Nyakyusa Ngonde New Testament

Nyakyusa Ngonde New Testament (NYYBST)

Overview

The Nyakyusa Ngonde New Testament (Ulwitikano Ulupya) was first published in 1966 by the Bible Society of Tanzania. The translation was a product of the Moravian mission’s long presence in the Rungwe district of southern Tanzania, where the first Moravian mission station was established in 1891. [1] The original Nyakyusa writing system was modeled on German orthography, as it was developed by the German missionaries who pioneered literacy work among the Nyakyusa people. [2] A complete Bible (Biblia Umwikemo) was subsequently published in 1996, but this revision retained the German-influenced spelling system, which differs significantly from the Swahili-based orthography familiar to younger generations, limiting its readability. [2] In response, the Nyakyusa community joined the Mbeya-Iringa Cluster Project in November 2004, and church leaders prioritized developing a new alphabet and literacy program, eventually commissioning a fresh Bible translation. [2] A new Nyakyusa New Testament was dedicated in May 2019. [2]

Language and People

Nyakyusa-Ngonde (ISO 639-3: nyy) is spoken by approximately 1,359,000 people in Malawi. [Glottolog: nyak1260]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by Bible Society of Tanzania.

References