It is the language of the Zulu people, with about 12 million native speakers, who primarily inhabit the province of KwaZulu-Natal of South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa (24% of the population), and it is understood by over 50% of its population.
What percentage of South Africa is Zulu?
Languages of South Africa
| Languages of South Africa (2017) | |
|---|---|
| Languages | percent |
| Zulu | 24.7% |
| Xhosa | 15.6% |
| Afrikaans | 12.1% |
What are the 5 official languages of South Africa?
South Africa’s Constitution recognises 11 official languages: Sepedi (also known as Sesotho sa Leboa), Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu. For centuries South Africa’s official languages were European – Dutch, English, Afrikaans.
Where is Zulu language mostly spoken?
Zulu language, a Bantu language spoken by more than nine million people mainly in South Africa, especially in the Zululand area of KwaZulu/Natal province. The Zulu language is a member of the Southeastern, or Nguni, subgroup of the Bantu group of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family.
What are the 11 official languages of South Africa?
Generally considered to be among the most multilingual countries in the world and among the most multiethnic in Africa, post-apartheid South Africa has 11 official languages recognized in its democratic constitution: English, Afrikaans, Xhosa, Ndebele, Zulu, Tswana, Swati, Sotho, Southern Sotho, Venda and Tsonga.
Is Afrikaans a dying language in South Africa?
The Afrikaans language is one of South Africa’s official languages and a large proportion of the local population uses it as their first or second language. It is still taught in schools. … Some believe that Afrikaans is a dying language, however, it remains spoken all over the country and respected for its origins.
Who is the Zulu God?
Zulu traditional religion contains numerous deities commonly associated with animals or general classes of natural phenomena. Unkulunkulu is the highest god and is the creator of humanity. Unkulunkulu (“the greatest one”) was created in Uhlanga, a huge swamp of reeds, before he came to Earth.
What is the main religion in South Africa?
Almost 80% of South African population adheres to the Christian faith. Other major religious groups are Hindus, Muslims and Jews.
Who colonized South Africa?
Increased European encroachment ultimately led to the colonisation and occupation of South Africa by the Dutch. The Cape Colony remained under Dutch rule until 1795 before it fell to the British Crown, before reverting back to Dutch Rule in 1803 and again to British occupation in 1806.
Is Swahili an official language of South Africa?
It is officially recognised as a lingua franca of the East African Community. In 2018, South Africa legalized the teaching of Swahili in South African schools as an optional subject to begin in 2020.
Is Zulu a click language?
Gciriku and Yei, which are Bantu languages of Botswana and Namibia, have incorporated the four-click Khoisan system, but Zulu and Xhosa (also Bantu languages) have incorporated only three clicks.
What is the hardest language to learn?
The Hardest Languages In The World To Learn
- Mandarin. Right at the top is the most spoken language in the world: Mandarin. …
- Arabic. Number two, Arabic, challenges English speakers because most letters are written in 4 different forms depending on where they’re placed in a word. …
- Japanese. …
- Hungarian. …
- Korean. …
- Finnish. …
- Basque. …
- Navajo.
6.12.2016
Is Swahili similar to Zulu?
Zulu /ˈzuːluː/, or isiZulu as an endonym, is a Southern Bantu language of the Nguni branch spoken in Southern Africa. … According to Ethnologue, it is the second-most-widely spoken of the Bantu languages, after Swahili. Like many other Bantu languages, it is written with the Latin alphabet.
What percent of South Africa is black?
Demographics
| Ethnic groups in South Africa | |
|---|---|
| Black | 80.2% |
| Coloured | 8.8% |
| White | 8.4% |
| Indian/Asian | 2.5% |
What language do white South Africans speak?
According to the Census 2011, South African English is the first language of 36% of the white population group and Afrikaans is the first language of 61% of the white population group. The majority of white South Africans identify themselves as primarily South African, regardless of their first language or ancestry.
What percentage of South Africa speak Afrikaans?
With about seven million native speakers in South Africa, or 13.5% of the population, it is the third-most-spoken language in the country. Estimates of the total number of Afrikaans speakers range between 15 and 23 million.