Northern Sotho

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File:WIKITONGUES- Edgar speaking Northern Sotho.webm
A speaker of the Northern Sotho language

Sepedi is one of South Africa’s twelve official languages and belongs to the Bantu language family, specifically the Sotho-Tswana group.[1] The language is spoken mainly in Limpopo Province, and to a lesser extent in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and North West.[2][3]

Sepedi refers to the dialect spoken by the Pedi people. Northern Sotho is the umbrella term for a group of related dialects. The two terms are often used interchangeably, but technically Sepedi is one dialect of Northern Sotho.

As of the 2022 South African Census, approximately 6.2 million people, or 10.0% of the national population, speak Sepedi as their first language. Sepedi ranks as the fifth most spoken first language.

Official language status

Sepedi vs Northern Sotho

According to Chapter 1, Section 6 of the South African Constitution, Sepedi is one of South Africa's 12 official languages.[4] There has been significant debate about whether Northern Sotho should be used instead of Pedi.[5] The English version of the South African Constitution lists Sepedi as an official language, while the Sepedi or Northern Sotho version of the Constitution of South Africa lists Sesotho sa Leboa as an official South African language.[6]

South Africa's official language policy

South Africa's official language policy refers to the twelve official languages of South Africa (i.e., Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, English, and South African Sign Language (SASL)), as specified in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.[7]

Name

Template:More citations needed section The Northern Sotho written language was based largely on the Sepedi dialect. Missionaries studied this dialect the most closely and first developed the orthography in 1860 by Alexander Merensky, Grutzner, and Gerlachshoop.[8] This subsequently provided a common writing system for 20 or more varieties of the Sotho-Tswana languages spoken in the former Transvaal, and also helped lead to "Sepedi" being used as the umbrella term for the entire language family. However, there are objections to this synecdoche by other Northern Sotho dialect speakers, such as speakers of Modjadji's Lobedu dialect.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Other varieties of Northern Sotho

Northern Sotho can be subdivided into Highveld-Sotho, which consists of comparatively recent immigrants mostly from the west and southwest parts of South Africa, and Lowveld-Sotho, which consists of a combination of immigrants from the north of South Africa and Sotho inhabitants of longer standing. Like other Sotho-Tswana people, their languages are named after totemic animals and, sometimes, by alternating or combining these with the names of famous chiefs.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

The Highveld-Sotho

The group consists of the following dialects:

  • Bapedi
    • Bapedi Marota (in the narrower sense)
    • Marota Mamone
    • Marota Mohlaletsi
    • Batau Bapedi (Matlebjane, Masemola, Marishane, Batau ba Manganeng - Nkadimeng, Kgaphola, Diphofa, Nchabeleng, Mogashoa, Phaahla, Sloane, Mashegoana, Mphanama, Batau ba Malata a Manyane)
  • Phokwane
  • Bakone
    • Kone (Ga-Matlala)
    • Dikgale
  • Baphuthi
  • Baroka
  • Bakgaga (Mphahlele, Maake, and Mothapo)
  • Chuene
  • Mathabatha
  • Maserumule
  • Tlou (Ga-Molepo)
  • Thobejane (Ga-Mafefe)
  • Batlokwa
    • Batlokwa Ba Lethebe
  • Makgoba
  • Batlou
  • Bahananwa (Ga-Mmalebogo)
  • Moremi
  • Motlhatlhana
  • Babirwa
  • Batswapong
  • Mmamabolo
  • Bamongatane
  • Bakwena ba Moletjie (Moloto)
  • Batlhaloga
  • Bahwaduba, BaGaMagale, and many others

The Lowveld-Sotho

The group consists of Lobedu, Narene, Phalaborwa (Malatji), Mogoboya, Kone, Kgaga, Pulana, Pai, Ramafalo, Mohale and Kutswe.

Classification

Northern Sotho is one of the Sotho languages of the Bantu family. Although Northern Sotho shares the name Sotho with Southern Sotho, the two groups also have a great deal in common with their sister language Setswana.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".[9] Northern Sotho is also closely related to Setswana, sheKgalagari and siLozi. It is a standardized variety, amalgamating several distinct varieties or dialects. Northern Sotho is also spoken by the Mohlala people and Malata People.

Most Khelobedu speakers only learn to speak Sepedi at school, such that Sepedi is only their second or third language. Khelobedu is a written language. Lobedu is spoken by a majority of people in the Greater Tzaneen, Greater Letaba, and BaPhalaborwa municipalities, and a minority in Greater Giyani municipality, as well as in the Limpopo Province and Tembisa township in Gauteng. Its speakers are known as the Balobedu.

Sepulana (Template:Transliteration) exists in unwritten form and forms part of the standard Northern Sotho. Sepulana is spoken in Bushbuckridge area by the MaPulana people.

Writing system

Sepedi is written in the Latin alphabet. The letter š is used to represent the sound [Script error: No such module "IPA".] ("sh" is used in the trigraph "tsh" to represent an aspirated ts sound). The circumflex accent can be added to the letters e and o to distinguish their different sounds, but it is mostly used in language reference books. Some word prefixes, especially in verbs, are written separately from the stem.[10]

Phonology

Vowels

Northern Sotho vowels
Front Back
Close Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA".
Close-mid Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA".
Open-mid Script error: No such module "IPA". Script error: No such module "IPA".
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Consonants

Northern Sotho consonants
Labial Alveolar Post-
alveolar 		Palatal Velar Glottal
plain lateral
Nasal Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link
Plosive ejective Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link
aspirated Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link
Affricate ejective Template:IPA link Template:IPA link
aspirated Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link
Fricative voiceless Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link~Template:IPA link
voiced Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link
Rhotic Template:IPA link Template:IPA link
Approximant Template:IPA link Template:IPA link Template:IPA link

Other consonant sounds include fricative-combinations Script error: No such module "IPA". and Script error: No such module "IPA"..

