Hehe language

Hehe, also known by its native name Kihehe [kihehe], is a Bantu language that is spoken by the Hehe people of the Iringa region of Tanzania, lying south of the Great Ruaha River.^[3] It was reported to have "Ngoni" features, that is, words of a Zulu-like language introduced when conquered by a Nguni or Zulu-like people in the early 19th century.^{[citation needed]} However, other "Ngoni" speeches seem to have lost most of these distinctive features over the past 150-odd years, the language more resembling those of the neighbouring peoples.^{[citation needed]} In the 1970s, it was estimated that 190,000 people spoke Hehe.^[4] There has been some Bible translation (British and Foreign Bible Society). Hehe may be mutually intelligible with Bena.^[3]