When it comes to linguistics, South Africa is like a melting pot of languages. In total, South Africa has eleven major languages coming from both Africa and Europe. The major languages used are Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sesotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. In order to understand how each of these languages arrived in South Africa, we must first look at the history of people living in the country.
The first identified language spoken in the South Africa was Khoisan. This language was spoken by the indigenous people of South Africa, the Khoikhio, who lived mainly in the southern coastal regions of the country. Over the years this language has slowly faded away along with the native Khoikhio people. Today there are only a few native South Africans left who can still speak Khoisan living in the western sections of the country.
Some time around the eighth century many Bantu tribes migrated south from central Africa into the northern territories of South Africa. Each of these Bantu tribes brought with them their own distinct Bantu language—nine of which still remain and are recognized today as official languages by the South African Government. These languages are used throughout the African population, which makes up three quarters of South Africa’s people. These languages include: Sesotho, Tsonga, Pedi, Tswana, Venda; and the Nguni group of Bantu languages: Xhosa, Ndebele, Swazi, and Zulu.
In the present, Zulu is the Bantu language with the largest number of speakers. In KwaZulu and Natal there are nine million people that speak this language. Falling right behind with seven million speakers is the language of Xhosa. Xhosa can be found around Transei, Ciskei, and on the Eastern Cape. The official language of Swaziland is Swazi with two million speakers. The last Nguni language is Ndebele, which is spoken by half a million people in some northeastern parts of South Africa. Between the four separate Nguni languages there are 12 different dialects. Pedi and Sesotho are both a part of the Sotho group of Bantu Languages and they share 11 different dialects. Pedi is the strongest language in the Sotho group. Pedi has four million speakers all over the country. Three million people in Qwaqwa and Orange Free State speak Sesotho. Tsonga, which has four dialects, has four million speakers living in Mozambique and Swaziland. Tswana spoken in Botswana has around three million speakers. Venda, spoken mainly in Transvaal, has over half a million speakers.
Day by day the World becomes more interconnected, we talk to people from other countries in languages that usually aren't our own, multi linguists now outnumber mono linguists and around 25% of the world's countries recognise two or languages as official (see Pearson). English has become the Lingua Franca of the world and native languages are starting to disappear. The fewer the number of speakers the quicker. One language that seems to have reversed the trend is the Garifuna language, indigenous to the Carribean coasts of Honduras, Guatemala and Belize. Unique in the sense that, until recently, unlike other native languages in the Carribean Area, it did not form a creole. In the following I will give a brief overview of the origins of the language, the structure, it's current state and the reasons why it has been able to resists the phenomenon of language disappearence.
Language in the South varies according to which area someone is in and what the person’s ethnic background is. Most white people that live in the South have a country draw in their accent or talk very proper. Most black people in the South talk using Ebonics or are really proper, but some do have a draw in their accent. The other ethnic groups talk in their native language or in English with a distinct accent associated with their ethnicity. If one is in Southern Louisiana their accent will be Cajun. The language in the South is alike in most places according to the person’s race except in Southern Louisiana.
Africa is considered to be a multi-lingual country. There are eleven officially recognized languages their, many of which are often spoken but not widespread. English is generally understood across the country. It is one of the eleven common spoken languages but it only ranks 5th out of the eleven spoken languages. During the 15th and the 19th century, major changes had happened to the African and North American continents. Europeans ventured to Africa where they began a trans-Atlantic slave trade. Many Africans were taken as free people and then forced into slavery in South America, the Caribbean and North America. This slave trade had brought about a different type of racism. It was the color of your skin that determined whether a person would be a free citizen or be enslaved for life. This slave trade also devastated African lives and their heritage.
words.3 The language is very unique and their is no other like it in the world. Popular
The integration of the English, Dutch, and Africans began with the Colonization of South Africa in the seventeenth century. South Africa housed an abundant supply of natural resources such as fertile farmland and luxury metals and minerals. South Africa is the leading producer of gold, platinum, and diamonds. It's mild climate, resembling that of San Francisco, made it an ideal location for colonization. The Dutch East India Company occupied South Africa until 1797, when the British took over. The British had power over the colonies of Natal and the Cape at the beginning at the nineteenth century. When diamond deposits were found in the Dutch colonies of Orange Free State and Transvaal, the British invaded, sparking the Boer War. The Dutch decedents, known also as Afrikaners or Boers, sought to fight for their colonies as well as take over the British colonies of Natal and the Cape. The Boers lost the war and their two colonies to the British in defeat. The four colonies of Natal, Orange Free State, Transvaal and the Cape were brought together under British rule by means of the Act of Union of 1910. After some time, the British grew weary of their involvement in Africa and gave power to all of the whites i...
