Great Lakes Bantu languages
The Great Lakes Bantu languages, also known as Lacustrine Bantu and Bantu zone J, are a group of Bantu languages of East Africa. They were recognized as a group by the Tervuren team, who posited them as an additional zone to Guthrie's largely geographic classification of Bantu.
History
By 500 BC, Proto-Great Lakes Bantu speakers initially settled between Lakes Kivu and Rweru in Rwanda.Languages
The languages are, according to Bastin, Coupez, & Mann, with Sumbwa added per Nurse :- Gungu
- Bwari
- Konzo : Konjo, Nande, ? Kobo
- Shi–Havu : Hunde, Havu, Shi, Tembo, Nyindu, Fuliiru
- Rwanda-Rundi : Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Shubi, Hangaza, Ha, Vinza
- Nyoro–Ganda : Ganda, Nyankore, Nyoro, Tooro, Hema, Chiga, Soga, Gwere, West Nyala, Ruli
- Haya–Jita : Haya–Rashi, Talinga-Bwisi, Zinza, Kerebe, Jita-Kara-Kwaya–Ruri, Nyambo, Subi
- Masaba–Luhya : Masaba, Luhya proper, Nyore, Nyole, Samia–Songa, Marachi, Khayo
- Logooli–Kuria : Logooli, Ngurimi, Ikizu–Sizaki/Shashi, Suba, Suba-Simbiti, Kabwa, Singa, Idaxo-Isuxa-Tiriki, Gusii, Kuria, Zanaki, Ikoma,?Ware
- Sumbwa
Maho adds Yaka. Kobo was recognized later. It's said to be about equidistant between Nande and Hunde, so it's not clear where it should be in the tree above.
Glottolog separates Nyole in Uganda from the E30 group into an unclassified subgroup within a "Greater Luyia" group containing the Logoo-Kuria group. Besides this, it does not consider this older geographic classification relevant for its ongoing classification based on more recent linguistic studies, and uses four different subgroups, keeping Gungu separate from them.