| Zulu isiZulu |
||
|---|---|---|
| Spoken in: |  South Africa Zimbabwe Malawi Mozambique Swaziland |
|
| Region: | Zululand, Durban, Johannesburg | |
| Total speakers: | First language - 10 million
Second language - 16 million |
|
| Ranking: | 70 | |
| Language family: | Niger-Congo Atlantic-Congo Volta-Congo Benue-Congo languages Bantoid Southern Narrow Bantu Central South Central Narrow Bantu languages Nguni Zulu |
|
| Official status | ||
| Official language in: | South Africa Swaziland |
|
| Regulated by: | Zulu Language Board | |
| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1: | zu | |
| ISO 639-2: | zul | |
| ISO 639-3: | zul | |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa See also Great Zimbabwe National Monument. For information about the March and June 2008 presidential elections see Zimbabwean presidential election The Republic of Malawi (məˈlɑːwi or; formerly Nyasaland) is in southern Africa. Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique (Moçambique or República de Moçambique, ʁɛ'publikɐ d musɐ̃'bik is a country in southeastern Africa The Kingdom of Swaziland is a country located in Southern Africa centred at approximately 26o49'S 31o38'E Zululand, the Zulu -dominated area of northern KwaZulu-Natal Province in South Africa, extends along the coast of the Indian Ocean from the Tugela Durban (eThekwini is the third most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the EThekwini metropolitan municipality. Johannesburg ( Pronounced /jō-hān'ĭs-bûrg'/ is the largest city in South Africa. This is a list of languages, ordered by the number of native-language speakers, with some data for second-language use List of language familiesA language family is a group of Languages related by descent from a common ancestor called the Proto-language of that family The Niger-Congo languages constitute one of the world's major language families, and Africa 's largest in terms of geographical area number of speakers and number In the classification of African languages, Atlantic-Congo constitutes the core of the Niger-Congo family, with the Noun class systems stereotypical In the classification of African languages Volta-Congo is a hypothetical major branch of the Niger-Congo family. The Benue-Congo group of languages constitutes the largest branch of the Niger-Congo language family both in terms of sheer number of languages of which 880 are known (per Ethnologue In the classification of African languages, Bantoid is a branch of the Benue-Congo subfamily of the Niger-Congo phylum In the classification of African languages, Southern Bantoid (or South Bantoid is one of the two branches of the Bantoid subfamily of the Niger-Congo In the classification of African languages, Narrow Bantu is a term commonly used to designate the branch of Niger-Congo containing the numerous Bantu languages Nguni languages are mostly spoken by Nguni people, which are group of clans and nations living in south-east Africa The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa The Kingdom of Swaziland is a country located in Southern Africa centred at approximately 26o49'S 31o38'E This is a list of bodies that regulate Standard languages Natural languages Auxiliary languages Interlingua The auxiliary language ISO 639-1 is the first part of the ISO 639 international-standard language-code family ISO 639-2 is the second part of the ISO 639 standard, which lists codes for the representation of the names of languages ISO 639 -3 (ISO 639-32007 is an international standard for Language codes The standard describes three‐letter codes for identifying languages In Computing, Unicode is an Industry standard allowing Computers to consistently represent and manipulate text expressed in most of the world's | ||
Zulu (called isiZulu in Zulu), is a language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority (over 95%) of whom live in South Africa. A language is a dynamic set of visual auditory or tactile Symbols of Communication and the elements used to manipulate them The Zulu ( IsiZulu: amaZulu) are the largest South African ethnic group of an estimated 10-11 million people who live mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa (24% of the population) as well as being understood by over 50% of the population (Ethnologue 2005). It became one of South Africa's 11 official languages in 1994 at the end of apartheid. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar)
Geographical distribution
Zulu belongs to the South-Eastern group of Bantu languages (the Nguni group). Bantu may refer to Bantu expansion, a series of migrations of Bantu speakers Bantu languages Bantu people
The language is widely spoken in KwaZulu-Natal (81% of the province's population are Zulu first language speakers), Mpumalanga (26%) and Gauteng (21%). KwaZulu-Natal (kwɑːˌzuːluː nəˈtɑːl often referred to as " KZN " is a province of South Africa. Mpumalanga, (umˈpuːməlɑŋɡə – name changed from Eastern Transvaal on 24 August 1995) is a province of South Africa Gauteng (xaʊˈtɛŋ Sotho xɑ́útʼèŋ̀ is a province of South Africa. It is also spoken in some other African countries, with significant Zulu-speaking populations in Lesotho and Swaziland. Lesotho (lɪˈsuːtuː) officially the Kingdom of Lesotho, is a Landlocked country and Enclave — entirely surrounded by the Republic of South The Kingdom of Swaziland is a country located in Southern Africa centred at approximately 26o49'S 31o38'E Ndebele, spoken in Zimbabwe, Swazi and the Nguni language formerly spoken in Malawi are all closely related to Zulu and developed from nineteenth century Zulu migrant populations. See also Great Zimbabwe National Monument. For information about the March and June 2008 presidential elections see Zimbabwean presidential election Swati ( siSwati in the language itself isiSwazi in Zulu is a Bantu language of the Nguni group spoken in Swaziland and The Republic of Malawi (məˈlɑːwi or; formerly Nyasaland) is in southern Africa. Xhosa, the predominant language in the Eastern Cape, and Zulu are also mutually intelligible. Xhosa (ˈkǁʰoːsa ( isiXhosa) is one of the Official languages of South Africa. The Eastern Cape is a province of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho.
