Taita (Kitaita)

Taita is a Northeast Bantu language spoken by about 370,000 people in the Taita Hills in the centre of Taita-Taveta County in the south east of Kenya. In particular, Taita speakers can be found around the Dawida, Kasighau and Saghalla massifs in the Taita Hills.

Taita is also known as Taita-Sagala or Kidawida. Speakers of Taita call their language Kitaita and themselves Wataita. Dialects include Saghala (Kisaghala), Daw'ida (Kidawida) and Kasigau. The Saghala dialect is sufficiently distinct from the other dialects that it could be considered a separate language.

There are several ways to write Taita with the Latin alphabet have been used since the late 19th century. A unified orthography for the Bantu languages of Kenya, including Taita, was created in 2012.

Taita alphabet

Taita alphabet)

Download an alphabet chart for Taita (Excel)
Details of the Taita alphabet (PDFs) provided by Wolfram Siegel

Sample text

  1. Jesu ukawizera, “Iji mwakalomba ghambenyi: ‘Aba, Irina jako jiele, Wuzuri ghwako ghuche.
  2. Kudineke vindo vedu va ituku ituku,
  3. kudileke kaung'a redu angu na isi wori dadawilekia awo widikoseragha; kusakedikumba matimonyi.’”

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/2138/LUK.11.TAITA

Translation

  1. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
  2. Give us day by day our daily bread.
  3. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.
    The Lord's Prayer - Luke 11: 2-4

Source: https://www.bible.com/bible/1/LUK.11.KJV

Sample videos in and about Taita

Information about Taita | Numbers | Tower of Babel

Links

Information about Taita
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taita_language
https://archive.org/details/anelementaryint00wraygoog/mode/2up
https://www.101lasttribes.com/tribes/taita.html
https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/server/api/core/bitstreams/de451a70-909a-42ec-baf3-8b80dd13734c/content

Bantu languages

Aka, Bafaw-Balong, Bangi, Bangubangu, Basaa, Bemba, Bembe, Bena, Benga, Bhaca, Bila, Bube, Budu, Bujeba, Bukusu, Bulu, Bushong, Central Kilimanjaro, Central Teke, Chichewa, Chokwe, Chuwabu, Comorian, Dciriku, Digo, Duala, Eton, Ewondo, Fang, Fuliiru, Ganda/Luganda, Gogo, Gusii, Gwere, Gyele, Haya, Hehe, Herero, Ibinda, Idaxo-Isuxa-Tiriki, Ikizu, Ikoma, Jita, Kabwa, Kako, Kamba, Kanyok, Kiga, Kikuyu, Kimbundu, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Kisi, Kobo, Kogo, Komo, Kongo, Konjo, Koti, Kukuya, Kunda, Kuria, Kwambi, Kwasio, Lambya, Lengola, Lingala, Loma, Lozi, Luba-Katanga, Luchazi, Lunda, Luvale, Luyana, Makaa, Makonde, Makhuwa, Mandekan, Maore, Masaaba, Mbama, Mbere, Mbosi, Mbukushu, Mbunda, Mbuun, Mende, Mongo, Mpiemo, Mushungulu, Mwani, Myene, Nambya, Nande, Ngoni, Ngwii, Njebi, Nkore, North Teke, Northern Ndebele (South Africa), Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), Northern Sotho, Nyamwezi, Nyakyusa, Nyemba, Nyole, Nyoro, Nyungwe, Nzadi, Oroko, OshiWambo, Pagibete, Punu, Ronga, Safwa, Seki, Sena, Sengele, Shona, Soga, Songe, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Sukuma, Swahili, Swati, Taita, Talinga, Tanga, Tembo, Tetela, Tonga, Tooro, Tshiluba, Tsonga, Tswa, Tswana, Tumbuka, Umbundu, Venda, Vili, Vwanji, West Teke, Xhosa, Yakam, Yansi, Yao, Yasa, Yeyi, Zigula, Zinza, Zulu

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page created: 08.07.25. Last modified: 08.07.25

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