Southern Bantu languages
Language family
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Southern Bantu or siNtu languages are a large group of Bantu languages spoken in the region of southern Africa. They are nearly synonymous with Guthrie's Bantu zone S.
Geographic
distributionSouth Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Eswatini
distributionSouth Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Eswatini
Proto-languageProto-Southern Bantu[1]
| Southern Bantu | |
|---|---|
| siNtu | |
| Geographic distribution | South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Eswatini |
| Linguistic classification | Niger–Congo? |
| Proto-language | Proto-Southern Bantu[1] |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | sout3387 |
History
Proto-Southern Bantu was first spoken some time during the 2nd millennium CE within the borderland between South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, where the different Southern Bantu subgroups meet.[2]
Languages
Language groups are followed by their code in the Guthrie classification.
- Southern Bantu languages
- Chopi (S60)
- Nguni languages (S40)
- Sotho–Tswana (S30 + K20):
- Tswana ("Western Sotho")
- Kgalagadi
- Sotho
- Northern Sotho (Sepedi)
- Southern Sotho (Sesotho)
- Sepulana ("Eastern Sotho")
- Lozi
- Tswa–Ronga (S50):
- Shona-Venda
- Shona
- Eastern Shona group
- Central Shona group
- Korekore (S11) and Tawara
- Zezuru (S12)
- Manyika (S13) and Tewe
- Karanga (S14)
- Western Shona group
- Venda (S20)
- Shona