History
The Zulu presence in South Africa dates from about the fourteenth century AD. Much like the Xhosa who had moved into South Africa during earlier waves of the Bantu migrations, the Zulu assimilated many sounds from the San and Khoi languages of the country's earliest inhabitants. See also Xhosa language The Xhosa (ǁʰɔsɑ( people are speakers of Bantu languages living in south-east South Africa, and in the last two The Bantu expansion was a millennia-long series of migrations of speakers of the original proto- Bantu language group The Bushmen, San, Sho, Basarwa, ǃKung or Khwe are indigenous people of southern Africa that spans most areas of South Africa This has resulted in the preservation of click consonants in Zulu and Xhosa, (the sounds are unique to Southern Africa except for the Australian Aborigine Damin ceremonial language) despite the extinction of many San and Khoi languages. This is an article about a class of people as identified and defined within Australian law Damin (Demiin in the practical orthography was a ceremonial language register used by the advanced initiated men of the Lardil (Leerdil
Zulu, like all indigenous Southern African languages, was an oral language until contact with missionaries from Europe, who documented the language using the Latin alphabet. A spoken language is a human Natural language in which the Words are uttered through the Mouth. The first written document in Zulu was a Bible translation that appeared in 1883. Year 1883 ( MDCCCLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common In 1901, John Dube (1871-1946), a Zulu from Natal, created the Ohlange Institute, the first native educational institution in South Africa. Year 1901 ( MCMI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting John Langalibalele Dube` ( 1871 - 1946) was a South African essayist philosopher educator politician publisher editor novelist and poet He was also the author of Insila kaShaka, the first novel written in isiZulu (1933). Another pioneering Zulu writer was Reginald Dhlomo, author of several historical novels of the 19th-century leaders of the Zulu nation: : U-Dingane (1936), U-Shaka (1937), U-Mpande (1938), U-Cetshwayo (1952) and U-Dinizulu (1968). Rolfes Robert Reginald Dhlomo (1901 - 1971 was a South African novelist Other notable contributors to Zulu literature include Benedict Wallet Vilakazi and, more recently, Oswald Mbuyiseni Mtshali. Benedict Wallet Vilakazi ( January 6, 1906 - October 26, 1947) was a South African Zulu Poet, Novelist Oswald Mbuyiseni Mtshali (born 1940 is a South African poet He has written in both Zulu and English.
The written form of Zulu was controlled by the Zulu Language Board of KwaZulu-Natal. KwaZulu-Natal (kwɑːˌzuːluː nəˈtɑːl often referred to as " KZN " is a province of South Africa. This board has now been disbanded and superseded by the Pan South African Language Board that promotes the use of all eleven official languages of South Africa.
Contemporary usage
English, Dutch and later Afrikaans had been the only official languages used by all South African governments before 1994. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) However in the Kwazulu bantustan the Zulu language was widely used. KwaZulu was a Bantustan in South Africa, intended by the Apartheid government as a semi-independent homeland for the Zulu people A bantustan or more commonly black african homeland or simply homeland, was territory set aside for black inhabitants of South Africa and South-West All education in the country at the high-school level was in English or Afrikaans. Since the demise of apartheid in 1994, Zulu has been enjoying a marked revival. Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Zulu-language television was introduced by the SABC in the early 1980s and it broadcasts news and many shows in Zulu. SABC redirects here as this is the most common use of the abbreviation in English Zulu radio is very popular and newspapers such as isoLezwe, Ilanga and UmAfrika in the Zulu language are available, mainly available in Kwazulu-Natal province and in Johannesburg. KwaZulu-Natal (kwɑːˌzuːluː nəˈtɑːl often referred to as " KZN " is a province of South Africa. Johannesburg ( Pronounced /jō-hān'ĭs-bûrg'/ is the largest city in South Africa. Recently, the first full length feature film in Zulu (Yesterday) was nominated for an Oscar. Yesterday is a 2004 South African movie written and directed by Darrell Roodt. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film.
South African matriculation requirements no longer specify which South African language needs to be taken as a second language, and some people have made the switch to learning Zulu. However people taking Zulu at high-school level overwhelmingly take it as first language: according to recent statistics [1] Afrikaans is still over 30 times more popular than Zulu as a second language. The mutual intelligibility of many Nguni languages, has increased the likelihood of Zulu becoming the lingua franca of the Eastern half of the country although the political dominance of Xhosa-speaking people on national level militates against this really happening. A lingua franca (from Italian, literally meaning Frankish language, see etymology under Sabir and Italian below is any Language widely (The predominant language in the Western Cape and Northern Cape is Afrikaans - see the map below. The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The Northern Cape is a large sparsely populated province of South Africa, created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up
In the 1994 film The Lion King, in the Circle of Life song, the phrases Ingonyama nengw' enamabala (English: A lion and a leopard come to this open place), Nants ingonyama nagithi Baba (English: Here comes a lion, Father) and Siyonqoba (English: We will conquer) were used. The Lion King is a 1994 American animated feature film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, released in theaters on June 15 1994 "Circle of Life" is an Academy Award -nominated song from Disney's 1994 animated film The Lion King, composed by Elton In some movie songs, like "This Land", the voice says Busa Le Lizwe bo (Rule this land) and Busa ngothando bo (Rule with love) were used too.
Phonology
One of the most distinctive features of Zulu is the use of click consonants. Clicks are speech sounds such as English tsk! tsk! used to express disapproval or the tchick! used to spur on a horse This feature is shared with several other languages of Southern Africa, but is almost entirely confined to this region. There are three basic clicks in Zulu:
- c - dental (comparable to a sucking of teeth)
- q - alveolar (comparable to a bottle top 'pop')
- x - lateral (comparable to a click one may do for a walking horse)
These can have several variants such as being voiced, aspirated or nasalised so that there are a total of about 15 different click sounds in Zulu. Voice or voicing is a term used in Phonetics and Phonology to characterize speech sounds, with sounds described as either voiceless Description Voiceless consonants are produced with the Vocal cords open and voiced consonants are produced when the vocal folds are fractionally closed In Phonetics, nasalization is the production of a sound while the velum is lowered so that some air escapes through the nose during the production of the sound by The same sounds occur in Xhosa, where they are used more frequently than in Zulu. Xhosa (ˈkǁʰoːsa ( isiXhosa) is one of the Official languages of South Africa.
