Editing Southern Ndebele language (section)

{{Short description|Language belonging to the Nguni group}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{About|the Ndebele language spoken in South Africa|the Ndebele language spoken in Zimbabwe|Northern Ndebele language|the Northern Ndebele language spoken in Limpopo Province, South Africa|SiNdebele (disambiguation){{!}}Ndebele language}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Southern Ndebele
| altname          = isiNdebele sakwaNdzundza noManala{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}
| nativename       = ''isiNdebele seSewula''{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}
| states           = South Africa
| region           = [[Mpumalanga]], [[Limpopo]], Gauteng, [[North West Province (South Africa)|North West]]
| speakers         = 1.1&nbsp;million
| date             = 2011 census
| ref              = e18
| refname          = Ndebele
| speakers2        = 1.4&nbsp;million L2 speakers (2002)<ref>Webb, Vic. 2002. "Language in South Africa: the role of language in national transformation, reconstruction and development." ''Impact: Studies in language and society,'' 14:78</ref>
| familycolor      = Niger-Congo
| fam2             = [[Atlantic–Congo languages|Atlantic–Congo]]
| fam3             = [[Volta-Congo]]
| fam4             = [[Benue–Congo languages|Benue–Congo]]
| fam5             = [[Bantoid]]
| fam6             = [[Southern Bantoid languages|Southern Bantoid]]
| fam7             = [[Bantu languages|Bantu]]
| fam8             = [[Southern Bantu]]
| fam9             = [[Nguni languages|Nguni]]
| fam10            = [[Zunda languages|Zunda]]
| script           = [[Latin script|Latin]] (Ndebele alphabet)<br />[[Ndebele Braille]]
| nation           = {{RSA}}
| iso1             = nr
| iso1comment      = – South Ndebele
| iso2             = nbl
| iso2comment      = – South Ndebele
| iso3             = nbl
| iso3comment      = – South Ndebele
| lingua           = 99-AUT-fi + 99-AUT-fj
| guthrie          = S.407
| sign             = [[Signed Ndebele]]
| glotto           = sout2808
| glottorefname    = Sumayela Ndebele
| notice           = IPA
| ethnicity        = [[Southern Ndebele people|amaNdebele]]
}}
{{Infobox ethnonym|root=Ndebele|person=iNdebele|people=[[Southern Ndebele people|AmaNdebele]]|language=[[Southern Ndebele language|IsiNdebele]]|country= [[KwaNdebele]]}}
<!--SUGGESTIONS TO EDITORS:
 .Re-use and fill the infobox from [[Xhosa language]]
 .Sort/separate infos about [[Ndebele language]] and [[Ndebele]] people,
  avoid confusion between the larger Ndebele (similar to Zulu/ Xhosa) people and the smaller Southern Ndebele people,
  until it can be split and moved instead of the [[Ndebele]] redirect.
-->
[[File:South Africa Ndebele speakers proportion map.svg|thumb|Geographical distribution of isiNdebele in South Africa: proportion of the population that speaks isiNdebele at home.
{{legend-col
|{{legend|#EDF8E9|0–20%}}
|{{legend|#BAE4B3|20–40%}}
|{{legend|#74C476|40–60%}}
|{{legend|#31A354|60–80%}}
|{{legend|#006D2C|80–100%}}
}}]]
[[File:South Africa Ndebele speakers density map.svg|thumb|Geographical distribution of isiNdebele in South Africa: density of isiNdebele home-language speakers.
{{legend-col
|{{legend|#ffffcc|&lt;1 /km²}}
|{{legend|#ffeda0|1–3 /km²}}
|{{legend|#fed976|3–10 /km²}}
|{{legend|#feb24c|10–30 /km²}}
|{{legend|#fd8d3c|30–100 /km²}}
|{{legend|#fc4e2a|100–300 /km²}}
|{{legend|#e31a1c|300–1000 /km²}}
|{{legend|#bc0026|1000–3000 /km²}}
|{{legend|#800026|&gt;3000 /km²}}
}}]]
[[File:Pretoriase kunsmuseum 1.jpg|thumb|Bilingual sign in [[Afrikaans]] and Transvaal Ndebele at the [[Pretoria Art Museum]]]]

'''isiNdebele''' ({{IPAc-en|lang|pron|ɛ|n|d|ə|'|b|iː|l|iː}}), also known as '''Southern Ndebele'''<ref name="e18" /><ref name="ISO 639-2/RA">{{cite web |url=https://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/langcodes_name.php?code_ID=318 |title=Documentation for ISO 639 identifier: nbl |publisher=ISO 639-2 Registration Authority - Library of Congress |access-date=2017-07-04 |quote=Name: South Ndebele}}</ref><ref name="ISO 639-3/RA">{{cite web |url=http://www-01.sil.org/iso639-3/documentation.asp?id=nbl |title=Documentation for ISO 639 identifier: nbl |publisher=ISO 639-3 Registration Authority - SIL International |access-date=2017-07-04 |quote=Name: South Ndebele}}</ref> is an African language belonging to the [[Nguni languages|Mbo]] group of [[Bantu languages]], spoken by the [[Ndebele people (South Africa)|Ndebele people]] of [[South Africa]].

[[Northern Ndebele people|Northern Ndebele]] or Ndebele also known as  isi[[Northern Ndebele language|Ndebele]] is spoken in [[Zimbabwe|Limpopo]] in areas such as [[Polokwane]] (Bhulungwane), Ga-Rathoka (KaSondonga), Ga-Mashashane, [[Kalkspruit A (Ga-Maraba)|Ga Maraba / Kalkspruit]], [[Mokopane]] (Mghumbane), [[Zebediela]] (Sebetiela), which is closer to Southern Ndebele.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Skhosana |first1=Philemon |title=The (ama)Ndebele of Africa and their name '(ama)Ndebele' |url=http://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/17089 |website=University of Pretoria – Department of Library Services |year=2010 |publisher=University of Pretoria |hdl=2263/17089 |access-date=24 March 2016}}</ref>