A detailed look at language distribution in South Africa a country with 11 official languages


South Africa Linguistic map

The South African languages can be categorized into four main groups namely, Southern Bantu Makua, Afrikaans, English, and Khoisan. Afrikaans and Khoisan are also native languages of the neighboring country Namibia. In 1910, only 2 languages were recognized by the SA Republic, English and Afrikaans.


The 11 languages of South Africa South Africa Gateway

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.


Guia de gírias sulafricanas que você precisa aprender

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.


AN INTRODUCTION TO THE 11 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES OF SOUTH AFRICA zulutranslation

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.


The quick guide to South Africa South Africa Gateway

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.


A detailed look at language distribution in South Africa a country with 11 official languages

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.


11 Official Languages of South Africa — Depicta

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.


AN INTRODUCTION TO THE 11 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES OF SOUTH AFRICA zulutranslation

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.


The 11 languages of South Africa South Africa Gateway

English There are 11 official South African languages. Learn what they are, how many people speak them and more.


The 11 languages of South Africa South Africa Gateway

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.


Official languages of South Africa Download Table

Discover South Africa's 12 official languages, especially the most spoken ones - isiZulu, isiXhosa, Afrikaans, and Sesotho sa Leboa.


Languages in South Africa Discover Africa Safaris

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.


The Languages of South Africa Alpha Omega Translations

South Africa's 11 Official Languages South Africa has 11 official languages and most South Africans speak more than one language. Check out my Guide to South African Slang! From 1910 to 1925, Dutch and English were the first two official languages in South Africa. In 1925, Afrikaans was introduced as part of the Dutch language.


South Africa's 11 Official Languages Explained YouTube

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]


AN INTRODUCTION TO THE 11 OFFICIAL LANGUAGES OF SOUTH AFRICA zulutranslation

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


Map of languages in South Africa

With the remarkable distinction of having not one, not two, but eleven official languages, this rainbow nation stands as a beacon of multilingualism in a world where linguistic unity often eludes us.

Scroll to Top