| IPA | Example (IPA) | Example (Written) | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [i] | [ˈsiːza] | -siza | "help" | This vowel is pronounced somewhat like ease in English. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States |
| [u] | [uˈmuːzi] | umuzi | "village" | Somewhat like English vowel in the word loom. |
| [e] | [umgiˈɓeːli] | umgibeli | "passenger" | e is e when the following syllable contains an "i" or a "u", or final |
| [ɛ] | [ˈpʰɛːɠa] | -pheka | "cook" | e is ɛ everywhere else |
| [o] | [umaˈɠoːti] | umakoti | "bride" | o is o when the following syllable contains an "i" or a "u", or final |
| [ɔ] | [ɔˈgɔːgo] | ogogo | "grandmother" | o is ɔ everywhere else |
| [a] | [ˈdaːda] | -dada | "puzzle" | Is pronounced somewhat like mama in English. |
Vowels are long when they are the stressed syllable.
Consonants
| labial | alveolar | post- alveolar |
palatal | velar | glottal | labial-velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| plosive | pʰ p ɓ b | tʰ t d | kʰ k ɠ ɡ | ||||
| nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |||
| fricative | f v | s z | ʃ | h ɦ | |||
| affricate | tʃ dʒ | kx | |||||
| approximant | j | w | |||||
| lateral approximant | l | ||||||
| lateral fricative | ɬ ɮ |
| IPA | Example (IPA) | Example (Written) | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [m] | [uˈmaːma] | umama | "my/our mother" | This consonant is pronounced as in English. Labials are consonants articulated either with both lips ( bilabial articulation or with the lower lip and the upper teeth ( labiodental articulation Alveolar consonants are articulated with the tongue against or close to the superior Alveolar ridge, which is called that because it contains the alveoli (the sockets Postalveolar consonants are Consonants articulated with the tongue near or touching the back of the Alveolar ridge, placing them a bit further back in the Palatal consonants are Consonants articulated with the body of the tongue raised against the Hard palate (the middle part of the roof of the mouth Glottal consonants are Consonants articulated with the Glottis. Labial-velar consonants are doubly articulated at the velum and the Lips They are sometimes called " Labiovelar consonants quot a term which can also A stop, plosive, or occlusive is a Consonant sound produced by stopping the airflow in the Vocal tract. A nasal consonant (also called nasal stop or nasal continuant) is produced with a lowered velum in the mouth allowing air to escape freely through the Fricatives are Consonants produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing two articulators close together Affricate Consonants begin as stops (most often an alveolar, such as or) but release as a fricative (such as or or occasionally into Approximants are speech sounds ( Phonemes) that could be regarded as intermediate between Vowels and typical Consonants In the articulation of approximants Laterals are "L"-like Consonants pronounced with an occlusion made somewhere along the axis of the tongue while air from the lungs escapes at one side or both Laterals are "L"-like Consonants pronounced with an occlusion made somewhere along the axis of the tongue while air from the lungs escapes at one side or both English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States |
| [n] | [uˈniːna] | unina | "his/her/their mother" | This consonant is pronounced as in nine in English. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States |
| [ɲ] | [iˈɲoːni] | inyoni | "bird" | This consonant is pronounced as in French vignette. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people |
| [ŋ] | [iŋˈgaːne] | ingane | "child" | This consonant is pronounced as in sing. |
| [p] | [iːˈpiːpi] | ipipi | "pipe for smoking" | This consonant is pronounced as in speech. |
| [pʰ] | [ˈpʰɛːɠa] | -pheka | "cook" | This consonant is pronounced as in pin. |
| [t] | [iːˈtiːje] | itiye | "tea" | This consonant is pronounced as in "step". |
| [tʰ] | [ˈtʰaːtʰa] | -thatha | "take" | This consonant is pronounced somewhat as in English "top". |
| [k] | [kumˈnaːndi] | kumnandi | "it is delicious" | This consonant is pronounced as in English "skill". |
| [kʰ] | [iːˈkʰaːnda] | ikhanda | "head" | This consonant is pronounced somewhat like c in "cat". |
| [b] | [ˈbaːla] | -bhala | "write" | This consonant is pronounced more or less as in English bed, but fully voiced. |
| [d] | [iːˈdaːda] | idada | "duck" | This consonant is pronounced more or less as in English duck, but fully voiced. |
| [g] | [ɔˈgɔːgo] | ogogo | "grandmother" | This consonant is pronounced somewhat like in go, but fully voiced. |
| [ɓ] | [uˈɓaːɓa] | ubaba | "my/our father" | This consonant is pronounced with implosion. |
| [ɠ] | [uˈɠuːza] | ukuza | "to come" | This consonant is pronounced with implosion. |
| [f] | [ˈiːfu] | ifu | "cloud" | This consonant is pronounced more or less as in English fun. |
| [v] | [ˈvaːla] | -vala | "close" | This consonant is pronounced as in English very. |
| [s] | [iːˈsiːsu] | isisu | "stomach" | This consonant is pronounced as in English say. |
| [z] | [umˈzuːzu] | umzuzu | "moment" | As in English "zoo" |
| [ʃ] | [iːˈʃuːmi] | ishumi | "ten" | This consonant is pronounced as in English shall. |
| [h] | [ˈhaːmba] | -hamba | "go" | This consonant is pronounced as in English hand. |
| [ɦ] | [iːˈɦaːʃi] | ihhashi | "horse" | This consonant is pronounced as in English ahead. |
| [l] | [ˈlaːla] | -lala | "sleep" | This consonant is pronounced as in English leaf. |
| [ɬ] | [ˈɬaːla] | -hlala | "sit" | This consonant is pronounced as in Welsh Llanelli. |