Within nasal consonant compounds, the first nasal consonant sound is recognized as syllabic. Words such as nthuše "help me", are pronounced as Script error: No such module "IPA".. /n/ can also be pronounced as Script error: No such module "IPA". following a velar consonant.[11]

Urban varieties of Northern Sotho, such as Pretoria Sotho (actually a derivative of Tswana), have acquired clicks in an ongoing process of such sounds spreading from Nguni languages.[12]

Tones

Like most other Niger–Congo languages, Sesotho is a tonal language, spoken with two basic tones, high (H) and low (L).

Vocabulary

Some examples of Northern Sotho words and phrases:

English Northern Sotho
Welcome Kamogelo (noun) / Amogela (verb)
Good day Dumela (singular) / Dumelang (plural) / Thobela and Re a lotšha (to elders)
How are you? O kae? (singular) Le kae? (plural, also used for elders)
I am fine Ke gona.

Ke tsogile(singular). Re tsogile(plural).

I am fine too, thank you Le nna ke gona, ke a leboga.
Thank you Ke a leboga (I thank you) / Re a leboga (we thank you)
Good luck Mahlatse
Have a safe journey O be le leeto le le bolokegilego
Good bye! Šala gabotse (singular)/ Šalang gabotse (plural, also used for elders)(keep well) / Sepela gabotse(singular)/Sepelang gabotse (plural, also used for elders)(go well)
I am looking for a job Ke nyaka mošomô
No smoking Ga go kgogwe (/folwe)
No entrance Ga go tsenwe
Beware of the steps! Hlokomela disetepese!/ditepisi
Beware! Hlokomela!
Congratulations on your birthday Mahlatse letšatšing la gago la matswalo
Seasons greetings Ditumedišo tša Sehla sa Maikhutšo
Merry Christmas Mahlogonolo a Keresemose
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Mahlogonolo a Keresemose le ngwaga wo moswa wo monate
Expression Gontsha sa mafahleng
yes ee/eya/eye
no aowa
please hle
thank you ke a leboga
help thušang/thušo
danger/accident kotsi
emergency tšhoganetšo
excuse me ntshwarele
I am sorry Ke maswabi
I love you Ke a go rata
Questions / sentences Dipotšišo / mafoko
Do you accept (money/credit cards/traveler's cheques)? O amogela (singular) / Le

amogela ( tshelete/.../...)?

How much is this? Ke bokae e?
I want ... Ke nyaka...
What are you doing? O dira eng?
What is the time? Ke nako mang?
Where are you going? O ya kae?
Numbers Dinomoro
1 tee
2 pedi
3 tharo
4 nne
5 hlano
6 tshela
7 šupa
8 seswai
9 senyane
10 lesome
11 lesometee
12 lesomepedi
13 lesometharo
14 lesomenne
15 lesomehlano
20 masomepedi
21 masomepedi-tee
22 masomepedi-pedi
50 masomehlano
100 lekgolo
1000 sekete
Days of the week Matšatši a beke
Sunday Lamorena
Monday Mošupologo
Tuesday Labobedi
Wednesday Laboraro
Thursday Labone
Friday Labohlano
Saturday Mokibelo
Months of the year Dikgwedi tša ngwaga
January Pherekgong
February Dibokwane
March Hlakola
April Moranang
May Mopitlo
June Ngwatobošego / Phupu
July Mosegamanye
August Phato
September Lewedi
October Diphalane
November Dibatsela
December Manthole
Computers and Internet terms Didirishwa tsa khomphutha le Inthanete
computer sebaledi / khomphutara
e-mail imeile
e-mail address aterese ya imeile
Internet Inthanete
Internet café khefi ya Inthanete
Website weposaete
Website address aterese ya weposaete
Rain Pula
To understand Go kwešiša
Reed pipes Dinaka
Drums Meropa
Horn Lenaka
Colours Mebala
Red/orange Hubedu/Khubedu
Brown Tsotho
Green Talamorogo
Blue Talalerata
Black Ntsho
White šweu
Yellow Serolwana
Gold Gauta
Grey Pududu
Pale Sehla or Tshehla
Silver Silifere

Sample text

Universal Declaration of Human Rights[13]

Temana 1
Batho ka moka ba belegwe ba lokologile le gona ba na le seriti sa go lekana le ditokelo. Ba filwe monagano le letswalo mme ba swanetše go swarana ka moya wa bana ba mpa.
 
Temana 2
Mang le mang o swanetše ke ditokelo le ditokologo ka moka tše go boletšwego ka tšona ka mo Boikanong bjo, ntle le kgethollo ya mohuta wo mongwe le wo mongwe bjalo ka morafe, mmala, bong, polelo, bodumedi, dipolitiki goba ka kgopolo, botšo go ya ka setšhaba goba maemo, diphahlo, matswalo goba maemo a mangwe le a mangwe.
 
Go feta fao, ga go kgethollo yeo e swanetšego go dirwa go ya ka maemo a dipolitiki, tokelo ya boahlodi, goba maemo a ditšhabatšhaba goba lefelo leo motho a dulago go lona, goba ke naga ye e ipušago, trasete, naga ya go se ipuše goba se sengwe le se sengwe seo se ka fokotšago maemo a go ikemela ga naga ya gabo.

See also

Notes

Template:Reflist

External links

Template:Sister project Template:Sister project

Software

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Template:Authority control

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  13. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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