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Why does South Africa have 11 languages?
South Africa’s nine African official languages all fall into the Southern Bantu-Makua subfamily, part of the broad and branching Niger-Congo family of languages. The languages arrived here during the great expansion of Bantu-speaking people from West Africa eastwards and southwards into the rest of the continent.
Why does South Africa have so many languages?
One of the reasons for the continent’s rich linguistic diversity is simply down to time – people in Africa have had more time to develop languages than peoples elsewhere in the world. But the development of Africa’s languages is also due to cultural and political factors.
Is South Africa the only country with 11 official languages?
Most countries have one or two official national languages, while a few including the United States and Mexico have none. South Africa, however, has 11 – a number that could soon increase to 12 if the country’s parliament accepts a recommendation to give South African Sign Language official status.
What are 11 official languages?
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.
How do you say hello in the 11 South African languages?
How to say ‘hello’ in all 11 of SA’s official languages
- English. Hello!
- isiNdebele. Lotjhani!
- isiXhosa. Molo!
- isiZulu. Sawubona!
- Sepedi. Dumela!
- Setswana. Dumela!
- Sesotho. Dumela!
- Xitsonga. Avuxeni!
Is Zulu an official language in South Africa?
Zulu speaking countries Zulu is the official language in South Africa and is spoken in 2 more countries as monther tongue by a part of the population. The Zulu language (native name: isiZulu) has its roots in the Niger–Congo language family. With a share of around 23%, it is most widespread in South Africa.
What is the 12 languages in South Africa?
The official languages of the Republic are Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu.
Why does South Africa speak English?
Of the two European languages which were brought to South Africa during the early days of colonization, English is undoubtedly the most widespread. Because of the prevalence of this language, English is the main language used in government and business.
What does Lala mean in South Africa?
To sleep; to lie down; to rest; cf. doedoe. Occasionally in the phrase lala kahle /-ɡaːɬe/ [see gashle], sleep well.
What are the 11 official languages of South Africa?
The 11 official South African languages include English, Afrikaans, Ndebele, Xhosa, Zulu, Swati, Southern Sotho, Sepedi, Tsonga, Tswana and Venda. In general, most South Africans speak at least two languages – typically English with one of the other languages.
How many people speak English in South Africa?
The majority (86.1%) of Indian South Africans speak English as their home language, as do over a third (35.9%) of whites. It is the first language of 20.8% of coloured people, and of 2.9% of black South Africans. The largest number of English speakers are in Gauteng – 1.6-million people, or a third (32.8%) of all English-speaking South Africans.
Isizulu the most widely spoken language in South Africa?
IsiZulu is the most widely spoken language in South Africa, the first language of close to a quarter of the population. It is the dominant language of KwaZulu-Natal. Like isiNdebele, isiXhosa and siSwati, isiZulu is an Nguni language.
How many people speak Setswana in South Africa?
Its 3,996,951 speakers make up 8% of South Africa’s population. Some 98.3% of Setswana speakers are black, 1% coloured, 0.1% Indian or Asian and 0.1% white. Setswana is spoken by 9.9% of black South Africans, making it the third-largest language in the population group.