| [ɮ] | [ɮa] | -dla | "eat" | This consonant is voiced form of ɬ. Voice or voicing is a term used in Phonetics and Phonology to characterize speech sounds, with sounds described as either voiceless |
| [tʃ] | [uˈtʃaːni] | utshani | "grass" | This consonant is pronounced as the English chin. |
| [ʤ] | [ˈuːʤu] | uju | "honey" | This consonant is pronounced as the English jump. |
| [kx, kɬ, kl] | [umklɔˈmɛːlo] | umklomelo | "prize" | This consonant varies by speaker. |
| [j] | [uˈjiːse] | uyise | "his/her/their father" | This vowel is pronounced as in yes in English. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States |
| [w] | [ˈwɛːla] | wela | "cross" | This vowel is pronounced as in wall in English. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States |
Click consonants
| ˈ | Example (IPA) | Example (Written) | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| [ǀ] | [iːˈǀiːǀi] | icici | "earring" | |
| [ǀʰ] | [uɠuˈǀʰa:za] | ukuchaza | "to explain" | |
| [gǀɦ] | [isiˈgǀɦi:no] | isigcino | "end" | |
| [ŋǀ] | [iˈŋǀwaːŋǀwa] | incwancwa | "sour corn meal" | |
| [ŋǀɦ] | [iˈŋǀɦoːsi] | ingcosi | "a bit" | |
| [!] | [iːˈ!aː!a] | iqaqa | "polecat" | |
| [!ʰ] | [iːˈ!ʰuːde] | iqhude | "rooster" | |
| [g!ɦ] | [umg!ɦiˈɓɛːlo] | uMgqibelo | "Saturday" | |
| [ŋ!] | [iˈŋ!ɔːla] | inqola | "cart" | |
| [ŋ!ɦ] | [iˈŋ!ɦɔːndo] | ingqondo | "intelligence" | |
| [ǁ] | [iːˈǁɔːǁo] | ixoxo | "frog" | |
| [ǁʰ] | [uɠuˈǁʰaːsa] | ukuxhasa | "to support" | |
| [gǁɦ] | [uɠuˈgǁɦɔːɓa] | ukugxoba | "to stamp" | |
| [ŋǁ] | [iˈŋǁɛːɓa] | inxeba | "wound" | |
| [ŋǁɦ] | [iˈŋǁɦɛːɲe] | ingxenye | "part" |
Tonal
Like the great majority of other Bantu and African languages, Zulu is tonal; that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said with a rising or falling or high or low intonation. Bantu may refer to Bantu expansion, a series of migrations of Bantu speakers Bantu languages Bantu people A tonal language is a language that uses tone to distinguish words Yet, as in nearly all other such languages, it is conventionally written without any indication of tone. As a rough rule of thumb, drop the voice on the next-to-last syllable of each word, and lengthen that syllable as well.
Grammar
Some of the main grammatical features of Zulu are:
- Constituent word order is Subject Verb Object. In Linguistic typology, subject-verb-object ( SVO) is a sentence structure where the subject comes first the Verb second and the object
- Morphologically, it is an agglutinative language. In Linguistics, agglutination is the morphological process ofadding Affixes to the base of a Word.
- As in other Bantu languages, Zulu nouns are classified into fifteen morphological classes (or genders), with different prefixes for singular and plural. In Linguistics, the term noun class refers to a system of categorizing Nouns A noun may belong to a given class because of characteristic features of its Referent In Linguistics, grammatical genders, sometimes also called Noun classes are classes of nouns reflected in the behavior of associated words every noun must belong Various parts of speech that qualify a noun must agree with the noun according to its gender. These agreements usually reflect part of the original class that it is agreeing with. An example of this is the use of the class 'aba-':
-
- Bonke abantu abaqatha basepulazini bayagawula.
-
- All the strong people of the farm are felling (trees).
- Here, the various agreement that qualify the word 'abantu' (people) can be seen in effect.
- Its verbal system shows a combination of temporal and aspectual categories in their finite paradigm. Typically verbs have two stems, one for Present-Indefinite and another for Perfect. Different prefixes can be attached to these verbal stems to specify subject agreement and various degrees of past or future tense. For example, in the word uyathanda ("he loves"), the Present stem of the verb is -thanda, the prefix u- expresses third-person singular subject and -ya- is a filler used in short sentences.
- Suffixes are also put into common use to show the causative or reciprocal forms of a verb stem.
- Most property words (words which are encoded as adjectives in English) are represented by things called relatives, such is the sentence umuntu ubomvu ("the person is red"), the word ubomvu (root -bomvu) behaves similarly to a verb and uses the agreement prefix u-, but there are subtle differences, for example, it does not use the infix -ya-.
Nouns
The Zulu noun consists of two essential parts, the prefix and the stem, though the prefix can be analysed further. Using the prefixes, nouns can be grouped into noun classes, which are numbered consecutively, to ease comparison with other Bantu languages. The Bantu languages (technically Narrow Bantu languages) constitute a grouping belonging to the Niger-Congo family So, for example, the nouns abafana (youth) and abangane (friend) belong to Class 2, characterised by the prefix aba-, whereas isibongo (surname) and isihahla (tree) belong to Class 7, characterised by the prefix isi-.
Each noun class has a well-defined grammatical role, as well as a more loosely defined semantic one. The grammatical number of the noun, whether singular or plural, is determined by the prefix; thus, all noun classes can be organised into singular and plural pairs. In linguistics grammatical number is a Grammatical category of nouns pronouns and adjective and verb agreement that expresses count distinctions (such as "one" For example, all nouns of Class 7 (prefix isi-) have plurals from Class 8 (prefix izi-).
