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Language code: bem

Technical information about ISO 639 language code bem

Documentation

The table below provides technical details for the Bemba (Zambia) language, designated by the bem code from the ISO 639-2 standard.

Code

bem

Name

Bemba (Zambia)

Text direction

Left-to-Right

Language varieties
Bemba (Standard)AushiKabendeLalaLuundaNg'umboTabwaUnga
Related languages
LambaBisaSwakaKaondeLenje
Key facts
Classified in Guthrie Bantu zone M.40 within the Niger–Congo familyEmploys a two-tone (High/Low) system that is phonemic and changes meaningVerbs are highly agglutinative, often expressing subject, object, tense, aspect and mood in one wordWidely used as a lingua franca across northern and central Zambia in trade, education and mediaA complete Bible translation in Bemba was finished in the 1960s and has fostered a substantial written literature corpus
Sample phrase

Shani, muli shani?

Character encodings

UTF-8, UTF-16, UTF-32

Supported in Localizely

The Bemba (Zambia) language, identified by the code bem, falls under the 'Individual' category in terms of its scope and is classified as 'Living' by its type.

Related locale codes

bem-ZM – Bemba (Zambia)

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