SothoâTswana | |
---|---|
Ethnicity | Sotho-Tswana peoples |
Geographic distribution | Southern Africa, mainly in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, and south-western Zambia, |
Linguistic classification | NigerâCongo? |
Subdivisions | |
Glottolog | soth1248 |
The Sotho-Tswana languages are a group of closely related Bantu languages spoken in Southern Africa. The Sotho-Tswana group corresponds to the S.30 label in Guthrie's 1967â71 classification [1] of languages in the Bantu family.
The various dialects of Tswana, Southern Sotho and Northern Sotho are highly mutually intelligible. On more than one occasion, proposals have been put forward to create a unified standardisation and declare a Sotho-Tswana language.
The group is divided into four main branches: [2]
Northern Sotho, which appears largely to be a taxonomic holding category for what is Sotho-Tswana but neither identifiably Southern Sotho nor Tswana, [3] subsumes highly varied dialects including Pedi (Sepedi), Tswapo (Setswapo), Lovedu (Khilobedu), Pai and Pulana. Maho (2002) leaves the "East Sotho" varieties of Kutswe, Pai, and Pulana unclassified within Sotho-Tswana.
The Lord's Prayer in the various Sotho-Tswana languages.
English: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
SothoâTswana | |
---|---|
Ethnicity | Sotho-Tswana peoples |
Geographic distribution | Southern Africa, mainly in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, and south-western Zambia, |
Linguistic classification | NigerâCongo? |
Subdivisions | |
Glottolog | soth1248 |
The Sotho-Tswana languages are a group of closely related Bantu languages spoken in Southern Africa. The Sotho-Tswana group corresponds to the S.30 label in Guthrie's 1967â71 classification [1] of languages in the Bantu family.
The various dialects of Tswana, Southern Sotho and Northern Sotho are highly mutually intelligible. On more than one occasion, proposals have been put forward to create a unified standardisation and declare a Sotho-Tswana language.
The group is divided into four main branches: [2]
Northern Sotho, which appears largely to be a taxonomic holding category for what is Sotho-Tswana but neither identifiably Southern Sotho nor Tswana, [3] subsumes highly varied dialects including Pedi (Sepedi), Tswapo (Setswapo), Lovedu (Khilobedu), Pai and Pulana. Maho (2002) leaves the "East Sotho" varieties of Kutswe, Pai, and Pulana unclassified within Sotho-Tswana.
The Lord's Prayer in the various Sotho-Tswana languages.
English: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.