Examples:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| umuntu (person) | abantu (people) |
| ugogo (grandmother) | ogogo (grandmothers) |
| igama (name) | amagama (names) |
| inhlanzi (fish) | izinhlanzi (fish) |
Classes 14 (ubu-) and 15 (uku-) form an exception to this rule, as they have no corresponding plural classes (if necessary, plurals of Class 14 are formed from class 6. nouns of Class 15 have no plural forms).
Furthermore, the class of the noun determines the forms of other parts of speech, i. e. verbs, adjectives, etc - their prefixes are derived from those of the substantive classes, and will be in agreement with them.
Examples:
- umfana omkhulu (large youth)
- isihlahla esikhulu (large tree)
In terms of semantics, groups of similar nouns belong to similar noun classes. For example, names and surnames are only found in class 1a. Designations of persons which are derived from verbs (eg. singer, from sing) are commonly in class 1, abstract concepts (eg. beauty) in class 14, loanwords in classes 9 and 5, and nouns derived from the infinitives of verbs (eg. eating, from eat) in class 15.
The following table gives an overview of Zulu noun class, arranged according to singular-plural pairs.
| Class | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1/2 | um(u)-1 | aba-2, abe-3 |
| 1a/2b | u- | o- |
| 3/4 | um(u)-1 | imi-2 |
| 5/6 | i- | ama-, ame-4 |
| 7/8 | is(i)-5 | iz(i)-5 |
| 9/10 | iN-6 | iziN-6 |
| 11/10 | u- | iziN-6 |
| 14 | ubu- | (ama-)7 |
| 15 | uku- |
1 um- replaces umu- before monosyllabic stems, eg. umuntu (person).
2 aba- and imi- replace ab- and im- respectively before stems beginning in a vowel, eg. abongameli (president).
3 abe- occurs only in rare cases, eg. in abeSuthu (the Sotho) or abeLungu (the Whites, the Europeans).
4 ame- occurs only in one instance, namely amehlo (eyes) the plural of iso (eye; originally: ihlo).
5 isi- and izi- replace is- and iz- respectively before stems beginning with a vowel, eg. isandla/izandla (hand/hands).
6 The placeholder N in the prefixes iN- and iziN- for m, n or no letter at all, i. e. in classes 9 and 10 there are three different prefixes, though only one per noun stem. Examples:
iN- = i-: imali (money) iN- = im-: impela (truth) iN- = in-: inhlanzi (fish)
7 Rare, see above.
Verbs
In contrast to the noun, the Zulu verb has a variable number of components, which are arranged in sequence according to a defined set of rules. Examples of these include:
- a subject prefix (SP), which agrees with the subject of the sentence
- a temporal morpheme, which indicates the tense of the verb
- an object prefix (OP), which agrees with the object of the sentence
- the verb stem (VS), which carries the underlying meaning of the verb
- a suffix, which can signify various aspects of the verb (eg. tense or modality)
The verb stem and the suffix are always present, but the other parts are optional, ie their presence depends on the function of the verb in the sentence.
Simple verb stems
Simple verb stems are ones to which no suffixes are attached that would alter the basic meaning of the verb. Examples include:
| -w- | to fall |
| -dl- | to eat |
| -enz- | to make, to do |
| -nqamul- | to break [something] |
| -os- | to cook, to roast |
| -siz- | to help |
Complex verb stems
Complex verb stems are derived from simple verb stems by attaching various suffixes, thus changing the meaning. Thus, we can take the stem -enz (to make, to do) and apply a few common suffixes to get different shades of meaning. Eg. :
| -enz- | to make, to do |
| -enzan- | to do something together |
| -enzek- | to be doable i. e. possible |
| -enzel- | to do something for someone |
| -enzis- | to bring someone for doing something |
| -enziw- | to be made, to be done |
Subject prefixes
In Zulu, a subject prefix corresponds to the subjective case of English personal pronouns, such as I or he. The nominative case is a Grammatical case for a Noun, which generally marks the subject of a Verb, as opposed to its object or other The personal pronouns of English can have various forms according to gender, number, person, and case. Unlike personal pronouns, however, Zulu subject prefix cannot stand alone, but must be attached to a verb. Zulu does possess a set of independent personal pronouns; however, these are only used to emphasise the subject to whom they refer.
An example with the subject prefix si- and the personal pronoun thina (both meaning we):
| Sihamba manje. | We are going now. |
| Thina sihamba manje. | We are going now. |
There is a unique subject prefix for each grammatical person and each noun class. The term person is used in Common sense to mean an individual Human being.
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The non-initial subject prefixes (SP-) are used when a further prefix is attached to the SP, for example in the negative of certain tenses.
Object prefixes
In Zulu, the object prefix is used to designate the direct object or indirect object of a verb (formal Zulu does not distinguish between these two cases). DIRECT is a proposal for a set of Shuttle Derived Launch Vehicles to be used for future Spaceflights Developed independently from NASA, DIRECT proposes An object in Grammar is a Sentence element and part of the sentence predicate. Just like the subject prefixes, object prefixes cannot stand independently, but must be attached to a verb stem. Independent personal pronouns can be used in conjunction with object prefixes as well, serving, again, to shift the emphases of the sentences.
Examples with the OP -m- (him/her/it) und the personal pronoun yena (him/her/it):
| Ngimbona. | I see him. |
| Ngimnika isipho. | I give her a gift. |
| Ngimbona yena. | I see him. |
There is a unique object prefix for each person and noun class.
| Object prefixes | ||
|---|---|---|
| Person | Singular | Plural |
| 1st | -ngi- | -si- |
| 2nd | -ku- | -ni- |
| Classe | Singular | Plural |
| 1/2 | -m- | -ba- |
| 1a/2b | -m- | -ba- |
| 3/4 | -wu- | -yi- |
| 5/6 | -li- | -wa- |
| 7/8 | -si- | -zi- |
| 9/10 | -yi- | -zi- |
| 11/10 | -lu- | -zi- |
| 14 | -bu- | |
| 15 | -ku- | |
The imperative
Formation of the imperative:
| without object | with object | |
|---|---|---|
| Singular: | (yi) - VS - a | OP - VS - e |
| Plural: | (yi) - VS - ani | OP - VS - eni |
The only exception to this is the common verb stem -z-, to come, whose singular and plural imperative forms are woza and wozani respectively.
