Examine individual changes

'{{Culture of South Africa}} [[File:Stellenbosch Magistrate's Office (entrance).JPG|thumb|Trilingual government building sign in [[Afrikaans]], [[South African English|English]] and [[Xhosa language|Xhosa]]]] {{bar box |title=Languages of South Africa (2011) <ref name="CIATONGA">{{cite web|url= https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sf.html|title= Africa :: SOUTH AFRICA|publisher= CIA The World Factbook}}</ref> |titlebar=#ddd |left1=Languages |right1=percent |float=right |bars= {{bar percent|[[IsiZulu ]]|Blue|22.7}} {{bar percent|[[IsiXhosa ]] |Orange|16}} {{bar percent|[[Afrikaans ]]|Yellow|13.5}} {{bar percent|[[South African English|English]] |Green|9.6}} {{bar percent|[[Sepedi ]]|Orange| 9.1}} {{bar percent|[[Setswana ]]|Red|8}} {{bar percent| [[Sesotho ]] |Silver|7.6}} {{bar percent| [[Xitsonga ]] |Green|4.5}} {{bar percent|[[siSwati ]]|Purple| 2.5}} {{bar percent|[[Tshivenda ]]|Violet|2.4}} {{bar percent|[[isiNdebele ]] |Pink| 2.1}} {{bar percent|[[South African Sign Language|Sign language]] | Brown| 0.5}} }} There are eleven official '''languages of [[South Africa]]''': [[Afrikaans]], [[South African English|English]], [[Southern Ndebele language|Ndebele]], [[Northern Sotho]], [[Sotho language|Sotho]], [[Swazi language|Swazi]], [[Tsonga language|Tsonga]], [[Tswana language|Tswana]], [[Venda language|Venda]], [[Xhosa language|Xhosa]] and [[Zulu language|Zulu]]. Fewer than two percent of South Africans speak a [[first language]] other than an official one.<ref name=cib11 /> Most South Africans [[Multilingualism|can speak more than one language]]. [[Dutch language|Dutch]] and English were the first [[official language]]s of [[South Africa]] from 1910 to 1925. Afrikaans was [[Official Languages of the Union Act, 1925|added as a part of Dutch in 1925]], although in practice, Afrikaans effectively replaced Dutch, which fell into disuse. When South Africa became a republic in 1961 the official relationship changed such that Afrikaans was considered to include Dutch,<ref>The [[Official Languages of the Union Act, 1925]] says ''Dutch includes Afrikaans''; Article 119 of the constitution of 1961 says ''Afrikaans includes Dutch''</ref> and Dutch was dropped in 1984, so between 1984 and 1994, South Africa had two official languages: English and Afrikaans.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gov.za/documents/constitution/83cons.htm |title=Documents - Constitution - Republic of South Africa Constitution Act 110 of 1983 |publisher=Info.gov.za |date=2004-10-15 |accessdate=2014-01-10}}</ref> Different government departments and official bodies use different terms to denote Northern Sotho.<ref>[http://lists.translate.org.za/pipermail/translate-announce/2006q4/000003.html Translate.org.za Newsletter 2006: Sesotho sa Leboa or Sepedi. 14 November 2006. Retrieved 6 September 2011]</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dac.gov.za/chief_directorates/NLS/Website%20MULTILINGUAL%20NATURAL%20SCIENCES%20Sotho%20pdf%2019%20%20Nov%202008.pdf |title=Latest News &#124; Department Of Arts and Culture |publisher=Dac.gov.za |date= |accessdate=2014-01-10}}</ref> In South Africa, Southern Ndebele is known simply as ''Ndebele'', as most speakers of Northern Ndebele live in Zimbabwe. Since taking power in the 1994 election, the [[African National Congress|ANC]] has promoted English as the main language of government, even if South Africans often take pride in using indigenous languages for any purpose. Afrikaans also features prominently in commerce together with English, as the languages with the highest number of fluent speakers are Afrikaans and English. In terms of linguistic classification, the official languages include two [[West Germanic languages|West Germanic]] languages (English and Afrikaans) and nine [[Bantu languages]]. Four of these are [[Nguni languages]] (Zulu, Xhosa, Swati and Ndebele) and three are [[Sotho–Tswana languages]] (Northern Sotho, Southern Sotho and Tswana). Tsonga is a [[Tswa–Ronga languages|Tswa–Ronga language]]. [[South African Sign Language]] is understood across the country, though sometimes sign-language interpreters use [[manually coded language in South Africa|manually coded language]]. ==Language demographics== [[File:South Africa dominant language map.svg|{{largethumb}}|right|Dominant languages in South Africa. {{Clear}} {{columns |col1= {{legend|#8dd3c7|Afrikaans}} {{legend|#ffffb3|English}} {{legend|#fdb462|Northern&nbsp;Sotho}} {{legend|#b3de69|Sesotho}} {{legend|#bebada|Southern&nbsp;Ndebele}} {{legend|#bc80bd|Swazi}} |col2= {{legend|#ffed6f|Tsonga}} {{legend|#fccde5|Tswana}} {{legend|#ccebc5|Venda}} {{legend|#fb8072|Xhosa}} {{legend|#80b1d3|Zulu}} {{legend|#d0d0d0|None&nbsp;dominant}}}}]] {{double