Chilankhulo cha Chichewa

Chichewa, (Chicheŵa mu chilankhulo cha ku Malaŵi, chomwe chimatchulidwanso kuti Chinyanja) ndi chilankhulo cha anthu a chi Bantu ndipo chimalankhulidwa kwambiri kummwela kwa dziko la Malawi, ndi kumvuma kwa dziko la Zambia. Mau oyamba okuti Chi- amene amalembedwanso kuti Ci- amatanthauza “mokhala ngati”, motero liu loti Chichewa limatanthauza “mokhala ngati Achewa”, choncho chilankhulochi chimadziwikanso ndi maina okuti Chewa kapena Nyanja. Chingoni (Ngoni) ndi Chikunda (Kunda) ndi kalankhulidwe kena ka chilankhulochi. Ena mwa ma Liu a mchichewa afanananso ndi Shona, isizulu ndebele komanso Isixhosa.

Chichewa ndi chimodzi mwa zilankhulo ziwiri zovomelezeka za dziko la Malawi (chilankhulo chinacho ndi Chingerezi), ndipo Chinyanja ndi chimodzi cha zilankhulo zisanu ndi ziwiri za dziko la Zambia, kumene chimalankhulidwa kwambiri kumvuma kwa dzikoli. Chichewa chimalankhulidwanso ku Mozambique, Maka maka mdera la Tete ndi Niassa ndiponso ku Zimbabwe kumene, malinga ndi kafukufuku, ndi chilankhulo chachitatu pa zilankhulo zonse za dzikolo, pambuyo pa Chishona ndi Chindebele. Maiko a Malawi, Zambia ndi Mozambique ndi kumene chilankhulochi chimayankhulidwa kwambiri. Baibulo ndi Khorani anatanthauziridwa mu Chichewa.

Chichewa chinayambira ku ufumu wa Amaravi, umene unali wotchuka pa zaka za pakati pa 1500 ndi 1800. Ufumuwu unali ku Malawi, Zambia ndi Mozambique. Chilankhulochi chinakhalabe chotchuka ngakhale Angoni anagwetsa ufumu wa chi Maraviwo ndipo chinabvomerezedwa ndi ofalitsa uthenga wa Chikhristu pachiyambi pa chitsamunda. Ku Zambia, chilankhulochi chimatchuka ndi dzina lakuti Chinyanja, lomwe limatanthauza “chilankhulo cha Anyanja”, ndipo chimalankhulidwa ndi anthu a Chingoni ndi Chikunda. Mbali la Baibulo linatanthauziridwa mu chilankhulochi mu zaka za m’ma 1900.