Examples:
| without object | with object | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stem | Singular | Plural | Singular | Plural |
| -dl- | Yidla!
eat! |
Yidlani!
eat! |
Yidle (inhlanzi)!
eat it (the fish)! |
Yidleni (inhlanzi)!
Eat it (the fish) |
| -enz- | Yenza!
Do |
Yenzani!
Do! |
Kwenze!
Do this! |
Kwenzeni!
Do this! |
| -siz- | Siza!
Help! |
Sizani!
Help! |
Msize!
Help him! |
Msizeni!
Help him! |
The infinitive
Formation of the infinitive:
- Aff. In Grammar, infinitive is the name for certain verb forms that exist in many languages : uku - (OP) - VS - a
- Neg. : uku - nga - (OP) - VS - i
Examples:
| Verb stem | Infinitive | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| -w- | ukuwa | to fall |
| ukungawa | not to fall | |
| -dl- | ukudla | to eat |
| ukungadli | not to eat | |
| ukuyidla | to eat it (e. g. inhlanzi, the fish) | |
| ukungayidli | not to eat it | |
| -enz- | ukwenza | to do |
| ukungenzi | not to do | |
| -os- | ukosa | to roast |
| ukungosi | not to roast |
Several sound changes occur, when two vowels occur together. These include:
| -nga- | → | -ng- | before vowels |
| uku- | → | uk- | before o |
| uku- | → | ukw- | before other vowels - this sound change occurs automatically in speech. |
Furthermore, the suffi -a will be found with verb stems which end in w, never -i.
The present
Formation of the present tense:
- Aff. The present is the Time that is perceived directly not as a recollection or a speculation : SP - (ya) - (OP) - VS - a
- Neg. : a - SP- - (OP) - VS - i
The form -ya- is found when:
- the verb is the last word in the sentence
- the verb contains an object prefix, and the object follows the verb
- the speaker wants to emphasise the factuality of the statement.
Examples:
| Uyahamba. | He is going. |
| Uhamba ekuseni. | He is going in the morning. |
| Akahambi. | He is not going. |
| Uyangisiza. | He is helping me. |
| Ungisiza namhlanje. | He is helping me today. |
| Akangisizi. | He isn't helping me. |
| Usiza uyise. Uyamsiza uyise. |
He is helping his father. |
The participial form
Formation of the participle form:
- Aff. In Linguistics, a participle (from Latin participium, a Calque of Greek μετοχη "partaking" is a derivative of a non-finite : SPP - (OP) - VS - a
- Neg. : SPP - nga - (OP) - VS - i
In the participial form, the subject prefixes u-, ba- and a- of the classes 1, 1a, 2, 2b and 6 become e-, be- and e- respectively. The participial form is used, among others:
- to indicate simultaneity
- in subordinate clauses with certain conjunction. Conjunctions is a biannual American literary journal publishing innovative fiction poetry criticism drama art and interviews by both emerging and established
- with certain auxiliary verbs.
Examples:
| Ukhuluma edla. | He talks while he eats (Eating, he talks). |
| Ngambona engasebenzi. | I saw that he was not working |
The subjunctive
Formation of the subjunctive:
- Aff. In Grammar, the subjunctive mood (sometimes referred to as the conjunctive mood) is a Verb mood that exists in many languages : SCS - (OP) - VS - e
- Neg. : SCS - nga - (OP) - VS - i
In the subjunctive, the subject prefix u- of classes 1 and 1a becomes a-. The subjunctive is used
- in wishes and polite requests
- in sequences of requests
- with certain auxiliary verbs
Beispiele:
| Ngamtshela ahambe. | I told him he should go. |
| Woza lapha uzame futhi! | Come here and try it again! |
| Umane ahleke. | He only laughs. |
The perfect
The perfect tense the recent, although what is meant by 'recent' depends on the speaker. Perfection is broadly a state of completeness and flawlessness In the colloquial language, the perfect is often preferred to the preterite.
Formation of the perfect:
- Aff. : SP - (OP) - VS - e/ile
- Neg. : a - SP- - (OP) - VS - anga
The long form in -ile is found when the verb is the last word in the sentence or clause, otherwise the short form in -e is used, with the -e- accented.
Examples:
| Sihambile. | We went. |
| Sihambe izolo. | We went yesterday. |
| Asihambanga. | We did not go. |
| Asimbonanga. | We have not seen him/her. |
The stative
A range of Zulu verbs indicate a change of state or a process, which tends towards some final goal (cf. inchoative verbs). To indicate that this final state has been achieved, the stative verb, which is related to the perfect, is used. A stative verb is one which asserts that one of its arguments has a particular property (possibly in relation to its other arguments
Formation of the stative:
- Aff. : SP - VS - ile
- Neg. : a - SP- - VS - ile
Examples:
| Uyafa. | He is dying. |
| Ufile. | He is dead. |
| Ngiyalamba. | I am becoming hungry. |
| Ngilambile. | I am hungry. |
| Siyabuya. | We are turning back. |
| Sibuyile. | We have returned. |
Note that the form verbs with certain endings, the ending -ile is not used. These are:
| Verb stem | Stative |
|---|---|
| -al-, -el- | -ele |
| -an-, -en- | -ene |
| -am-, -em- | -eme |
| -ath-, -eth- | -ethe |
| -as-, -es- | -ese |
| -aw-1 | -ewe |
1 This is a unique case, namely the irregular passive -bulaw- from -bulal-.
The preterite
The preterite is used to indicate the distant past, the past preceding the perfect, and as a narrative perfect. This article is about the grammatical term To see the article relating to Eschatology and the Book of Revelation, see Preterism.
