Languages of Botswana: Difference between revisions
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The official [[written language]] of Botswana is [[English language|English]]. Most [[Writing|written communication]] and official business texts are written in English. |
The official [[written language]] of Botswana is [[English language|English]]. Most [[Writing|written communication]] and official business texts are written in English. |
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The main spoken language of [[Botswana]] is [Setswana language|Setswana]]. Setswana is spoken by most of the population, often as a purely spoken language.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.studycountry.com/guide/BW-language.htm|title=The Languages spoken in Botswana|website=Studylands|language=en-US|access-date=2016-10-24}}</ref> |
The main spoken language of [[Botswana]] is [[Setswana language|Setswana]]. Setswana is spoken by most of the population, often as a purely spoken language.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.studycountry.com/guide/BW-language.htm|title=The Languages spoken in Botswana|website=Studylands|language=en-US|access-date=2016-10-24}}</ref> |
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== Other languages == |
== Other languages == |
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Revision as of 04:46, 11 August 2020
| Languages of Botswana | |
|---|---|
| Official | English, Tswana |
| National | Tswana, Sekalalaka, Seherero |
| Part of a series on the |
| Culture of Botswana |
|---|
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| People |
| Languages |
| Cuisine |
| Religion |
| Art |
| Literature |
| Music |
| Sport |
The official languages of Botswana are English and Tswana. English, which was inherited from colonial rule (see: Bechuanaland Protectorate), is the official business language of Botswana, and most written communication is in English. A majority of the population speaks Tswana, but there are over 20 much smaller languages. Botswana also has many dying languages and also many expanding languages.
Official languages
The official written language of Botswana is English. Most written communication and official business texts are written in English.
The main spoken language of Botswana is Setswana. Setswana is spoken by most of the population, often as a purely spoken language.[1]
Other languages
Although there are two clear official languages, there are other languages that a large percentage of the population speaks. Over 90% of the population speak a Bantu language natively. The most common Bantu languages spoken are Tswana/Setswana (estimated to be spoken natively by 77.3%, though the real number may be higher), Kalanga (7.4%), Kgalagadi (3.4%), Shona (2%), Mbukushu (1.6%) and Ndebele (1%). 1.7% speak Tshwa (a Khoe language) and 0.1% speak !Xóõ, a Tuu language (both non-Bantu). A further 2.8% also speak English, the official language as their first language, and a small number speak Afrikaans.[2]
The number of individual languages listed for Botswana is 31. All are living languages. Of these, 26 are indigenous and 5 are non-indigenous. Furthermore, 4 are institutional, 9 are developing, 8 are vigorous, 9 are in trouble, and 1 is dying.[3]
Languages Spoken in Botswana[4]
- Afrikaans
- Ani
- Birwa
- Chichewa
- English
- Gana
- Gciriku
- Gwi
- Hai||om
- Herero
- ‡Hua
- Ju|’hoansi
- Kalanga
- Kgalagadi
- Khoekhoe
- Khwedam
- Kua
- Kuhane
- Kung-Ekoka
- Lozi
- Mbukushu
- Nambya
- Naro
- Ndebele
- Setswana
- Shua
- Tshuwau
- Tswapong
- !Xóõ
- Yeyi
- Zezuru
References
- ^ "The Languages spoken in Botswana". Studylands. Retrieved 2016-10-24.
- ^ "The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 2016-09-19.
- ^ "Botswana". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2019-07-17.
- ^ "Botswana". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2019-07-17.