Botswana Languages: Difference between revisions
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==Word List(s)== | ==Word List(s)== | ||
==Alphabet and Pronunciation== | ==Alphabet and Pronunciation== | ||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tswana_language#Vowels Tswana Language Vowels] | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tswana_language#Consonants Tswana Language Consonants] | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tswana_language#Stress Tswana Language Stress] | |||
*[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tswana_language#Tone Tswana Language Tone] | |||
==Language Aids and Dictionaries== | ==Language Aids and Dictionaries== | ||
*[http://www.wikihow.com/Learn-Botswana's-Official-Language Learn-Botswana's-Official-Language] | *[http://www.wikihow.com/Learn-Botswana's-Official-Language Learn-Botswana's-Official-Language] | ||
Revision as of 15:48, 5 April 2021
| Botswana Wiki Topics | |
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| Beginning Research | |
| Record Types | |
| Botswana Background | |
| Local Research Resources | |
Description[edit | edit source]
The official languages of Botswana are English and Tswana.
- English - Inherited from colonial rule and is used for official business and most written communication.
- Tswana - The language of the Tswana people—Setswana—is a country's national language, and is spoken by most of the population.
- In Setswana, prefixes are more important than they are in many other languages, since Setswana is a Bantu language and has noun classes denoted by these prefixes. They include:
- Bo, which refers to the country
- Ba, which refers to the people,
- Mo, which is one person, and
- Se which is the language.
For example, the main ethnic group of Botswana is the Tswana people, hence the name Botswana for its country. The people as a whole are Batswana, one person is a Motswana, and the language they speak is Setswana.
Over 20 smaller languages are also spoken. Some of the country's languages are in danger of becoming extinct. Here is a list of the languages in Botswana:[1]
| Afrikaans | Haillom | Kua | Setswana |
| Ani | Herero | Kuhane | Shua |
| Birwa | Hua | Kung-Ekoka | Tshuwau |
| Chichewa | Ju'hoan | Lozi | Tswapong |
| English | Kalanga | Mbukushu | !Xóõ |
| Gana | Kgalagadi | Nambya | Yeyi |
| Gciriku | Khoekhoe | Naro | Zezuru |
| Gwi | Khwedam | Ndebele | isiXhosa |
Word List(s)[edit | edit source]
Alphabet and Pronunciation[edit | edit source]
Language Aids and Dictionaries[edit | edit source]
Additional Resources[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Languages of Botswana," in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Botswana, accessed 5 April 2021.