MSCE Chichewa cheat sheet

Mawu otsindika (stress) mu Chichewa amagwera pa syllable yachiwiri kuchokera kumapeto (penultimate), mwachitsanzo: chi-PÉN-go, ka-MÚN-da.

Mavowel a Chichewa ndi asanu: a, e, i, o, u; palibe mavowel apakati pa a ndi e monga mu Chingerezi.

Kumvetsera kokhazikika kumafuna kuzindikira mawu olumikizira (discourse markers): ndipo, koma, chifukwa chake, pamenepo, potero - awa amasonyeza kusintha kwa lingaliro.

Mawu amodzi amatha kukhala ndi tanthauzo losiyana malinga ndi kamvekedwe (tone): mwachitsanzo, 'ndi-' ngati mneni ndi 'ndi' ngati cholumikizira.

M'kulankhula, mneni amatenga mawonekedwe a munthu ndi chiwerengero: ndi-ma- (ine), u-ma- (iwe), a-ma- (iyeyu), ti-ma- (ife), mu-ma- (inu), a-ma- (iwo).

Kumvetsera kwa mawu a m'manja (idioms) kumafuna kudziwa tanthauzo lonse, osati kumasulira liwu ndi liwu: 'kugwetsa mawu' sikutanthauza kugwetsa mawu kwenikweni.

Mawu oyankhulira pa msonkhano amatsatira dongosolo: moni, kudziwitsa nkhani, kufotokoza mfundo, kumaliza ndi zikomo.

Lingaliro lalikulu (main idea) limapezeka kawirikawiri m'chiganizo choyamba kapena chomaliza cha ndime.

Mawu osonyeza chifukwa ndi zotsatira: chifukwa, chifukwa chake, motero, potero, ndiye kuti - awa amalumikiza mfundo ziwiri.

Kuwerenga mwadongosolo (skimming) kumafuna kuwerenga mutu, chiganizo choyamba cha ndime iliyonse, ndi mawu osindikizidwa.

Kuwerenga mwatsatanetsatane (scanning) kumafuna kufufuza nambala, dzina, kapena tsiku m'nkhani osati kuwerenga zonse.

Mawu osiyana ndi mawu ena (synonyms/antonyms) amathandiza kumvetsa nkhani ngakhale osadziwa liwu limodzi: mawu ozungulira amapereka chidziwitso.

Nkhani ya Chichewa imatha kukhala ndi malingaliro osiyanasiyana: wolemba, wochititsa, ndi woonera - kuzindikira amenewa kumathandiza kuyankha mafunso a malingaliro.

Mafunso a 'malinga ndi nkhani' amafuna umboni wa m'mawu enieni; mafunso a 'mukuganiza' amalola malingaliro a owerenga.

Mneni wa Chichewa amapangidwa ndi magawo awa: mawu osonyeza munthu (subject marker) + mawu osonyeza nthawi (tense marker) + mneni + mawu osonyeza cholinga (object marker).

Zisonyezo za nthawi: -ma- (zochitika kawirikawiri), -na- (zakale), -ku- (zikuchitika pano), -dzi- (zamtsogolo), -ka- (zamtsogolo posachedwa).

Magulu a maina (noun classes) amatsatira manambala: 1/2 (munthu/anthu), 3/4 (mtengo/mitengo), 5/6 (dzanja/manja), 7/8 (chinthu/zinthu), 9/10 (nyumba/nyumba), 11/10 (khoma/makoma), 12/13 (kamwana/tiziwana), 14/6 (ubwino/maubwino).

Chisonyezo cha mneni chimagwirizana ndi gulu la dzina: 'Mtengo ukuwona' (gulu 3), 'Nyumba ikuwona' (gulu 9), 'Chinthu chikuwona' (gulu 7).

Mawu ofunsa: ndani (munthu), chiyani (chinthu), kuti (kumene), liti (nthawi), bwanji (m'mene), chifukwa chiyani (chifukwa).

Mawu otsutsa (negation) amagwiritsa ntchito 'si-' ndi kusintha kwa mavowel: ndimawona → sindiwona; ndinawona → sindinawona.

Mawu osonyeza mawonekedwe (adjectives) amatsatira dzina ndipo amagwirizana nalo: 'munthu wabwino', 'anthu abwino', 'chinthu chabwino'.

Mawu amodzi amatha kukhala ndi matanthauzo angapo (polysemy): 'kuyenda' kungatanthauze kuyenda kwa munthu kapena kuyenda kwa nthawi.

