The Sotho-Tswana languages are a group of closely related Bantu languages spoken in

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost region of Africa. No definition is agreed upon, but some groupings include the United Nations geoscheme for Africa, United Nations geoscheme, the intergovernmental Southern African Development Community, and ...

. The Sotho-Tswana group corresponds to the S.30 label in Guthrie's 1967–71

classification Classification is the activity of assigning objects to some pre-existing classes or categories. This is distinct from the task of establishing the classes themselves (for example through cluster analysis). Examples include diagnostic tests, identif ...

of languages in the Bantu family. The various dialects of Tswana, Southern Sotho and Northern Sotho are highly mutually intelligible. On more than one occasion, proposals have been put forward to create a unified standardisation and declare a Sotho-Tswana language.

Languages

The group is divided into four main branches: * Sotho-Tswana **S.31 *** Tswana (''Setswana''), with dialects: Fokeng, Hurutshe, Kgatla, Kwena, Lete, Ngwaketse, Ngwato, Rolong, Tawana, Tlhaping, Tlharo, and Tlokwa **S.311 *** Kgalagadi, with dialects: Nuclear Kgalagadi (Kgalagadi proper), Balaongwe, Kenyi, Khakhae, Koma, Ngologa, Pedi, Phaleng, Rhiti, Shaga, and Siwane **S.32 ***Birwa ***Tswapong *** Northern Sotho (''Sesotho sa Leboa''), with dialects including Masemola (Masemula, Tau), Kgaga (Khaga, Kxaxa), Koni (Kone), Tswene (Tsweni), Gananwa (Hananwa, Xananwa), Pulana, Phalaborwa (Phalaburwa, Thephalaborwa), Khutswe (Khutswi, Kutswe), Lobedu (Khelobedu, Lovedu, Lubedu), Tlokwa (Dogwa, Tlokoa, Tokwa), Pai, Dzwabo (Thabine-Roka-Nareng), Kopa (Ndebele-Sotho), Matlala-Moletshi. **S.33 ***Southern Sotho or Sotho (''SeSotho''): Phuthi, Taung Northern Sotho, which appears largely to be a taxonomic holding category for what is Sotho-Tswana but neither identifiably Southern Sotho nor Tswana,See Doke, Clement M. (1954). ''The Southern Bantu Languages. Handbook of African Languages''. Oxford: Oxford University Press subsumes highly varied

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

s including Pedi (''Sepedi''), Tswapo (''Setswapo''), Lovedu (''Khilobedu''), Pai and Pulana. Maho (2002) leaves the "East Sotho" varieties of Kutswe, Pai, and Pulana unclassified within Sotho-Tswana.

Sample

The Lord's Prayer in the various Sotho-Tswana languages. English: ''Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.'' * Pedi: * Sotho: * Tswana: * Lozi:

References

Languages of Botswana Languages of Lesotho Languages of South Africa {{Bantu-lang-stub