Languages of South Africa 1210028 225197480 2008-07-12T12:11:05Z Nsaa 113357 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/59.92.174.99|59.92.174.99]] to last version by Thijs!bot (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) [[Image:South Africa municipalities by language 2001.png|thumb|300px|right |Map showing principal South African languages by municipality. Lighter shades indicate a non-majority [[plurality]]. {{columns |col1 = {{legend|#0080C0|[[Afrikaans]]}} <!--blue--> {{legend|#FF00FF|[[Northern Sotho language|Northern Sotho]]}} <!--pink--> {{legend|#7F7F7F|[[Sesotho language|Southern Sotho]]}} <!--grey--> {{legend|#FFFF00|[[Swati language|Swati]]}} <!--yellow--> {{legend|#00C0C0|[[Tsonga language|Tsonga]]}} <!--cyan--> |col2 = {{legend|#FF0000|[[Tswana language|Tswana]]}} <!--red--> {{legend|#87870E|[[Venda language|Venda]]}} <!--olive--> {{legend|#800080|[[Xhosa language|Xhosa]]}} <!--purple--> {{legend|#7FE000|[[Zulu language|Zulu]]}} <!--green--> }}]] [[Image:ZA map language.gif|thumb|right|250px|Geographical distribution of South African languages.]] [[Image:Sotho-Tswana.gif|thumb|right|250px|Geographical distribution of the [[Sotho-Tswana languages]] languages in South Africa's provinces.]] [[Image:Sesothodistrib-ZA.gif|thumb|right|250px|Geographical distribution of the [[Sesotho]] language in South Africa's provinces.]] [[Image:Nguni.gif|thumb|right|250px|Geographical distribution of the [[Nguni]] languages in South Africa's provinces.]] [[Image:Zuludistrib.gif|thumb|right|250px|Geographical distribution of the [[isiZulu]] language in South Africa's provinces.]] {{Life in South Africa}} '''[[South Africa]]''' has 11 [[official language]]s. South Africa also recognises eight non-official languages as "[[national language]]s". Of the official languages, two are [[Indo-European languages]] &mdash; [[English language|English]] and [[Afrikaans language|Afrikaans]] &mdash; while the other nine are languages of the [[Bantu languages|Bantu]] family (within Africa's largest [[phylum]], [[Niger-Congo languages|Niger-Congo]]). ==Official languages== The eleven official languages of South Africa are as follows (with the name used for each language, by speakers of that language, in brackets): :[[Afrikaans language|Afrikaans (''Afrikaans'')]], [[English language|English]], [[Ndebele language|Ndebele (''isiNdebele'')]], [[Northern Sotho language|Northern Sotho (''Sesotho sa Leboa'')]], [[Sotho language|Sotho (''Sesotho'')]], [[Swati language|Swati (''siSwati'')]], [[Tsonga language|Tsonga (''Xitsonga'')]], [[Tswana language|Tswana (''Setswana'')]], [[Venda language|Venda (''Tshivenḓa'')]], [[Xhosa language|Xhosa (''isiXhosa'')]], [[Zulu language|Zulu (''isiZulu'')]]. The most common language spoken at home by South Africans is Zulu (24 percent speak Zulu at home), followed by Xhosa (18 percent), and Afrikaans (13 percent). English is only the sixth-most common home language in the country, but is understood in most urban areas and is the dominant language in government and the media. The majority of South Africans speak a language from one of the two principal branches of the Bantu languages represented in South Africa: the [[Sotho-Tswana languages|Sotho-Tswana]] branch (Sotho, Northern Sotho, Tswana), or the [[Nguni]] branch (Zulu, Xhosa, Swati, Ndebele). For each of the two groups, the languages within that group are for the most part intelligible to a native speaker of any other language within that group. As can be seen from the accompanying maps, the nine indigenous African languages of South Africa can be divided into two geographical zones, with Nguni languages being predominant in the south-eastern third of the country (Indian Ocean coast) and Sotho languages being predominant in the northern third of the country located further inland, as also in [[Botswana]] and [[Lesotho]]. [[Gauteng]] is the most linguistically heterogeneous province, with roughly equal numbers of Nguni, Sotho and Indo-European language speakers. This has resulted in the spread of an urban argot, [[Tsotsitaal]], in large urban townships in the province. Venda and Tsonga are neither Nguni nor Sotho-Tswana languages. Afrikaans, a language derived from [[Dutch language|Dutch]], is the most widely spoken language in the western third of the country ([[Western Cape|Western]] and [[Northern Cape]]). It is spoken not only by a majority of whites but also by about 90 percent of [[Coloured]] ([[multiracial]]) people in the country. Afrikaans is also spoken widely across the centre and north of the country, as a second (or third or even fourth) language by Black South Africans living in farming areas. ==Other significant languages spoken in South Africa==<!