Northern Sotho language
Northern Sotho or Sesotho sa Leboa - is Sotho-Tswana language spoken in South Africa's northeastern provinces of Limpopo, Gauteng, and parts of Mpumalanga. According to the South African National Census of 2011, it is the first language of over 4,6 million people, making it the 5th most spoken language in South Africa. The signed version of the Constitution of South Africa refers to "Sepedi" as an official language. Its official translation into the language refers to it as "Sesotho sa Leboa" in the article about languages, but as "Sepedi" on the front page.
Northern Sotho is equated with standardised dialect,Sepedi. Although Sepedi and not Northern Sotho is recognized by the signed version of the Constitution of South Africa as an official language. The Pan South African Language Board and the Northern Sotho National Lexicography Unit now specifically endorse the names Northern Sotho or Sesotho sa Leboa.
Sepedi Vs Nothern Sotho
The original confusion arose from the fact Tha the Northern Sotho written language was based largely on the Sepedi dialect, but has subsequently provided a common writing system for 20 or more varieties of the Sotho-Tswana languages spoken in the former Transvaal.Dialects and Varieties
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.The Highveld-Sotho
The group consists of the following dialects:- Bapedi
- *Bapedi Marota
- *Marota Mamone
- *Marota Mohlaletsi
- *Batau Bapedi
- Phokwane
- Bakone
- *Kone
- *Dikgale
- Baphuthi
- Baroka
- Bakgaga
- Chuene
- Mathabatha
- Maserumule
- Tlou
- Thobejane
- Batlokwa,
- *Batlokwa Ba Lethebe
- Makgoba
- Batlou
- Bahananwa
- Moremi
- Motlhatlhana
- Babirwa
- Mmamabolo
- Bamongatane
- Bakwena ba Moletjie
- Batlhaloga
- Bamohlala/ Ba Ga Mohlala, Banareng,Ba Hwaduba Ba Ga Magale and many others.
The Lowveld-Sotho
History
Before Moshoeshoe and his Basotho nation of Lesotho, Basotho people were there. Moshoshoe didn't found Basotho, but he founded a nation made up of Sesotho speaking people from different Sesotho speaking clans in which the British imperialist in Southern Africa errenously called the Basotho nation cutting them off from the rest of other Basothos outside Lesotho in the Orange Free State and Transvaal in present day South Africa, Botswana as if Moshoshoe and his people were unique from other Basotho people. Basotho people were there before Moshoshoe the son of Mokhachane of another Basotho clan of Bamokoteli clan, united the smaller and vulnerable clans of Basothos under his Bakwena clan leadership during the Shaka wars of difaqane after other Basothos have migrated to different directions from their cradle in Ntswanatsatsi. Moshoshoe and his Bakwena clan and the rest of the other Basotho clan originates from Ntswanatsatsi in present day South Africa. Families moved away from each other in Ntswanatsatsi and started clans using a totem as symbol of their clan and different families moved to different directions within the precolonial South Africa under different leadership. Under different leadership some settled in the Western side, present day North West Province others spread around Ntswanatsatsi to the present day Free State and Lesotho, others to present day Botswana others to present day ZambiaClassification
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 have less in common with each other than they have with Setswana.
Northern Sotho is also closely related to Setswana, sheKgalagari and siLozi. It is a standardised dialect, amalgamating several distinct varieties or dialects.
Until recently, Lobedu used to exist only in an unwritten form, and the standard Northern Sotho language and orthography was usually used for teaching and writing by this language community. As of 2018, a Khilovedu dictionary is being compiled in addition to proper Khilovedu orthography which is also in the process of being developed.
The monarch associated with this language community is Queen Modjadji. 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 exists in unwritten form and forms part of the standard Northern Sotho. Sepulana is spoken in Bushbuckridge area by the MaPulana people.
Northern Sotho is also spoken by the Mohlala people.
Writing system
Sepedi is written in the Latin alphabet. The letter š is used to represent the 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.Phonology
Vowels
Consonants
Within nasal consonant compounds, the first nasal consonant sound is recognized as syllabic. Words such as nthuše "help me", are pronounced as. /n/ can also be pronounced as following a velar consonant.Urban varieties of Northern Sotho, such as Pretoria Sotho, have acquired clicks in an ongoing process of such sounds spreading from Nguni languages.
Vocabulary
Some examples of Sepedi words and phrases:| English | Sepedi |
| Welcome | Kamogelo / Amogela |
| Good day | Dumela / Dumelang / Thobela and Re a lotšha |
| How are you? | O kae? Le kae? |
| I am fine | Ke gona. |
| I am fine too, thank you | Le nna ke gona, ke a leboga. |
| Thank you | Ke a leboga / Re a leboga |
| Good luck | Mahlatse |
| Have a safe journey | O be le leeto le le bolokegilego |
| Good bye! | Šala gabotse / Šalang gabotse / Sepela gabotse/Sepelang gabotse |
| I am looking for a job | Ke nyaka mošomô |
| No smoking | Ga go kgogwe |
| 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 | 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 ? | O amogela / Le amogela ? |
| 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 | one -tee |
| 2 | two – pedi |
| 3 | three – tharo |
| 4 | four – nne |
| 5 | five – hlano |
| 6 | six – tshela |
| 7 | seven – šupa |
| 8 | eight – seswai |
| 9 | nine – senyane |
| 10 | ten – lesome |
| 11 | eleven – lesometee |
| 12 | twelve – lesomepedi |
| 13 | thirteen – lesometharo |
| 14 | fourteen – lesomenne |
| 15 | fifteen – lesomehlano |
| 20 | twenty – masomepedi |
| 21 | twenty one – masomepedi-tee |
| 22 | twenty two – masomepedi-pedi |
| 50 | fifty – masomehlano |
| 100 | hundred – lekgolo |
| 1000 | thousand – 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 | Tlhakola |
| April | Moranang |
| May | Mopitlo |
| June | Phupu |
| July | Mosegemanye |
| 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 | Hubedu |
| Orange | Serolwana |
| Brown | Tsotho |
| Green | Talamorogo |
| Blue | Talalerata |
| Black | Ntsho |
| White | šweu |
| Yellow | Tshehla |
| Gold | Gauta |
| Grey | Sehla |
Software
- , , , and in Northern Sotho
- Project to translate Free and Open Source Software into all the official languages of South Africa including Northern Sotho