VaShona Project
VaShona means 'Shona people' in the Shona language.
Shona People speak a number of Shona Language dialects, mainly, chiKaranga, chiKorekore, chiManyika, or chiZezuru. The dialects span a number of countries in Southern Africa; namely Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana, and South Africa.
The VaShona Project aspires to unify Shona's dialects by providing a resource to those who find interest in the Shona language for any reason. We try to achieve this goal by building a robust Shona Language Dictionary, and an experimental Shona Translator.
Shona Dictionary
The Shona Dictionary is built from research and contributions. Our research is done through gathering online data using various programs. Contributions are provided to us via our online contact form.
Orthography and Grammar
We strive to provide a base for common orthography, a consistent grammar, and an improved syntax for the Shona language and its dialects. In doing this we consult with Shona Linguists.
Shona Translator
Our experimental Shona English Translator is a program that spews out translations based on programming rules.
Digital Products
The VaShona Project is a labour of love. Time, and money is being put into this project everyday.
When this project started in 2011 we had no more than 50 unique visitors a day. Currently we serve over 1500 unique visitors a day. This requires that we invest in technologies that will make sure we serve every visitor in a timely manner.
If you would like to hook into our API. Please contact us for a quote.
Conception
The VaShona Project was conceived from a first year paper in a writing class at university. From then on, the project was built and maintained.
This experience has been rewarding in many ways. The most rewarding part has been de-constructing the way Shona as a language is written and how it can be improved. This research led us to create the Shona English translator to test our assumptions.
The VaShona Project was founded and is maintained by Victor Ndambakuwa.