-- This section is linked from [[Pretoria]] --> The Constitution also recognises a further nine non-official "national languages": :[[Fanagalo]], [[Khoe language|Khoe]], [[Lobedu language|Lobedu (''Khilobedu'')]], [[Nama language|Nama]], [[Northern Ndebele language|Northern Ndebele (''Sindebele'')]], [[Phuthi language|Phuthi (''Siphuthi'')]], [[Khoisan languages|San]] (Khoisan/Khoesan) languages, sign language and [[Tamil language|Tamil]] (less spoken). In reality, the membership of this additional list above is very varied. [[South African Sign Language]] is an utterly distinct though incompletely emerged national standard language which also subsumes a cluster of semi-standardised dialects. The Constitution mentions "sign language" in the generic sense rather than, as is widely believed, South African Sign Language specifically. Another four can properly be termed languages ('''Northern Ndebele, Phuthi, Khoe,''' and''' Nama'''). '''San''' (Khoesan) is an imprecisely named ''cluster'' of languages. '''Lobedu''' has been claimed to be a dialect of Northern Sotho, but is perhaps more accurately classed as an autonomous language. '''Fanagalo''' is a semi-stable pidgin of uncertain contemporary status. Significant numbers of immigrants from [[Europe]], elsewhere in [[Africa]], and the [[Indian subcontinent]] means that a wide variety of other languages can also be found in parts of South Africa. In the older immigrant communities there are: [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Hindi language|Hindi]], [[Polish language|Polish]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Urdu|Urdu]], [[Yiddish language|Yiddish]], and smaller numbers of [[French language|French]] and [[German language|German]] speakers. These non-official languages may be used in limited semi-official use where it has been determined that these languages are prevalent. More importantly, these languages have significant local functions in specific communities whose identity is tightly bound around the linguistic and cultural identity that these non-official SA languages signal. Of the listed non-official languages, the fastest growing are perhaps Portuguese - first spoken by white settlers and black and [[mestizo|mestiço]] settlers and refugees from [[Angola]] and [[Mozambique]] after they won independence from [[Portugal]] and now by more recent immigrants from those countries again - and increasingly French, spoken by immigrants and refugees from [[Francophone]] [[Central Africa]]. Finally, more recently, many thousands of speakers of [[North Africa|North]], Central and [[west Africa|West African]] languages have arrived in South Africa, mostly in the major cities, especially in [[Johannesburg]] and [[Pretoria]], but also [[Cape Town]] and [[Durban]]. ==Extinct languages== *[[ǀXegwi language||Xegwi]] *[[ǀXam language|ǀXam]] *[[Seroa language|Seroa]] ==Constitutional provisions== Chapter 1 (Founding Provisions), Section 6 (Languages) of the [[Constitution of South Africa]] is the basis for government [[language policy]]. The English text of the constitution signed by president [[Nelson Mandela]] on [[16 December]] [[1996]] curiously contains the names of the languages in the language of the language itself rather than ''English''. Controversy surrounds the use of ''Sepedi'' as opposed to ''Sesotho sa Leboa'' (which was the wording in the [[1994]] interim constitution) in the text. The spelling of Venda is also incorrectly rendered as ''Tshivenda'' instead of the correct ''Tshivenḓa'': {{cquote| :# The official languages of the Republic are [[Northern