Sotho languages
Encyclopedia
The Sotho–Tswana languages are a group of closely related Southern Bantu languages
spoken in Southern Africa that include:
Tswana, Southern Sotho, and the various dialects lumped together as Northern Sotho are all mutually intelligible
The Sotho–Tswana group corresponds to the S.30 label in Guthrie's
(1967–1971) classification of languages in the Bantu family.
Lozi is spoken in Zambia
and northeastern Namibia
(in the Caprivi
). It is distinct from the other Sotho–Tswana languages due to heavy linguistic influences from Luyaana, and possibly other Zambian and Caprivi languages. In the Guthrie work—as is now widely acknowledged—Lozi was misclassified as K.21.
Northern Sotho, which appears largely to be a taxonomic holding category for what is Sotho–Tswana but neither identifiably Southern Sotho nor Tswana, subsumes highly varied dialect
s including Pedi (sePedi), Tswapo (seTswapo), Lovedu (Khilobedu), Pai and Pulana.
Southern Bantu languages
The Southern Bantu languages are large group of Bantu languages, largely validated in Janson . They are nearly synonymous with Guthrie's Bantu zone S, apart from the exclusion of Shona and the inclusion of Makua...
spoken in Southern Africa that include:
- TswanaTswana languageTswana or Setswana is a language spoken in Southern Africa by about 4.5 million people. It is a Bantu language belonging to the Niger–Congo language family within the Sotho languages branch of Zone S , and is closely related to the Northern- and Southern Sotho languages, as well as the Kgalagadi...
(Setswana), Sotho (Southern Sotho or Sesotho), Northern SothoNorthern Sotho languageNorthern Sotho , also inaccurately known by the name of a major dialect, Pedi or sePedi, is one of the official languages of South Africa, and is spoken by 4,208,980 people — in the South African provinces of Gauteng,...
(Sesotho sa Leboa) - LoziLozi languageLozi, also known as siLozi and Rozi, is a Bantu language of the Niger–Congo language family within the Sotho languages branch of Zone S , that is spoken by the Lozi people, primarily in southwestern Zambia and in surrounding countries...
(Silozi or Rozi)
Tswana, Southern Sotho, and the various dialects lumped together as Northern Sotho are all mutually intelligible
The Sotho–Tswana group corresponds to the S.30 label in Guthrie's
Malcolm Guthrie
Malcolm Guthrie , professor of Bantu languages, is known primarily for his classification of Bantu languages...
(1967–1971) classification of languages in the Bantu family.
Lozi is spoken in Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
and northeastern Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
(in the Caprivi
Caprivi Strip
Caprivi, sometimes called the Caprivi Strip , Caprivi Panhandle or the Okavango Strip and formally known as Itenge, is a narrow protrusion of Namibia eastwards about , between Botswana to the south, Angola and Zambia to the north, and Okavango Region to the west. Caprivi is bordered by the...
). It is distinct from the other Sotho–Tswana languages due to heavy linguistic influences from Luyaana, and possibly other Zambian and Caprivi languages. In the Guthrie work—as is now widely acknowledged—Lozi was misclassified as K.21.
Northern Sotho, which appears largely to be a taxonomic holding category for what is Sotho–Tswana but neither identifiably Southern Sotho nor Tswana, subsumes highly varied dialect
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
s including Pedi (sePedi), Tswapo (seTswapo), Lovedu (Khilobedu), Pai and Pulana.