Alternate Names: Bulunge, Burungi, Kiburunge
Dialects: None known. Lexically similar with Gorowa , and Iraqw ,, 65% with Alagwa , (Aweki 1996); relatively high similarity between Alagwa and Burunge, despite their belonging to separate branches of the same language family according to their grammars (Kiessling 2003).
Genealogy:
Demographics: 13,000 (2002). Ethnic population: 30,000 (Dimmendaal 2007).
Language Use: Formerly felt inhibited to speak Burunge in public, but now less common as more and more publications are printed in Burunge. Home, field, some in churches. All ages. Positive attitudes. Also use Langi [lag], Swahili [swh].
Language Development: No L1 literacy rate reported. Transitional and basic literacy taught for about 10 years. Poetry. Newspapers. Grammar. Bible portions: 2008–2011.
Typology: SOV; prepositions, genitives, articles, adjectives, numerals, relatives after noun heads; 5 suffixes; verbal suffixes mark person, number, gender of subject; preverbal clitics mark person of subject; causatives; CV, CVV, CVC (restriction on second CCV); tonal.
Writing System: Latin
Nation of Origin: Tanzania
Other Comments: Christian, Muslim, traditional religion.