Originally inhabited by those who referred to themselves as the amaXhosa tribe, and who called the language itself isiXhosa, the language has taken on much influence from the surrounding countries and languages. Look at this original wedding song composed and sung by Khayelitsha Mambazo United, a Cape Town based isicathamiya group. Since Zulu is easily understood by speakers of Xhosa, Swati and Ndebele it is used as a lingua franca from Natal to Zimbabwe, often in its pidginized form called Fanagalo, a trade language that is widely used in towns and mining areas of South Africa. We wish you success in everything you do, Kodwa asish’ ukuthi zonqobile (x 2) There are five vowel phonemes, i.e., sounds that distinguish word meaning. ICAO spelling alphabet---- xhosa . Zulu has a Roman-based orthography which was developed by Christian missionaries in the 19th century and adapted to represent the sounds of the language. Zulu verbs are highly inflected. Zulu and all other native Southern African languages was at first an oral language. The Zulu language possesses several click sounds typical of Southern African languages, not found in the rest of Africa. Each clan may have more than one address name, for example the Xulu clan has the address names: Donda, Gxabhashe and Makhathini. Ejective Not all noun classes can be easily defined. The normal word order in Zulu is Verb-Object (the subject is part of the verb compound). About 15 percent of Zulu and Xhosa words have clicks, including the name of the language Xhosa. Zulu has about 19 000 words and one of the most complex grammars in the world. In Jn CS., i, p. 38, we read: " Zulu-Kafir will become the second language of South Africa if its exponents are wise enough to eliminate the silly clicks which at present mar its phonology . nx : pronounced through the nose as n, but with the tongue pressed against the side teeth. Learning the Zulu alphabet is very important because its structure is used in every day conversation. Practice the Zulu clicks. At the secondary level, instruction in schools serving Zulu-speaking students is in English. Most syllables end in a vowel, and there are no consonant clusters. Contact Us. Zulu is the mother tongue of the Zulu people, South's Africa largest ethnic group, who created an empire in the 19th century. There are approximately 10.67 million Zulu speakers in South Africa, the majority of whom live in the province of KwaZulu-Natal. If you want to know someone’s clan name you can ask Ungowaphi? History The clan name is usually thought to be that of the founder of the clan and is also usually the surname. The better you pronounce a letter in a word, the more understood you will be in speaking the Zulu language. x : pronounced as k, but with the tongue pressed against the side teeth. Take a look at Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Zulu. Compare these equivalents of ‘What’s your name?’ in these four languages: Below are a few common words and phrases in Zulu. Zulu is used in primary schools up to the second grade and is studied as a subject in both primary and secondary schools up to the tenth grade. The Zulu, like Xhosa and other Nguni people, have lived in South Africa for a long time. zungabanak’ abantu, zuz’phathe kahle, oh ngane yami Zulu is also spoken and understood in parts of Malawi, Swaziland and Mozambique. CLICK SOUNDS. Good bye (to one and to more than one respectively, practitioner of traditional herbal medicine in traditional South African communities, /c, ɟ, ɬ, ɮ, x, ɦ, ɣ̈/ have no equivalents in English. People are usually addressed by the isithakazelo. The phonology of Zulu is characterized by a simple vowel inventory and a complex system of consonants. He opposed the apartheid government’s attempts to create a Bantustan out of Zululand and formed the second Inkatha movement in 1975, thereby increasing the Zulu sense of nationhood and ensuring the support of his followers. The Zulu language possesses several click sounds typical of Southern African languages, not found in the rest of Africa. Zulu has the following click consonants which can be modified in a variety of ways, such as aspirated, breathy-voiced or nasalized. Population and Geography uLuthuli dust. Zulu is the most widely spoken first language in South Africa – that of almost 24% of the total population as opposed to the 8.2% whose first language is English. The wealth of Khoisan words and sounds bear witness to the early contact including intermarriage and a sharing of cultures between the Xhosa and Khoisan people. It is a southern Bantu language with typical Bantu agglutinative morphology which includes a noun-class system commanding agreement at the nominal, pronominal and verbal levels. Practice making the sound with your mouth first before you try to incorporate clicks into words. Here are some more surnames (izibongo) and address names (izithakazelo): References: Terms of Use Zulu Address Names (Izithakaselo) The Zulu language is called Zulu or isizulu. The population total for all countries is estimated at 27.7 million people (Ethnologue). Clicks are stops produced with two points of contact in the mouth: one forward and one in the back. In modern times Chief Buthelezi has been the most important political figure in KwaZulu-Natal. are in English: There are many different click sounds in Zulu. © 2014 - 2020. / Privacy Policy 2. Zulu Translator tool is simple to convert from Zulu to English. Zulu Clan Praises by Douglas Mzolo in Argyle, J & Preston Whyte, E – Social System and Tradition in South Africa. As a result, the click consonants are still preserved in the Zulu language despite the extermination of the San and Khoi languages. Furthermore, it exhibits a wide range of ‘exotic’ sounds, such as an implosive bilabial stop, as well as an extensive range of clicks with a variety of phonetic accompaniments. Neither vowel length, nor tones are represented in writing. Gatsheni! All education at the university level is in English or Afrikaans. As a adjective zulu is (l). Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Zulu Clan Names (Izibongo) / Implosive consonants are produced by inhaling rather than exhaling the air. Foreign language learning is real world education. You will need to practice these basic clicks: c: pronounced as k, but with the tip of the tongue pressed against the upper front teeth.. gc : pronounced as g (as in gate) but with the tip of the tongue pressed against the top front teeth. 10 million people speak the language and most of them live in South Africa.Zulu is the home language of about 22.7% of South Africans; while as many as half of the local population understands it. Two people known to each other will greet each other using the isithakazelo, eg. We thank you beautiful lady, it is you who is getting married They are marked with a raised /ʱ/. Le clic latéral, la langue créant une dépression dans la partie inférieure de la bouche libère soudain la cavité de chaque côté et produit un son similaire par lequel on appelle un animal. Zulu to English Translation is a free online typing tool that translates the Zulu Language to English accurate and Fast. Release of the forward closure results in a pop-like sound. There are many different click sounds in Zulu. oh, ngane yami! This marked the end of the Zulu military system. You will need to practice these basic clicks: c : pronounced as k, but with the tip of the tongue pressed against the upper front teeth. The Zulu language has a lot of click sounds common in Southern African languages. The most populous languages with clicks, Zulu and Xhosa, use the letters c, q, x, by themselves and in digraphs, to write click consonants. Further Reading However, with practice, you'll get them down. 206-221) Oxford University Press, 1978. In fact, Zulu and Xhosa are similar enough linguistically to be considered dialects of one language, but the Zulu and Xhosa people consider themselves to be different people who speak different languages. It was not written down until missionaries came from Europe. Breathy-voiced consonants English-Zulu/Zulu-English, C M Doke, D M Malcolm, J M A Sikakana, B W Vilakazi, Witwatersrand University Press, Famous Zulu-Speakers Using address names shows politeness and respect. 4. Zulu is a Category II language in terms of difficulty for speakers of English. Married women never address their husbands by name or clan name, but always use the address name. Zulu Like Xhosa, Zulu is a member of the Nguni group of languages. C'est l'une des langues comptant le … Neither vowel length, nor tones are represented in writing. It has tones and a rich consonantal system that contains click sounds, ejectives and implosives. © 2020 - All Rights Reserved. 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 Hello (to one and to more than one respectively). 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