Is it Citemene or Chitemene?
By Clement Mumbo- In October this year, a story about Citemene was published on this website. One reader reacted and argued that there was no such a word like Citemene, but Chitemene.
To begin with the word Citemene is purely a Bemba word from the verb ukutema (to cut). So the word is as common as ifishimu or ifinkubala (caterpillars) in Mpika and Mungwi districts.
Coming to spellings, our reasoning and agreement is to come from the two concepts; Common nouns and Proper nouns. Please mark my words Common and Proper.
Therefore, how common is Citemene? It is well known in Northern and Luapula Provinces and few other places.
Citemene is a Common ‘noun’ (name). It is like other words such as Cisesa (mat), Cisasa (grass thatched shelter), Cafye or Ciposwa (useless), Cililo (funeral), Cimuti (tree) and many other words
Subsequently, Citemene is not a Proper noun which is reserved for names of persons such as Chileshe, Chisanga, Chanda, Chewe, Cheswa and so on or Cities or towns and countries like Chingola, Chililabombwe, Chinsali… which carry with H.
So, the Citemene spelling that you ran online sometime back was the correct one and bloggers should desist from questioning the way certain Bemba terminologies are written.
No wonder you confuse modern learners.
The author is Mr. Clement Mumbo, a Bemba man from Chinsali district and he is Deputy Teacher at Malambwa Basic School in Mpika district. Mr. Mumbo has translated several pamphlets and booklets for the Catholic Church, Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) and many other organisations from English into Cibemba.
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Kanitundila!,
If you have a post-doctoral degree don’t expect everyone to have the same.
You are the kind who when one person succeeds in selling tomatoe at the market, you also want to sell tomatoe.
I woud not put it past you to have actually bought or forged your degree. Those who have earned their qualifications through arduous self application are of a humble character and moderate attitude which they aquire in the process of their studies.
As for you, only your empty pride polutes the environment.
So don’t be jealousy, and show others some respect by not saying anything; this will be a show of wisdom on your part.
Iwe Goodwell, Mr Mumbo tries to be knowlegdeable in his pseudoanalysis, dont be gullible bloggers.so ichiposwa ba Mumbo calls it isiposwa? What ajoke. i can not comment on his intelligence because, i have not met the man, he may well be a genius.But from the brief backgroung above(basic school deputy head techer)i can approximate his academics to be 1st degree or less
iwe Kanitundila what makes you think he is not learned enough. What emphasis are you tokin about the authority has told what is right and you are coming up with your own version. i dont know where think every word should have an “H” becoz what you saying does not make a bit of sense. Learn to listen to people who may know something more than you. It is a virtue. And dont bellitle people by thinking they are not learned. Good Job Mr. Mumbo
Black African jealousy again! The author of the article is an authority in what he has here penned for all of us to read and understand.
Kanitundila may be in the “young” generation that can write and spell English words very well, but probably unable to write a letter in his/her Zambian language? I don’t know, but Mr Mumbo exhibits knowledge, understanding, intelligece and expertise.
I advise Mr Mumbo not to waste his time responding to a person who lacks insight into the subject matter here articulated so ably.
Lastly, Zambians are multi-linguists; and Zambians love to speak all the Zambian languages, not just iciBemba, but all of them.
nowonder you people will never develope whether Citemene or Chitemene? whats the difference man!
Do not be emotional, people would want to know when they are interested. do not cut them off, they have a wright to knowledge give them chance,, infact this has helped me in some sense;; Bemba is such a rich languege and also sounds so sweet to speak, no wonder every zambian enjoy speaking it
Mr Mumbos emotional ending shows he is not an authrity. He is not learned enough. Coming to the issue at hand it is where the emphasis liess in pronouncing a word that determines the spelling and not its category as a noun or not. Therefore Chitemenne, chibwe, chimbwi all have same pronounciation structure and therefore require the letter h to be spelt properly. epela.
Well explained!