The Korowai people speak the Papuan language belonging to the Awyu-Ndumut family. The Papuan language comes from the Awyu-Ndumut languages which are spoken in the Digul River Basin of Papua, Indonesia, in central and south New Guinea. The Awyu-Ndumut languages are divided into six languages, one of the six languages spoken is the Papua Language. Approximately 35,000 individuals of the Lowland area speak the Awyu-Ndumut languages. Only about hundreds to thousands of individuals speak the Papua language. The Papua language is rapidly on the verge of extinction by the influence of other languages.
The Korowai people speak the Papuan language belonging to the Awyu-Ndumut family. The Papuan language comes from the Awyu-Ndumut languages which are spoken in the Digul River Basin of Papua, Indonesia, in central and south New Guinea. The Awyu-Ndumut languages are divided into six languages, one of the six languages spoken is the Papua Language. Approximately 35,000 individuals of the Lowland area speak the Awyu-Ndumut languages. Only about hundreds to thousands of individuals speak the Papua language. The Papua language is rapidly on the verge of extinction by the influence of other languages.
There are almost as many languages as there are peoples in Ethiopia, about 80 in all. The languages come from a variety of families - Semitic, Hamitic, Nilotic and Omotic. Amharic, spoken in the country's heartland, is Ethiopia's official language, but Tigrinya, spoken in the north, and Orominya, spoken in the south, have semi-official status. The Oromos are the largest ethnic group in the country, and are made up of a muddle of Christians, Muslims and traditional animists. Amharic and Tigrinya use the Ge'ez script, with an understated 231 letters - keep an eye out for fabulously complex Amharic typewriters. Kids are taught English from junior high onward, and many people can speak a smattering or more.
Congo’s population is estimated at 4.04 million, over half of which live in the two major cities of Brazzaville and Pointe- Noire. In this area since the 20th century three fourth of the population lives in urban areas, making the Congo one of Africa’s most urbanized countries. Almost all Congolese are Bantu, a name that refers to the people living in Central, Eastern and Southern Africa. The Bantu originated from Nigeria and Cameroon and migrated to Southern Africa 2,000 years ago. In present day Congo, non-Bantu tribes account for only 3% of the population. The Bantu include 74 peoples belonging to different ethnic groups such as the Kongo, the Teke, the Mbochi and the Sangha.
South Africa was first colonized by the Europeans in 1652, specifically the Dutch. The Dutch first colonized South Africa to claim it as a rest stop for their ships that were traveling to Asia. They
Schelling (1960) stated language is common tool consisting sounds and signs used by individual to communicate. Indonesia are known as one of the most multifaceted country in the world with approximately 731 distinct languages and more than 1,100 different spoken dialects (Frederick and Worden, 2011). Despite their complexity in culture and language, Indonesia has their own official language, Bahasa Indonesia.
Kenya’s population is divided by language and culture into more than 40 different ethnic groups. The largest group is the Kikuyu which makes up 12 per cent of the population and is Bantu speaking. Swahili became the offical language of Kenya in 1974. It is grammatically a Bantu language even though it is heavily influenced of the population and is Bantu speaking. Swahili became the offical language of Kenya in 1974. It is grammatically a Bantu language even though it is heavily influenced by Arabic and is written with the Roman alphabet. English is also an official language and is still widely used.
There are eleven official languages in South Africa; they are English, Afrikaans, Ndebele, Sepedi, Xhosa, Venda, Tswana, Southern Sotho, Zulu, Swazi and Tsonga. South Africa also recognizes eight unofficial languages: Fanagalo, Khoe, Lobedu, Nama, Northern Ndebele, Phuthi, San and South African Sign Language. Even the variation of languages and dialects reflect the diversity of the culture. Heritage, culture, customs or...
The Zulu people are a tribe in South Africa that form part of the greater Nguni speaking people. The brunt of their number is situated in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Province of South Africa on its Eastern Coast.
Old South Africa is best described by Mark Uhlig, “The seeds of such violent conflict in South Africa were sown more than 300 years ago, with the first meetings of white settlers and indigenous black tribes in an unequal relationship that was destined one day to become unsustainable” (116).