Differences and similarities can be measured by examining a Ndau version of Lord's Prayer: Baba edu ari mudenga, ngariremeredzwe zina renyu.
The equivalent paragraph in Standard Shona (mainly based on Zezuru) is: Baba vedu vari kudenga, zita renyu ngarikudzwe.
In 1922, C. Kamba Simango, a Vandau ethnographer, working together with Franz Boas, published a collection of 20 Ndau fables and 29 Ndau proverbs, accompanied by an English translation, in the Journal of American Folklore.
[7] The following are some of the proverbs: Simango also provided the Ndau texts and translations that appear in Songs and Tales from the Dark Continent by Natalie Curtis Burlin, published in 1920.
"[22] In an appendix, there is an interlinear word-for-word rendering of the Ndau proverbs and song lyrics into English.