Formation of the preterite:
- Aff. : SP + a - (OP) - VS - a
- Neg. : a - SP- - (OP) - VS - anga
In the affirmative, because of the merger of the of the SP with a following a in the spoken language, the following subject prefixes result for the preterite:
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | nga- | sa- |
| 2. | wa- | na- |
| Class | Singular | Plural |
| 1/2 | wa- | ba- |
| 1a/2b | wa- | ba- |
| 3/4 | wa- | ya- |
| 5/6 | la- | a- |
| 7/8 | sa- | za- |
| 9/10 | ya- | za- |
| 11/10 | lwa- | za- |
| 14 | ba- | |
| 15 | kwa- | |
Examples:
| Sahamba. | We went. |
| Asihambanga. | We did not go. |
| Asimbonanga. | We did not see him/her. |
The consecutive
Formation of the consecutive:
- Aff. : SP + a - (OP) - VS - a
- Neg. : SP + a - nga - (OP) - VS - a
The consecutive is used to describe a sequence of consecutive events in the preterite, and differs from it only in the negative.
Examples:
| Wavuka wagqoka wahamba. | He woke up, dressed, and went out. |
| Wabaleka wangabheka emuva. | He ran away and did not look back. |
The future I
Formation of the future tense I:
- Aff. The future is commonly understood to contain all events that have yet to occur : SP - zo - (OP) - (ku) - VS - a
- Neg. : a - SP- - zu - (ku)- (OP) - VS - a
The marker of the future tense is the infix zo- in the affirmative and the corresponding -zu- in the negative. The form is constructed from the auxiliary verb uku-za (or with the auxilairy uku-ya) and the infinitive of the verb. So, ngiza ukusiza (I am coming to help) = ngizosiza (I will help), or, alternatively ngiya ukusiza (I am going to help) = ngiyosiza (I will help) - English (as well as French and others) has had a similar development, whereby the verb to go has become the marker of the future tense. To form the negative, the auxiliary verb is negated and then merged with the following verb, thus angizi ukusiza = angizusiza. In the case of monosyllabic verb stems, as well as those that begin with vowels, the prefix -ku- is added to the stem - this becomes -k- before o and -kw- in front of other vowels
Examples:
| Ngizokuza. | I will come. |
| Angizukuza. | I will not come. |
| Ngizokwakha. | I will build |
| Angizukwakha. | I will not build. |
| Ngizomsiza. | I will help him. |
| Angizumsiza. | I will not help him. |
Other tenses
Other forms, such as the pluperfect, the future II, the progressive forms or the conjunctive forms are somewhat complicated. The pluperfect tense (from Latin plus quam perfectum more than perfect also called past perfect in English, is a Perfective They are formed with single or double uses of the auxiliary verb -ba-, to be, but in practical usage are abbreviated further.
Phrases
The following is a list of phrases that can be used when visiting a region where the primary language is Zulu.
| Sawubona | Hello, to one person |
| Sanibonani | Hello, to a group of people |
| Unjani? / Ninjani? | How are you (sing. )? / How are you (pl. )? |
| Ngisaphila / Sisaphila | I'm okay / We're okay |
| Ngiyabonga (kakhulu) | Thanks (a lot) |
| Ngubani igama lakho? | What is your name? |
| Igama lami ngu. . . | My name is. . . |
| Isikhathi sithini? | What's the time? |
| Ngingakusiza? | Can I help you? |
| Uhlala kuphi? | Where do you stay? |
| Uphumaphi? | Where are you from? |
| Hamba kahle / Sala kahle | Go well / Stay well (used as goodbye) |
| Hambani kahle / Salani kahle | Go well / Stay well, to a group of people |
| Eish! | Wow! (No real European equivalent, used in South African English) (you could try a semi-expletive, such as oh my God or what the f*ck. South African English ( SAE, en-ZA) is a Dialect of English spoken in South Africa and in neighbouring countries with a large number It expresses a notion of shock and surprise) |
| Hhayibo | No! / Stop! / No way! (used in South African English too) |
| Yebo | Yes |
| Cha | No |
| Angazi | I don't know |
| Ukhuluma isiNgisi na? | Do you speak English? |
| Ngisaqala ukufunda isiZulu | I've just started learning Zulu |
Sample text
(From the preamble to the South African Constitution)
Thina, bantu baseNingizimu Afrika, Siyakukhumbula ukucekelwa phansi kwamalungelo okwenzeka eminyakeni eyadlula; Sibungaza labo abahluphekela ubulungiswa nenkululeko kulo mhlaba wethu; Sihlonipha labo abasebenzela ukwakha nokuthuthukisa izwe lethu; futhi Sikholelwa ekutheni iNingizimu Afrika ingeyabo bonke abahlala kuyo, sibumbene nakuba singafani. South African English ( SAE, en-ZA) is a Dialect of English spoken in South Africa and in neighbouring countries with a large number The current and official Constitution of the Republic of South Africa was adopted on 8 May 1996.
Translation:
We, the people of South Africa, Recognize the injustices of our past; Honor those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.
Common place names in Zulu
Zulu place names usually occur in their locative form, which combines what would in English be separate prepositions with the name concerned. This is usually achieved by simply replacing the i- prefix with an e- prefix (for example, 'eGoli' translates literally as 'to/at/in/from Johannesburg' when iGoli is simply Johannesburg), but changes in the name can also occur (see Durban below). The locatives are given in brackets.
