Frequently Asked Questions about African Languages in South Africa
QUESTION: How many official languages
are there in South Africa?
South Africa has 11 official languages, and plenty of unofficial ones besides. English is the most commonly spoken language in official and commercial public life - but only the fifth most spoken home language.
While more than three-quarters of South Africa's population is black African, this category is neither culturally nor linguistically homogenous. Nine of the official languages are African, reflecting a variety of ethnic groupings which nonetheless have a great deal in common in terms of background, culture and descent. (information from: http://www.southafrica.info/about/facts.htm#people)
Distribution
of the population by first language spoken (percentage)
(Data source:
Statistics South Africa)
NB: Unspecified and not applicable are excluded.
IsiZulu is
the most frequently spoken language in South Africa's households,
followed by IsiXhosa. The 2011 census recorded the following
distribution of home language speakers
(http://www.statssa.gov.za/Census2011/Products/Census_2011
_Census_in_brief.pdf):
|
Language |
Speakers |
Percentage |
|
Zulu |
11,587,374 |
22.7% |
|
Xhosa |
8,154,258 |
16.0% |
|
Afrikaans |
6,855,082 |
13.5% |
|
English |
4,892,623 |
9.6% |
|
Northern Sotho |
4,618,576 |
9.1% |
|
Tswana |
4,067,248 |
8.0% |
|
Sotho |
3,849,563 |
7.6% |
|
Tsonga |
2,277,148 |
4.5% |
|
Swati |
1,297,046 |
2.5% |
|
Venda |
1,209,388 |
2.4% |
|
Ndebele |
1,090,223 |
2.1% |
|
Sign language |
234,655 |
0.5% |
|
Other languages |
828,258 |
1.6% |
|
Total |
50,961,443 |
100.0% |
QUESTION:
Which language is more difficult to learn - Xhosa, Zulu or Sotho? Are
the clicks impossibly difficult to pronounce?
Most
of South Africa's African languages are fairly easy to learn in terms
of grammar since they follow a clear, logical pattern of Noun Classes
with prefixes that relate back to these classes. If you find
the
idea of making click sounds off-putting - don't worry - we will show
you how to make them by reminding you that you already make clicks in
your everyday life - when you are irritated or getting a horse to move
along! No problem! Xhosa and Zulu both have 15 click sounds but Xhosa
uses these sounds more frequently than Zulu. There are only 4 click
sounds in Sotho but Sotho does have quite a complex tonal structure. To
sum up: no, our Southern African African languages are no more
difficult to learn than any other foreign language!
QUESTION:
I live in Johannesburg and I want to learn an African language. Which
one should I choose?
Probably Zulu, although Sotho would also be
extremely helpful. 30.7% of Gauteng residents speak Nguni languages
(Zulu, Xhosa, Swati, Ndebele) at home, 31.3% speak Sotho languages
(Southern Sotho, Northern Sotho - also known as Pedi, Tswana), 13.3%
speak English, 12.4% speak Afrikaans and 2.3% speak Venda.
QUESTION: I live in
After
Afrikaans, English and Xhosa are the next two main languages
spoken in
QUESTION: I need something
translated into an African language. What should I do?
Make
sure that you employ a professional translator with contactable
references. Trying to get translations done on the cheap can cost you
dearly in
the long run. You can contact your local university's African Languages
department or use a translation agency. In