At least thirty-five languages indigenous to South Africa are spoken in the Republic, twelve of which are official languages of South Africa: Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, South African Sign Language, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu, Afrikaans and English, which is the primary language used in parliamentary and state discourse, though all offi. South Africa's constitution recognises 11 official languages: Sepedi (also known as Sesotho sa Leboa ), Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu. For centuries South Africa's official languages were European - Dutch, English, Afrikaans.
South Africa in its official languages Vivid Maps
Twelve languages (Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, South African Sign Language, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu) hold official status under the 1996 constitution (since amended), and an additional 11 (Arabic, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Portuguese, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telegu, and Urdu) are to be promoted and devel. There are eleven major languages of South Africa; Afrikaans, English, Swazi, Sotho, Swan, Ndebele, Venda, Zulu, Northern Sotho, Tsonga, and Xhosa. Less than 2% of South African citizens speak a first language that is not an official language. However, most of the people can speak more than one language. In addition to these 11 official tongues, you can find a smattering of other languages in South Africa, including Hindi, Swahili, Tamil, Urdu, German, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian and Greek. There are also a handful of indigenous creoles and pidgins spoken in the country. South Africa has eleven official languages. They are Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sesotho, Swazi, Setswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. Most South Africans (over 99%) speak one of these languages as a first language. [1] Most South Africans can speak more than one language.
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE 11 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES OF SOUTH AFRICA zulutranslation
The 11 official languages of South Africa are Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, and Xitsonga. These languages were recognized as official languages in the 1996 Constitution, which was adopted after the end of apartheid. Afrikaans Afrikaans is a West Germanic language that evolved from Dutch, spoken by 17th-century colonizers in the Cape. It was initially known as Cape Dutch, with proper Dutch being the formal written language. Today Afrikaans is the third most common language in South Africa, spoken by nearly seven million people. English There are 11 official South African languages. Learn what they are, how many people speak them and more. South Africa has eleven official languages. They are Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sesotho, Swazi, Setswana, Tsonga, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu. Most South Africans speak one of these languages as a first language.[1] Most South Africans can speak more than one language. Prior to 1994, South Africa had only two official languages, English and Afrikaans.[2]
The 11 languages of South Africa South Africa Gateway
Many South Africans mix and match the languages together, which leads to South Africa having a very unique local language. A few words that could make life a little easier for foreign visitors are : Braai (A barbeque), Yebo (African word meaning yes), Lapa (The courtyard enclosed by a circle of Ndebele huts now used to refer to any outdoor enclosure built of mud or brick), Lekker (Afrikaans. Most languages natively spoken in Africa belong to one of the two large language families that dominate the continent: Afroasiatic, or Niger-Congo. Another hundred belong to smaller families such as Ubangian, Nilotic, Saharan, and the various families previously grouped under the umbrella term Khoisan.
Discover South Africa's 12 official languages, especially the most spoken ones - isiZulu, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, and Sesotho sa Leboa. Some South African Language Facts. The 11 official South African languages include English, Afrikaans, Ndebele, Xhosa, Zulu, Swati, Southern Sotho, Sepedi, Tsonga, Tswana and Venda. Most South Africans speak at least two languages - typically English with one of the other languages. Looking at the pie chart, the most commonly spoken languages.
Languages in South Africa Discover Africa Safaris
The Xhosa 3. Afrikaans 4. English 5. Northern Sotho 6. Tswana 7. Southern Sotho 8. Xitsonga language 9. Swazi Language 10. Venḓa or Tshivenḓa Language 11. The Ndebele language 12. South African Sign Language (SASL) Conclusion: 12 Official Languages of South Africa This is the most spoken language in South Africa with about 46% of its total population speaking it. Nonetheless, Zulu has about 23% of South Africans speaking it as a first language. The language which became the official language of the country in 1994 is the second largest Bantu language after Swahili and it falls under the Niger-Congo language family.