image|right|South Africa Nguni speakers proportion map.svg|220|South Africa Nguni speakers density map.svg|220|Proportion of the population that speaks an [[Nguni language]] as a first language. {{Clear}} {{columns |col1= {{legend|#EDF8E9|0–20%}} {{legend|#BAE4B3|20–40%}} {{legend|#74C476|40–60%}} |col2= {{legend|#31A354|60–80%}} {{legend|#006D2C|80–100%}}}}|Density of first-language speakers of Nguni languages. {{Clear}} {{columns |col1= {{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}} |col2= {{legend|#fc4e2a|100–300 /km²}} {{legend|#e31a1c|300–1000 /km²}} {{legend|#bc0026|1000–3000 /km²}} {{legend|#800026|&gt;3000 /km²}}}}}} {{double image|right|South Africa Sotho-Tswana speakers proportion map.svg|220|South Africa Sotho-Tswana speakers density map.svg|220|Proportion of the population that speaks a [[Sotho–Tswana languages|Sotho–Tswana language]] as a first language. {{Clear}} {{columns |col1= {{legend|#EDF8E9|0–20%}} {{legend|#BAE4B3|20–40%}} {{legend|#74C476|40–60%}} |col2= {{legend|#31A354|60–80%}} {{legend|#006D2C|80–100%}}}}|Density of first-language speakers of Sotho–Tswana languages. {{Clear}} {{columns |col1= {{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}} |col2= {{legend|#fc4e2a|100–300 /km²}} {{legend|#e31a1c|300–1000 /km²}} {{legend|#bc0026|1000–3000 /km²}} {{legend|#800026|&gt;3000 /km²}}}}}} {{double image|right|South Africa West Germanic speakers proportion map.svg|220|South Africa West Germanic speakers density map.svg|220|Proportion of the population that speaks a [[West Germanic languages|West Germanic language]] as a first language. {{Clear}} {{columns |col1= {{legend|#EDF8E9|0–20%}} {{legend|#BAE4B3|20–40%}} {{legend|#74C476|40–60%}} |col2= {{legend|#31A354|60–80%}} {{legend|#006D2C|80–100%}}}}|Density of first-language speakers of West Germanic languages. {{Clear}} {{columns |col1= {{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}} |col2= {{legend|#fc4e2a|100–300 /km²}} {{legend|#e31a1c|300–1000 /km²}} {{legend|#bc0026|1000–3000 /km²}} {{legend|#800026|&gt;3000 /km²}}}}}} The most common language spoken as a first language by South Africans is Zulu (23 percent), followed by Xhosa (16 percent), and Afrikaans (14 percent). English is the fourth most common first language in the country (9.6%), but is understood in most urban areas and is the dominant language in government and the media.<ref>''[[The Economist]]'', "Tongues under threat", 22 January 2011, p. 58.</ref> The majority of South Africans speak a language from one of the two principal branches of the Bantu languages represented in South Africa: the [[Sotho–Tswana languages|Sotho–Tswana]] branch (Sesotho, Northern Sotho, Tswana), or the [[Nguni languages|Nguni]] branch (Zulu, Xhosa, Swazi, Ndebele). For each of the two groups, the languages within that group are for the most part intelligible to a native speaker of any other language within that group. The nine indigenous African languages of South Africa can be divided into two geographical zones, with Nguni languages being predominant in the south-eastern third of the country (Indian Ocean coast) and Sesotho languages being predominant in the northern third of the country located further inland, as also in [[Botswana]] and [[Lesotho]]. [[Gauteng]] is the most linguistically heterogeneous province, with roughly equal numbers of Nguni, Sesotho and Indo-European language speakers. This has resulted in the spread of an urban argot, [[Tsotsitaal]], in large urban townships in the province. Afrikaans, a language derived from [[Dutch language|Dutch]], is the most widely spoken language in the western half of the country ([[Western Cape|Western]] and [[Northern Cape]]). It is spoken as first language by approximately 61 percent of whites and 76 percent of [[Coloured]] ([[multiracial]]) people in the country.<ref name=cib11>{{cite book |title=Census 2011: Census in brief |url=http://www.statssa.gov.za/census/census_2011/census_products/Census_2011_Census_in_brief.pdf|publisher=Statistics South Africa |location=Pretoria |year=2012 |isbn=9780621413885 |pages=23–25}}</ref> Afrikaans is also spoken widely across the centre and north of the country, as a second (or third or even fourth) language by Black South Africans living in farming areas. The [[South African National Census of 2011|2011 census]] recorded the following distribution of first language speakers:<ref name="cib11"/> {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! colspan=2 | Language name ! colspan=2 | Speakers as a 1st language |- ! English ! [[Endonym]] ! Count ! Of population |- |[[Zulu