- South Africa - iNingizimu Afrika / uMzansi Afrika
- Durban - iTheku (eThekwini)
- Johannesburg - iGoli (eGoli)
- Cape Town - iKapa (eKapa)
- Pretoria - iPitoli (ePitoli)
- Pietermaritzburg - uMgungundlovu (eMgungundlovu)
- Ladysmith - uMnambithi (eMnambithi)
- Overseas - phesheya
The 'Zulu'/'isiZulu' debate
The Zulu language is called 'isiZulu' in Zulu, 'isi-' being the prefix associated with languages (e. eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality is the Metropolitan Municipality created in 2000 that includes the city of Durban, South Africa and surrounding Johannesburg ( Pronounced /jō-hān'ĭs-bûrg'/ is the largest city in South Africa. Cape Town (Kaapstad Xhosa: Ikapa) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the metropolitan municipality of the g. , isiNgisi = English, isiXhosa = Xhosa, isiBhunu = Afrikaans, isiJalimane = German, etc. ).
The root word Zulu can take many other forms in Zulu, each with a different meaning. Here is a table showing how the meanings of two roots - Zulu and ntu - change according to their prefix.
| Prefix | -zulu | -ntu |
|---|---|---|
| um(u) | umZulu (a Zulu person) | umuntu (a person) |
| ama, aba | amaZulu (Zulu people) | abantu (people) |
| isi | isiZulu (the Zulu language) | isintu (culture, heritage, mankind) |
| ubu | - | ubuntu (humanity, compassion) |
| kwa | kwaZulu (place of the Zulu people) | - |
| i(li) | izulu (the weather/sky/heaven) | - |
| pha | phezulu (on top) | - |
| e | ezulwini (in, at, to, from heaven) | - |
Some prefer to call Zulu isiZulu in English as per the Zulu name for the language. This is similar to the practice of calling Swahili Kiswahili, but many languages are not called by their native names in English, like German (which is Deutsch in German) and Japanese (which is Nihongo in Japanese). Swahili (called Kiswahili in the language itself is the First language of the Swahili people (Waswahili who inhabit several large stretches
Zulu words in South African English
South African English has absorbed many words from the Zulu language. South African English ( SAE, en-ZA) is a Dialect of English spoken in South Africa and in neighbouring countries with a large number Others, such as the names of local animals (impala and mamba are both Zulu names) have made their way into standard English. An impala ( Aepyceros melampus Greek αιπος aipos "high" κερος ceros "horn" + melas "black" pous MAMBA stands for Mobile Artillery Monitoring Battlefield Asset, a Counter-battery radar operated by the Royal Artillery. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States A few examples of Zulu words used in South African English:
- Muti (from umuthi) - medicine
- Donga (from udonga) - ditch (udonga actually means 'wall' in Zulu)
- Indaba - conference (it means 'an item of news' in Zulu)
- inDuna - chief or leader
- Shongololo (from ishongololo) - millipede
- Ubuntu - compassion/humanity
References
See also
- Zulu (the ethnic group)
- Shaka Zulu
- List of Zulu first names
- Nguni culture
- Bantu language
- Tsotsitaal - a Zulu-based creole language spoken in Soweto
- Swadesh list of Zulu words
- UCLA Language Materials Project
Sources
Books
- Dent, G. Muti is a term for Traditional medicine in Southern Africa as far north as Lake Tanganyika. In South African English, a Donga is a ditch formed by the Erosion of Soil. An indaba is an important conference held by the izinDuna (principal men of the Zulu and Xhosa peoples of South Africa. InDuna (plural izinDuna is a Zulu title meaning advisor, great leader, ambassador, headman, or commander Ubuntu, ùbúntú is an Ethic or humanist Philosophy focusing on people's allegiances and relations with each other The Zulu ( IsiZulu: amaZulu) are the largest South African ethnic group of an estimated 10-11 million people who live mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal Shaka (sometimes spelled Tshaka, Tchaka or Chaka; ca 1787 – ca The Bantu languages (technically Narrow Bantu languages) constitute a grouping belonging to the Niger-Congo family Tsotsitaal, or isiCamtho, is a variety of languages mainly spoken in the townships of Gauteng province in South Africa, such A creole language, or simply a creole, is a stable Language that originates seemingly as a nativized Pidgin. Soweto is an urban area in the City of Johannesburg, in Gauteng, South Africa. The UCLA Language Materials Project (LMP http//wwwlmpuclaedu maintains a web resource about teaching materials for some 150 languages that are less commonly taught in the United States R. and Nyembezi, C. L. S. (1959) Compact Zulu Dictionary. Pietermaritzburg: Shuter & Shooter. ISBN 0-7960-0760-8
- Dent, G. R. and Nyembezi, C. L. S. (1969) Scholar's Zulu Dictionary. Pietermaritzburg: Shuter & Shooter. ISBN 0-7960-0718-7
- Doke, C. M. (1947) Text-book of Zulu grammar. London: Longmans, Green and Co.
- Doke, C. M. (1953) Zulu-English Dictionary. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press. ISBN 1-86814-160-8
- Doke, C. M. (1958) Zulu-English Vocabulary. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press. ISBN 0-85494-009-X
- Nyembezi, C. L. S. (1957) Learn Zulu. Pietermaritzburg: Shuter & Shooter. ISBN 0-7960-0237-1
- Nyembezi, C. L. S. (1970) Learn More Zulu. Pietermaritzburg: Shuter & Shooter. ISBN 0-7960-0278-9
- Wilkes, Arnett, Teach Yourself Zulu. ISBN 0-07-143442-9
External links
- Ethnologue report on Zulu
- South African Languages -- IsiZulu
- A short English - isiZulu - Japanese phraselist incl. sound file
Grammars
Dictionaries
Newspapers
- Isolezwe
- Ilanga
- UmAfrika
Software
- Spell checker for OpenOffice.org and Mozilla, OpenOffice.org, Mozilla Firefox web-browser, and Mozilla Thunderbird email program in Zulu
- Translate.org.za Project to translate Free and Open Source Software into all the official languages of South Africa including Zulu
- PanAfrican L10n wiki page on Zulu
Literature and culture
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