isiZulu
isiZulu, Plural Zu·lus, (Especially Collectively) Zu·lu. The Bantu language of the Zulus, one of the 12 official languages of South Africa. A member of a Nguni people living mainly in Natal, Republic of South Africa. A word used in communications to represent the letter Z.
- Part of the Nguni subgroup of the Bantu language family.
- Spoken in South Africa and Lesotho.
- Predominantly spoken in the KwaZulu Natal and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa, with speakers spread across the country.
- Mother-tongue speakers: 11,600,00
- Second language speakers: 15,700,000
isiZulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa, spoken by around 24% of the South African population, and understood by around 50%. As an official language of South Africa, it is used in formal and informal contexts across various domains and settings. This language is also the one of the major Bantu languages, alongside Swahili, Lingala, Xhosa and Shona, making it a linguistic asset to any client looking to broaden their market reach into South Africa.
Speciality Fields:
- Advertising, marketing and production
- Education
- Entertainment
- Business and finance
- Food, beverage and product labelling
- IT
- Legal and official documentation
- Medical
- NGOs and community organisations
- Safety and instructional information
Did you know?
- isiZulu did not have a written language until the arrival of European missionaries, who documented the language using Latin script.
- The first grammar book of the isiZulu language was published in Norway in 1850 by the Norwegian missionary Hans Schreuder.
- The first written document in isiZulu was a Bible translation that appeared in 1883.
- isiZulu has three click sounds (C, Q, and X), a characteristic which is typical of southern African languages.
- isiZulu television was introduced by the South African Broadcasting Corporation in the early 1980s. The SABC continues to air news and series in isiZulu.
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