language|Zulu]]||isiZulu||align=right|11,587,374||align=right|22.7% |- |[[Xhosa language|Xhosa]]||isiXhosa||align=right|8,154,258||align=right|16.0% |- |[[Afrikaans language|Afrikaans]]||Afrikaans||align=right|6,855,082||align=right|13.5% |- |[[English language|English]]||English||align=right|4,892,623||align=right|9.6% |- |[[Northern Sotho language|Northern Sotho]]||Sesotho sa Leboa||align=right|4,618,576||align=right|9.1% |- |[[Tswana language|Tswana]]||Setswana||align=right|4,067,248||align=right|8.0% |- |[[Sesotho language|Sesotho]]||Sesotho||align=right|3,849,563||align=right|7.6% |- |[[Tsonga language|Tsonga]]||Xitsonga||align=right|2,277,148||align=right|4.5% |- |[[Swazi language|Swazi]]||siSwati||align=right|1,297,046||align=right|2.5% |- |[[Venda language|Venda]]||Tshivenḓa||align=right|1,209,388||align=right|2.4% |- |[[Southern Ndebele language|Ndebele]]||isiNdebele||align=right|1,090,223||align=right|2.1% |- |[[South African Sign Language|Sign language]]|| ||align=right|234,655||align=right|0.5% |- |Other languages|| ||align=right|828,258||align=right|1.6% |- !colspan=2|'''Total'''||align=right|'''50,961,443'''||align=right|'''100.0%''' |} {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Language ! 2011 ! 2001 ! Change ([[percentage point|pp]]) |- |[[Zulu language|Zulu]]||align=right|22.7%||align=right|23.8% |align=right|-1.1 |- |[[Xhosa language|Xhosa]]||align=right|16.0%||align=right|17.6% |align=right| -1.6 |- |[[Afrikaans language|Afrikaans]]||align=right|13.5%||align=right|13.3% |align=right| +0.2 |- |[[English language|English]]||align=right|9.6%||align=right|8.2% |align=right| +1.4 |- |[[Northern Sotho language|Northern Sotho]]||align=right|9.1%||align=right|9.4% |align=right| -0.3 |- |[[Tswana language|Tswana]]||align=right|8.0%||align=right|8.2% |align=right| -0.2 |- |[[Sesotho language|Sesotho]]||align=right|7.6%||align=right|7.9% |align=right| -0.3 |- |[[Tsonga language|Tsonga]]||align=right|4.5%||align=right|4.4% |align=right| +0.1 |- |[[Swazi language|Swazi]]||align=right|2.5%||align=right|2.7% |align=right| -0.2 |- |[[Venda language|Venda]]||align=right|2.4%||align=right|2.3% |align=right| +0.1 |- |[[Southern Ndebele language|Ndebele]]||align=right|2.1%||align=right|1.6% |align=right| +0.5 |- |[[South African Sign Language|Sign language]]||align=right|0.5%||align=right| |align=right| |- |Other languages||align=right|1.6%||align=right|0.5% |align=right| +1.1 |- !'''Total'''||align=right|'''100.0%'''||align=right|'''100.0%''' |} ===Other significant languages spoken in South Africa===<!-- This section is linked from [[Pretoria]] --> Other languages spoken in South Africa, though not mentioned in the Constitution, include [[Fanagalo]], [[Lobedu language|Lobedu (''Khilobedu'')]], [[Northern Ndebele language|Northern Ndebele (''Sindebele'')]], [[Phuthi language|Phuthi (''Siphuthi'')]]. Lobedu has been variously claimed to be a dialect of Northern Sotho and an autonomous language. Fanagalo is a [[pidgin]] often used as a mining [[lingua franca]]. Significant numbers of immigrants from [[Europe]], elsewhere in [[Africa]], and the [[Indian subcontinent]] means that a wide variety of other languages can also be found in parts of South Africa. In the older immigrant communities there are: [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Hindi language|Hindi]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Urdu]], [[Yiddish language|Yiddish]], Italian and smaller numbers of [[Dutch language|Dutch]], [[French language|French]] and [[German language|German]] speakers. These non-official languages may be used in limited semi-official use where it has been determined that these languages are prevalent. More importantly, these languages have significant local functions in specific communities whose identity is tightly bound around the linguistic and cultural identity that these non-official SA languages signal. The fastest growing non-official language is Portuguese – first spoken by black and white settlers and refugees from [[Angola]] and [[Mozambique]] after they won independence from [[Portugal]] and now by more recent immigrants from those countries again – and increasingly French, spoken by immigrants and refugees from [[Francophone]] [[Central Africa]]. More recently, speakers of [[North Africa|North]], Central and [[West Africa]]n languages have arrived in South Africa, mostly in the major cities, especially in [[Johannesburg]] and [[Pretoria]], but also [[Cape Town]] and [[Durban]]. ==Constitutional provisions== Chapter 1 (Founding Provisions), Section 6 (Languages) of the [[Constitution of South Africa]] is the basis for government [[language policy]]. The English text of the constitution signed by president [[Nelson Mandela]] on 16 December 1996 uses (mostly) the names of the languages expressed in those languages themselves. Sesotho refers to Southern Sotho, and isiNdebele refers to Southern Ndebele. Controversy surrounds the designation of Northern Sesotho as ''Sepedi'' (its main dialect) instead of the comprehensive ''Sesotho sa Leboa'' (which had been the wording in the [[South African Constitution of 1993|Interim Constitution of 1993]]).