Editing Venda language (section)

{{Short description|Bantu language of South Africa and Zimbabwe}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = TshiVenda
| nativename       = {{lang|ve|Tshivenḓa}}
| states           = {{Plainlist|
* [[South Africa]] and [[Zimbabwe]]
* [[Mozambique]]
}}
| region           = [[Limpopo]]
| speakers         = {{sigfig|1.29|2}} million
| date             = 2011 census
| ref              = e18
| speakers2        = 1.7&nbsp;million [[L2 speakers]] in South Africa (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 languages|Volta–Congo]]
| fam4             = [[Benue–Congo languages|Benue–Congo]]
| fam5             = [[Bantoid languages|Bantoid]]
| fam6             = [[Southern Bantoid languages|Southern]]
| fam7             = [[Bantu languages|Bantu]]
| fam8             = [[Southern Bantu languages|Southern]]
| dia1             = Guvhu
| dia2             = Ilafuri
| dia3             = Lembetu
| dia4             = Manda
| dia5             = Mbedzi
| dia6             = Phani
| dia7             = Tavha-Tsindi
| script           = [[Latin script|Latin]] (Venda alphabet)<br/>[[Venda Braille]]<br>[[Ditema tsa Dinoko]]
| nation           = {{flag|Zimbabwe}}<br>{{flag|South Africa}}
| ethnicity        = [[Venda people|Venda]], [[Lemba people|Lemba]]
| iso1             = ve
| iso2             = ven
| iso3             = ven
| lingua           = [http://linguasphere.info/?page=linguascale&linguacode=99-AUT-b 99-AUT-b] incl. varieties<br/> 99-AUT-baa to 99-AUT-bad
| guthrie          = S.20 (S.21)
| map              = South Africa Venda speakers proportion map.svg
| mapcaption       = Geographical distribution of Tshivenda in South Africa: proportion of the population that speaks Tshivenda at home.
{{div col}}
{{legend|#EDF8E9|0–20%}}
{{legend|#BAE4B3|20–40%}}
{{legend|#74C476|40–60%}}
{{legend|#31A354|60–80%}}
{{legend|#006D2C|80–100%}}
{{div col end}}
| map2             = South Africa Venda speakers density map.svg
| mapcaption2      = Geographical distribution of Tshivenda in South Africa: density of Tshivenda home-language speakers.
{{div 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}}
{{div col end}}
| notice           = IPA
| sign             = [[Signed Venda]]
| glotto           = vend1245
| glottorefname    = Venda
}}
{{Infobox Bantu name| ||||root=Venda|person='''Mu'''venda|people='''Vha'''venda|language='''Tshi'''venda| Lifestyle=TshiVenda|country/Homeland=Venda}}

'''Venḓa''' or '''Tshivenḓa''' is a [[Bantu languages|Bantu]] language and an [[Languages of South Africa|official language of South Africa]] and [[Zimbabwe]]. It is mainly spoken by the [[Venda people]] (or Vhavenḓa) in the northern part of South Africa's [[Limpopo|Limpopo province]], as well as by some [[Lemba people]] in [[South Africa]]. The Tshivenda language is related to [[Shona language|Shona (Karanga and Kalanga)]] which is spoken in [[Southern Africa]]. During the [[apartheid]] era of South Africa, the [[Bantustan]] of [[Venda]] was set up to cover the Venda speakers of [[South Africa]].

According to the 2011 [[census]], Venda speakers are concentrated in the following areas: [[Makhado Local Municipality]], with 350,000 people; [[Thulamela Local Municipality]], with 370,000 people; [[Musina Local Municipality]], with 35,000 people; and [[Mutale Local Municipality]], with 89,000 people. The total number of speakers in [[Vhembe District Municipality|Vhembe district]] currently stands at 844,000. In [[Gauteng|Gauteng province]], there are 275,000 Venda speakers. Fewer than 10,000 are spread across the rest of the country—for a total number of Venda speakers in South Africa at 1.2&nbsp;million people or just 2.2% of South Africa's population, making Venda speakers the second smallest minority language in South Africa, after the [[Southern Ndebele language|Ndebele language]], which number 1.1&nbsp;million speakers. The population statistics of the Venda people in [[Zimbabwe]] are not clear but may currently stand at a million. The people are concentrated in the South of the country but also spread to other towns and cities. There is also a significant number of them in neighbouring South Africa where they are [[Migrant worker|migrant workers]].