The Use of some marriage literary forms in the `Nthanganeni' of the Tumbuka in Mphamba and Kapichila areas of Lundazi District

Marriage, as everyone knows, is a bond or a bargain full of complex issues. It is a transaction between two interested parties determined by the Jural or moral ordinances which bind it in its social setting. The traditional marriages among the Tumbuka fall under oral literature which if viewed critically lies in the field of Rhetoric with particular emphasis on oratorical and persuasive skills. These skills employ a wide range of figurative techniques of the language. Devoid of these techniques, the intentions of the suitor are always unsuccessful. The study therefore projects the vitality of the Tumbuka literary forms as used in the 'Nthanganeni'.