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| SOUTH AFRICAN LANGUAGES AND CULTURE |
LANGUAGES AND CULTURE
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South Africans have been referred to as the 'rainbow
nation', a title which epitomises the country's cultural diversity. The population of South Africa is one of the most
complex and diverse in the world. Of the 45 million South Africans, nearly 31 million are
Black, 5 million White, 3 million Coloured and one million Indian. The population density
is 32.9 people per km².
The Black population is divided into four major ethnic groups, namely Nguni, Sotho,
Shangaan-Tsonga and Venda. There are numerous subgroups of which the Zulu and Xhosa (two
subgroups of the Nguni) are the largest. The majority of the White population is of
Afrikaans descent (60%), with many of the remaining 40% being of British descent. Most of
the Coloured population live in the Northern and Western Cape provinces,
whilst most of the Indian population lives in KwaZulu Natal. The
Afrikaner population is concentrated in the Gauteng and Free State provinces and the English population in the Western and Eastern Cape and KwaZulu
Natal |
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| Languages: There are eleven official languages
in South Africa |
| English |
Afrikaans |
Ndebele |
Sepedi |
| Xhosa |
Venda |
Tswana |
Southern Sotho |
| Zulu |
Swazi |
Tsonga |
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 Xhosa: Approximately 18 percent of South
Africas population speaks the language, and when doing the mathematics, that makes
it around 7.9 million people. Xhosa is marked by a number of tongue-clicking sounds. Those
that speak the language are usually involved in an ethnic group known ... more about » Xhosa
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 Zulu: To 24% of South Africans, Zulu is
considered to be their home language and 50% of the South Africas inhabitants
understand the language. Zulu falls under the Nguni group and is one of the Bantu
languages. Xhosa and Zulu are the only two languages mutually understandable. The Zulu
nation ... more about » Zulu
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 Afrikaans: The Afrikaans language is one of South
Africas official languages and a majority of South Africas population uses
this as their first or second language. Afrikaans is a born language and attached is a
fascinating history. The language is also widely spoken in Namibia and spoken partly ...
more about » Afrikaans
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 Venda: This language can be known as Luvenda
or just Venda, and Tshivenda is originated from the Bantu language. Around 666 000 of
Tshivenda speakers live in the Northern parts of South Africas Limpopo Province. Those that speak
Tshivenda have a Royal Family and there are also traditions ... more about » Venda
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 Ndebele: Many South African African people can
speak Ndebele and it is in fact a beautiful language if you know how to speak and
understand it well. Ndebele is a Bantu language that is spoken by Ndebele South Africans
(the Ndebele people are also sometimes referred to as amaNdebele) ... more about » Ndebele
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 Sepedi: Sepedi is also sometimes referred to
as Sesotho sa Laboa or Northern Sotho. The language of Sepedi is spoken by approximately
4,208,980 individuals and it is one of the eleven official languages in South Africa. The language is
usually spoken in Mpumalanga,
Gauteng and ... more
about » Sepedi
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 Setswana: Setswana is commonly known as
Tswana, and is actually Botswanas national language. However, the majority of Tswana
or Setswana speakers are found in South
Africa. It is the Northern Cape that is the source of
the Setswana and Afrikaans speakers. When travelling to ... more about » Setswana
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 Southern Sesotho: This Bantu language
originates from the Bantu-Nguni era and is also known as Suto, Souto, Sisutho as well as
Suthu. The dialects originates from Suto, Pedi as well as Tswana which are intelligible
but at the same time is also considered to be separate languages ... more about » Southern
Sesotho
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 Swati: Swati might not sound familiar to you,
but rather Sewati, Swazi or siSwati as these are all the same language, just in different
names. Swati is a part of the Nguni Group and it is one of the many Bantu languages. It is
mainly spoken by people in South
Africa and Swaziland. It is one of the official ... more about » Swati
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 Tsonga: The language of Tsonga is mainly
spoken throughout southern Africa by the Shangaan - Tsonga culture. Tsonga is a part of
Bantu branch when it comes to the Niger-Congo languages. The speakers of this language are
often referred to as Shangaans, but the Tsongas say this is incorrect ... more about » Tsonga
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| Some Commonly used South African words and
phrases |
| Just now |
sometime soon,
shortly |
| Now now |
sooner than just
now! |
| Lift |
elevator |
| Boot |
trunk of a car |
| Mate |
pal or buddy |
| Howzit |
hello (a greeting) |
| Koppie |
rocky hill |
| play play |
pretend |
| Bakkie |
pick up truck |
| Flat |
apartment |
| Robot |
traffic lights |
| Bundu |
bushveld |
| Kloof |
ravine |
| Braai |
bar-b-que |
| Some useful Zulu words and phrases |
| Ngiyabonga |
I thank you |
| Ngicela... |
can I please
have... |
| Ngiphuma
e-(England) |
I'm from (England) |
| Hamba kahle |
go well |
| Amanzi |
water |
| Unjani? Ninjani?
(Plural) |
How are you? - |
| Hamba Kahle |
Goodbye (go well) |
| Yebo |
Yes |
| Kuhle |
Good, fine |
| Siyabonga |
We thank you |
| Ngifuna.... |
I'm looking for... |
| Ngilambile |
I'm hungry |
| Lalela |
listen |
| Malini? |
How much? |
| Ngiya phila. Wena? |
I am fine. And
you? |
| Cha |
No |
| Sala Kahle |
Goodbye (stay
well) |
| A few useful Xhosa words and phrases |
| Kunjani? |
How are you? |
| Hamba kahle |
Goodbye (go well) |
| Ewe |
Yes |
| Nceda |
Please |
| Kulungile |
Good, fine |
| Ndiphilile. Nawe? |
I am fine. And
you? |
| Sala kakuhle |
Goodbye (stay
well) |
| Hayi |
No |
| Enkosi |
Thank you |
| Yimalini |
How much? |
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With 20 National Parks
(including two of the world's most famous wildlife reserves, the Kruger Park
& Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park) & numerous private game reserves, your trip to
South Africa would be incomplete without experiencing a South African wildlife safari .... |
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