Mawu ofanana (synonyms) amagawana tanthauzo lofanana koma amasiyana m'kalembedwe: 'kukondwa' ndi 'kukondwera' ndi ofanana pafupifupi.

Mawu otsutsana (antonyms) amatanthauza zosiyana: bwino ↔ zoipa, kwambiri ↔ pang'ono, mwamsanga ↔ mochedwa.

Mawu obwereka (loanwords) amachokera ku Chingerezi kapena Chiswahili ndipo amatsatira galamala ya Chichewa: 'basi' (bus), 'sukulu' (school), 'moto' (car).

Mawu a m'manja (idioms) ndi osasiyanitsidwa ndi liwu limodzi: 'kudya manja' sikutanthauza kudya manja kwenikweni.

Mawu amodzi amatha kukhala ndi tanthauzo lofooka ndi lamphamvu (connotation): 'wamisala' ndi lamphamvu kuposa 'wosokonezeka maganizo'.

Mawu osonyeza zochitika (verbs) amatha kupanga maina: -phunzira → wophunzira (munthu), -lankhula → kulankhula (chochitika).

Kalata yovomerezeka (formal letter) imakhala ndi: adilesi ya wolemba, tsiku, adilesi ya wolandira, moni, mutu, thupi la kalata, ndi zikomo.

Kalata ya kwawo (informal letter) imatha kukhala ndi adilesi imodzi yokha ndipo imalola mawu osavomerezeka monga 'Moni achimwene'.

Chidule (summary) sichimaphatikiza malingaliro a wolemba; chimangotenga mfundo zazikulu za m'nkhani.

Nkhani yolembedwa (composition) imakhala ndi magawo atatu: chiyambi, thupi, ndi chimaliziro; thupi limakhala ndi mfundo zingapo ndi umboni.

Lemba la ntchito (functional text) monga fomu, chikalata cha msonkhano, kapena uthenga wa foni limatsatira dongosolo losavuta ndipo limafuna mfundo zofunikira zokha.

Mawu olumikizira m'kalata: 'Mwachifundo', 'Mwachidule', 'Pomaliza', 'Ndikukupemphani' - awa amasonyeza kusintha kwa gawo.

Kulemba kwa uthenga wa foni (SMS) kumalola chidule: 'ndp' (ndipo), 'mk' (mukudziwa), koma osagwiritsa m'kalata yovomerezeka.

Kufufuza buku lamatsenga (novel): zochitika, anthu, malo, nthawi, ndi mutu waukulu ndi zinthu zofunika kuzindikira.

Munthu woyambirira (protagonist) ndi amene nkhani imamuzungulira; munthu wotsutsa (antagonist) amalepheretsa zolinga zake.

Nkhani yayifupi (short story) imakhala ndi chithunzi chimodzi chachikulu ndipo imatha kumaliza mwadzidzidzi popanda kufotokoza zonse.

Ndakatulo (poetry) imakhala ndi mizere ndi magawo; kamvekedwe ndi kubwereza (repetition) ndi zida zazikulu za ndakatulo.

Mutu waukulu (theme) ndi lingaliro lalikulu la buku; mutu wa buku umatha kukhala monga chikondi, chinyengo, kapena kulimba mtima.

Kufotokoza mwatsatanetsatane (characterization) kumadza kudzera m'mawu a munthu, zochita zake, ndi mmene ena amamufotokozera.

Buku la Chichewa limagwiritsa ntchito miyambo ndi malo a ku Malawi monga mbali ya nkhani; kuzindikira izi kumathandiza kumvetsa nkhani.

Miyambo ya Chichewa imasiyanasiyana m'zigawo: kumpoto, pakati, ndi kum'mwera kwa Malawi ndi malo osiyana.

Maukwati (marriage) amakhala ndi magawo: chikwere (kukambirana), mkwatibwi (kutenga mkwatibwi), ndi phwando - dongosolo limasiyana malinga ndi fuko.

Maliro (funeral) amatsatira miyambo: kulira, kukonza thupi, maliro, ndi kutsuka m'manja pambuyo pake.

Gule Wamkulu ndi chikhalidwe cha Achewa; Nyau ndi gulu la masewera a m'chikhalidwe chawo.

Miyambo ya kulemekeza (respect): kugwada kapena kukotama kwa akulu, ndi kugwiritsa ntchito dzina lotchulidwa mwachindunji.

Chikhalidwe cha ulemu kwa alendo: kupereka madzi akumwa ndi chakudya kwa mlendo ndi chizindikiro cha ulemu.

Miyambo ya pambuyo pa kubadwa: dzina la mwana limatha kuperekedwa malinga ndi zochitika kapena nthawi yobadwa.