bantu

• Relatif au groupe de plus de 400 langues étroitement apparentées parlées en Afrique centrale et australe, ou aux peuples qui les parlent.

Relating to or denoting a group of over 400 closely related languages spoken across central and southern Africa, or the peoples who speak them.

1. Relating to a group of African peoplesB2formal

   Of or relating to the large group of ethnolinguistic peoples in Central and Southern Africa who speak Bantu languages.

   bantou

   • The Bantu peoples have a rich and diverse cultural heritage.
   • Bantu languages are spoken across a vast region of Africa.
   • The migration of Bantu-speaking populations shaped much of sub-Saharan African history.

2. Relating to a language familyB2formal

   Of or relating to the Bantu language family, a major branch of the Niger-Congo languages.

   bantou (relatif à la famille de langues)

   • Swahili is one of the most widely spoken Bantu languages.
   • The Bantu language group includes hundreds of distinct but related languages.
   • Linguists study the grammatical structures common to Bantu languages.

• Nom désignant un membre de l'un des nombreux peuples linguistiquement apparentés d'Afrique centrale et australe, ou la famille de langues largement répandue dans la moitié sud du continent africain.

A noun referring to a member of any of a large number of linguistically related peoples of Central and South Africa, or to the family of languages widely spoken in the southern half of the African continent.

nom propre

1. Group of peoplesB2formal

   A member of any of a large number of linguistically related peoples of Central and South Africa.

   peuples bantous

   • The Bantu peoples have a rich cultural heritage.
   • Many Bantu groups migrated across the continent over centuries.
   • He is studying the history of the Bantu in southern Africa.

2. Language familyB2formal

   A family of languages widely spoken in the southern half of the African continent.

   Famille de langues bantoues

   • Swahili is one of the most widely spoken Bantu languages.
   • Linguists classify over 500 languages within the Bantu family.
   • She is learning a Bantu language for her research.

3. Cultural or linguistic relationB2formal

   Relating to the African people who speak one of the Bantoid languages or to their culture.

   bantou

   • Bantu traditions include vibrant music and dance.
   • The Bantu cultural influence extends across many regions.
   • He wrote a book about Bantu mythology and folklore.