Swazi language
Swazi or siSwati is a Bantu language of the Nguni group spoken in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) and South Africa by the Swati people. The number of speakers is estimated to be in the region of 4.7 million million including first and second language speakers. The language is taught in Eswatini and some South African schools in Mpumalanga, particularly former KaNgwane areas. Siswati is an official language of Eswatini (along with English), and is also one of the twelve official languages of South Africa.
| Swazi | |
|---|---|
| siSwati | |
| Pronunciation | [sísʷaːtʼi] |
| Native to | Eswatini, South Africa, Lesotho, Mozambique |
Native speakers | L1: 2.3 million (2013–2019) L2: 2.4 million (2013) |
| Latin (Swazi alphabet) Swazi Braille Ditema tsa Dinoko | |
| Signed Swazi | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | South Africa Eswatini |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | ss |
| ISO 639-2 | ssw |
| ISO 639-3 | ssw |
| Glottolog | swat1243 |
S.43 | |
| Linguasphere | 99-AUT-fe |
| Swati (Swazi) | |
|---|---|
| Person | liSwati |
| People | emaSwati |
| Language | siSwati |
| Country | eSwatini |
The official term is "siSwati" among native speakers; in English, Zulu, Ndebele or Xhosa it may be referred to as Swazi. Siswati is most closely related to the other Tekela languages, like Phuthi and Northern Transvaal (Sumayela) Ndebele, but is also very close to the Zunda languages: Zulu, Southern Ndebele, Northern Ndebele, and Xhosa.