<ref>{{cite web|title=Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 200 of 1993|url=http://www.gov.za/documents/constitution/constitution-republic-south-africa-act-200-1993#constituant%20and%20formal%20provisions|website=http://www.gov.za|accessdate=6 December 2014}}</ref> The spelling of Venda is also incorrectly rendered as ''Tshivenda'' instead of the correct ''Tshivenḓa''. The constitution mentions "sign language" in the generic sense rather than, as is widely believed, South African Sign Language specifically. {{quotation| :# The official languages of the Republic are [[Northern Sotho language|Sepedi]], [[Sesotho]], [[Tswana language|Setswana]], [[Swati language|siSwati]], [[Venda language|Tshivenda]], [[Tsonga language|Xitsonga]], [[Afrikaans language|Afrikaans]], [[English language|English]], [[Southern Ndebele language|isiNdebele]], [[isiXhosa]] and [[isiZulu]]. :# Recognising the historically diminished use and status of the indigenous languages of our people, the state must take practical and positive measures to elevate the status and advance the use of these languages. :#(a) The national government and provincial governments may use any particular official languages for the purposes of government, taking into account usage, practicality, expense, regional circumstances and the balance of the needs and preferences of the population as a whole or in the province concerned; but the national government and each provincial government must use at least two official languages.<br />(b) Municipalities must take into account the language usage and preferences of their residents. :# The national government and provincial governments, by legislative and other measures, must regulate and monitor their use of official languages. Without detracting from the provisions of subsection (2), all official languages must enjoy parity of esteem and must be treated equitably. :# A [[Pan South African Language Board]] established by national legislation must<br />(a) promote, and create conditions for, the development and use of -<br /> &nbsp; (i) all official languages;<br /> &nbsp; (ii) the Khoi, Nama and San languages; and<br /> &nbsp; (iii) sign language; and<br />(b) promote and ensure respect for -<br /> &nbsp; (i) all languages commonly used by communities in South Africa, including [[German language|German]], [[Greek language|Greek]], [[Gujarati language|Gujarati]], [[Hindi language|Hindi]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Telugu language|Telugu]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]] and [[Urdu]]; and<br /> &nbsp; (ii) [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], [[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]] and other [[sacred language|languages used for religious purposes]] in South Africa.|Constitution of the Republic of South Africa<ref>{{cite web|title=Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 - Chapter 1: Founding Provisions|url=http://www.gov.za/documents/constitution/chapter-1-founding-provisions|website=http://www.gov.za|accessdate=6 December 2014}}</ref>}} ==See also== {{Portal|South Africa|Languages}} *[[Official names of South Africa]] *[[Commission for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Communities]] ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * [http://salanguages.com Introduction to the languages of South Africa] * [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=South+Africa Ethnologue Listing of South African Languages] * [http://www.panafril10n.org/wikidoc/pmwiki.php/PanAfrLoc/SouthAfrica PanAfriL10n page on South Africa] * [http://www.statssa.gov.za/census01/html/C2001Interactive.asp Statistics SA] * Hornberger, Nancy H. "[http://www.jstor.org/stable/4168870 Language Policy, Language Education, Language Rights: Indigenous, Immigrant, and International Perspectives]." ''[[Language in Society]]'', Vol. 27, No. 4 (Dec., 1998), pp.&nbsp;439–458 {{South Africa topics}} {{Languages of South Africa}} {{Life in South Africa}} {{Africa in topic|Languages of}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2010}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Languages Of South Africa}} [[Category:Languages of South Africa| ]]'