Sotho language|Sepedi]], [[Sesotho]], [[Tswana language|Setswana]], [[Swati language|siSwati]], [[Venda language|Tshivenda]], [[Tsonga language|Xitsonga]], [[Afrikaans language|Afrikaans]], [[English language|English]], [[Southern Ndebele language|isiNdebele]], [[isiXhosa]] and [[isiZulu]]. :# Recognising the historically diminished use and status of the indigenous languages of our people, the state must take practical and positive measures to elevate the status and advance the use of these languages. :#(a) The national government and provincial governments may use any particular official languages for the purposes of government, taking into account usage, practicality, expense, regional circumstances and the balance of the needs and preferences of the population as a whole or in the province concerned; but the national government and each provincial government must use at least two official languages.<br>(b) Municipalities must take into account the language usage and preferences of their residents. :# The national government and provincial governments, by legislative and other measures, must regulate and monitor their use of official languages. Without detracting from the provisions of subsection (2), all official languages must enjoy parity of esteem and must be treated equitably. :# A [[Pan South African Language Board]] established by national legislation must<br>(a) promote, and create conditions for, the development and use of -<br> &nbsp; (i) all official languages;<br> &nbsp; (ii) the Khoi, Nama and San languages; and<br> &nbsp; (iii) sign language; and<br>(b) promote and ensure respect for -<br> &nbsp; (i) all languages commonly used by communities in South Africa, including [[German language|German]], [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Hindi language|Hindi]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Telugu language|Telegu]] and [[Urdu]]; and<br> &nbsp; (ii) [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], [[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]] and other [[sacred language|languages used for religious purposes]] in South Africa.}} ==Census== The [[2001]] [[census]] recorded the following home language speakers: {| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 95%; text-align: left" !style="background-color:#E9E9E9"|Language !style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|Speakers !style="background-color:#E9E9E9" align=right|% |- |[[Zulu language|Zulu]]||align=right|10 677 000||align=right|23.8% |- |[[Xhosa language|Xhosa]]||align=right|7 907 000||align=right|17.6% |- |[[Afrikaans language|Afrikaans]]||align=right|5 983 000||align=right|13.3% |- |[[Northern Sotho language|Northern Sotho]] ||align=right|4 209 000||align=right|9.4% |- |[[Tswana language|Tswana]]||align=right|3 677 000||align=right|8.2% |- |[[English language|English]]||align=right|3 673 000||align=right|8.2% |- |[[Sotho language|Sotho]]||align=right|3 555 000||align=right|7.9% |- |[[Tsonga language|Tsonga]]||align=right|1 992 000||align=right|4.4% |- |[[Swati language|Swati]]||align=right|1 194 000||align=right|2.7% |- |[[Venda language|Venda]]||align=right|1 022 000||align=right|2.3% |- |[[Southern Ndebele language|Ndebele]]||align=right|712 000||align=right|1.6% |- |Other languages||align=right|217 000||align=right|0.5% |- |'''Total'''||align=right|'''44 820 000'''||align=right|'''100.0%''' |} ==External links== * [http://salanguages.com Introduction to the languages of South Africa] * [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=South+Africa Ethnologue Listing of South African Languages] * [http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/SouthAfrica PanAfriL10n page on South Africa] * [http://language-museum.com The Language Museum] * [http://www.statssa.gov.za/census01/html/C2001Interactive.asp Statistics SA] {{Africa in topic|Languages of}} [[Category:Languages of South Africa| ]] [[szl:Godki Rypubliki Pouedńowyj Afriki]] [[bn:দক্ষিণ আফ্রিকার ভাষা]] [[es:Lenguas de Sudáfrica]] [[zu:Izilimi zaseNingizimu Afrika]] [[it:Lingue del Sudafrica]] [[nov:Lingues de Sud Afrika]] [[pt:Línguas da África do Sul]] [[ru:Языки ЮАР]]