Xhosa language
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- Xhosa formerly spelled:
- Xosa
- Key People:
- S.E.K. Mqhayi
- Related Topics:
- Bantu languages
- click languages
- Nguni languages
Xhosa language, a Bantu language spoken by seven million people in South Africa, especially in Eastern province. Xhosa is a member of the Southeastern, or Nguni, subgroup of the Bantu group of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family. Other Southeastern Bantu languages are Zulu, Swati (Swazi), Sotho, Tswana, Venda, and Ndebele. Although Xhosa and Zulu are similar enough to be considered dialects of one language, Xhosa and Zulu speakers consider them to be separate languages.
The sound system of Xhosa contains three types of click sounds borrowed from the neighbouring Khoisan languages. Xhosa uses a system of tones to distinguish words that would otherwise sound the same.
