ 99-AUT-ad (north chiManyika -ada..-adk)+ 99-AUT-ae (central chiManyika -aea..-aeg)+ 99-AUT-af (chiKaranga -afa..-aff)+ 99-AUT-ag (chiNdau -aga..-age)+ 99-AUT-ah (chiShanga)+ 99-AUT-ai (chiKalanga)+ 99-AUT-aj (chiNambya -aja..-ajc)+ 99-AUT-ak (chiLilima -aka..-akf)
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Shona /ˈʃoʊnə/ (chiShona) is the most widely spoken Bantu language as a first language and is native to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. The term is also used to identify peoples who speak one of the Central Shona varieties: Zezuru, Karanga, Manyika and Korekore. Based on Clement Doke's 1931 report, Union Shona or Standard Shona was developed from the Central Shona varieties. Because of the presence of the capital city in the Zezuru region, that variety has come to dominate in Standard Shona.

Shona is an official language of Zimbabwe. Other countries that host Shona language speakers include Botswana, Mozambique and South Africa due to the influx of economic refugees from Zimbabwe.

The larger group of historically related languages (called Shona languages by linguists) also includes Ndau (Eastern Shona) and Kalanga (Western Shona), but speakers of those languages prefer their distinct identities and usually reject any connection to the term Shona.

Shona is the most spoken Bantu language by the criterion of number of native speakers. According to Ethnologue, Shona, comprising the Karanga, Zezuru and Korekore dialects, is spoken by about 10.8 million people. The Manyika and Ndau dialects of Shona are listed separately by Ethnologue, and are spoken by 1,025,000 and 2,380,000 people, respectively. The total figure of Shona speakers is then about 14.2 million people. Zulu is the second most widely spoken Bantu language with 10.3 million speakers according to Ethnologue.