Template:Short description Template:About Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other Template:Infobox NC name
Sepedi, also known as Northern Sotho, is one of South Africa’s twelve official languages and belongs to the Bantu language family, specifically the Sotho-Tswana group.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The language is spoken mainly in Limpopo Province, and to a lesser extent in Gauteng, Mpumalanga, and North West.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
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 statusEdit
Sepedi vs Northern SothoEdit
According to Chapter 1, Section 6 of the South African Constitution, Sepedi is one of South Africa's 12 official languages.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> There has been significant debate about whether Northern Sotho should be used instead of Pedi.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
South Africa's official language policyEdit
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.<ref>[1]</ref>
NameEdit
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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> 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.Template:Citation needed
Other varieties of Northern SothoEdit
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.Template:Original research inline
The Highveld-SothoEdit
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)
- 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-SothoEdit
The group consists of Lobedu, Narene, Phalaborwa (Malatji), Mogoboya, Kone, Kgaga, Pulana, Pai, Ramafalo, Mohale and Kutswe.
ClassificationEdit
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.Template:Citation needed<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.
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 systemEdit
Sepedi is written in the Latin alphabet. The letter š is used to represent the sound [{{#invoke:IPA|main}}] ("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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
PhonologyEdit
VowelsEdit
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Close | main}} | main}} |
| Close-mid | main}} | main}} |
| Open-mid | main}} | main}} |
| Open | {{#invoke:IPA|main}} | |
ConsonantsEdit
Other consonant sounds include fricative-combinations {{#invoke:IPA|main}} and {{#invoke:IPA|main}}.
Within nasal consonant compounds, the first nasal consonant sound is recognized as syllabic. Words such as nthuše "help me", are pronounced as {{#invoke:IPA|main}}. /n/ can also be pronounced as {{#invoke:IPA|main}} following a velar consonant.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
VocabularyEdit
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. |
| 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! |
| 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 |
| 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 | Ngwatobosego |
| July | Phuphu |
| August | Phato |
| September | Lewedi |
| October | Diphalane |
| November | Dibatsela |
| December | Manthole |
| Computers and Internet terms | Didirishwa tsa khomphutha le Inthanete |
| computer | sebaledi / khomphutara |
| 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 |
| Brown | Tsotho |
| Green | Talamorogo |
| Blue | Talalerata |
| Black | Ntsho |
| White | šweu |
| Yellow | Serolwana |
| Gold | Gauta |
| Grey | Pududu |
| Pale | Sehla or Tshehla |
| Silver | Silifere |
Sample textEdit
Universal Declaration of Human Rights<ref>Template:Citation</ref><poem style="margin-left: 1em; font-style: italic;" lang="nso"> 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. </poem>
See alsoEdit
NotesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Sister project Template:Sister project
- Template:WALS
- Template:UDHR
- Online Northern Sotho – English dictionary
- Online Northern Sotho explanatory dictionary
- Pan South African Language Board
- Template:Icon Audio files in Pedi at Wikimedia Commons
SoftwareEdit
- Spell checker for OpenOffice.org and Mozilla, OpenOffice.org, Mozilla Firefox web-browser, and Mozilla Thunderbird email program in Northern Sotho
- Translate.org.za Project to translate Free and Open Source Software into all the official languages of South Africa including Northern Sotho
- Keyboard with extra Northern Sotho characters
Template:Languages of South Africa Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones N–S)