Introducing Duwa a Chichewa Programming Language

Christopher Seven Phiri — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 07:35:46 +0000

What is Duwa?

Duwa 🌺 is my labor of love—a simple esoteric language (esolang) that blends traditional language with modern programming. As a native Chichewa speaker and a programmer, I wanted to create something unique that bridges the gap between my linguistic heritage and the tech world. Duwa uses Chichewa, a Bantu language spoken in Malawi, as its core, making it a one-of-a-kind tool for both learning and cultural preservation.

The Purpose of Duwa

Creating Duwa has been driven by several key goals:

Making Programming Accessible: I wanted to make programming more approachable for Chichewa speakers by using familiar language constructs, helping them see coding as something within reach.
Preserving and Promoting Chichewa: In a field dominated by English, I felt it was important to carve out a space for Chichewa in the tech landscape, ensuring the language evolves with the times.
Creating a Unique Educational Tool: By designing Duwa, I aimed to offer a new way to teach programming, particularly to those who might feel alienated by traditional programming languages.

Duwa is a reflection of my passion for both programming and my native language, and I hope it serves as a welcoming platform for others in the Chichewa-speaking community.

Setup and Installation

If you'd like to try out Duwa yourself, here's how to get started:

Head over to the Duwa GitHub releases page: https://github.com/sevenreup/duwa/releases
Download the binary that matches your operating system from the latest release.
Run Duwa programs using the binary (note that the binary name might vary):

   ./duwa -f path/to/your/program.duwa

Basic Syntax

Let me show you some of the basics of Duwa.

Hello World

ndondomeko pano() {
    lemba("Moni Dziko");
}

pano();

In this example:

ndondomeko is how I decided to declare a function in Duwa.
lemba, which means "write" in Chichewa, outputs text.
The program simply prints "Moni Dziko" ("Hello World") to the screen.

Variables

Duwa supports a variety of variable types:

// Numbers
nambala yoyamba = 1;
nambala yachiwiri = 2;

nambala yomaliza = yoyamba + yachiwiri;

// Strings
mawu dzina = "Maliko";

// Maps
mgwirizano munthu = {
    "dzina": "Soma",
    "zaka": 3
}

// Other types like boolean are not strongly typed

Conditional Statements

I chose to use ngati for if statements and kapena for else, making the logic flow more naturally in Chichewa:

// If statement
ngati(yoyamba > yachiwiri) {
    // panga zinthu (do something)
}

// If-else statement
ngati(yoyamba > yachiwiri) {
    // panga zinthu
} kapena {
    // panga zinthu
}

Loops

Duwa also supports both while and for loops:

// While loop
pamene(yoyamba > 2) {
    // panga zinthu
    yoyamba++
}

// For loop
za(nambala x = 0; x > 5; x++) {
    // panga zinthu
}

Let's Code: Linear Search Example

To give you a taste of what Duwa can do, here’s a simple linear search algorithm.
Create a new file called Kufufuza.duwa in your favorite editor

ndondomeko kufufuza(arr, x) {
    za(nambala i = 0; i < arr.length(); i++) {
        ngati (arr[i] == x) {
            bweza i;
        }
    }
    bweza -1;
}

ndondomeko doLinearSearch() {
    nambala[] arr = [2, 3, 4, 10, 40];
    nambala x = 10;

    nambala result = kufufuza(arr, x);
    ngati (result == -1) {
        lembanzr("Linear Search: Element is not present in array");
    } kapena {
        lembanzr("Linear Search: Element at index " + result);
    }
}

doLinearSearch();

Run the program by running

duwa -f Kufufuza.duwa

You will get the index of 10 printed out on your console

Breaking Down the Code

ndondomeko kufufuza(arr, x): This function performs the linear search. "Kufufuza" means "to search" in Chichewa.
The za loop iterates through the array, checking for the target value.
ngati (arr[i] == x): If the element is found, the function returns its index.
If the element is not found, the function returns -1.
ndondomeko doLinearSearch(): This function sets up the test case and calls the search function.
The result is printed using lembanzr, which I chose to mean "write line."

This example gives a glimpse of how Duwa handles algorithms while staying true to the Chichewa language.

Current State of Duwa

Duwa is still a work in progress, and there are some words and constructs that haven't been fully translated into Chichewa yet. I'm actively working on these translations, and I plan to have everything ready by the time Duwa reaches version 1.0.

Even in its current state, Duwa is fully functional, and I'm excited to see how it grows as I continue to refine it. I’d love to hear your feedback as you experiment with it!

Bonus: I created a simple vscode extension for adding support for Duwa to vscode, for now, you will only get syntax highlighting but working on adding more features. Search for Duwa Language in the vscode extension tab, or download here

Future Development

Looking ahead, I have some ambitious plans for Duwa:

Expanding the language features to make it even more powerful
Building a standard library to support more complex programs
Creating learning resources to help others get started with Duwa
Encouraging community contributions to enrich the language and its ecosystem

Duwa is built entirely from scratch in Golang, leveraging its strengths to create a fast, efficient, and reliable programming environment. This has been a challenging but rewarding journey, and I’m excited to see where it leads.

Conclusion

Whether you're a Chichewa speaker curious about coding or a programming enthusiast looking for something different, I hope Duwa inspires you as much as it has inspired me. This journey is just beginning, and I’m thrilled to share it with you. By making Chichewa a part of the coding world, Duwa opens up new possibilities for education, cultural preservation, and creative expression.

Check out the original post
Check out the github.
Check out the docs (Still a work inprogress)

DEV Community: Christopher Seven Phiri