Talk:Northern Sotho language

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Sepedi is actually a language in its own right - infact it is the "only" offically provided northern sotho language (there are other northern languages like setsonga). There are lots of dialects for the language: I was rather fortunate (perhaps?) to have lived in many parts of South Africa.

In the North of South Africa people speak:

* Phalaborwa: Sepedi(formal, sepulana, sepelle), zulu, tsonga etc
* Tzaneen: Sepedi(formal, senkhere, selobedu, sagamodjadji) etc
* Moletsi: Sepedi(formal, semmotwana[very close to formal - south sotho'ish])
* Masemola: Sepedi( formal, serwa)
* Botlokwa: Sepedi(Formal,setlokwa)
* Sekhukhune: Sepedi(formal, se ntwane also known as segakopa), isindebele

This is by no means exhaustive. The fact is Sepedi is the formal language North sotho language. Many of the Northern sotho dialects are a result of influences from the Ndebele, Tsonga, Venda and perhaps other languages such Karanga from the great Zimbabwe.

But then again ... The learned people say Sepedi is just a dialect in Nothern Sotho Languages http://winscp.vse.cz/download2.php?file=winscp220source.zip

The Person who wrote the previous article is obviously a Sepedi speaking person. Sepedi gained popularity because it was one of the first N.Sotho groups to be met by the missionaries. If the missionaries came in from the North who knows, maybe Northern Sotho would be called Setlokwa, and languages like Pedi given a lowly status of a dialect.

I am from Potgietersrus, I speak Northern Sotho, my Northern Sotho is more close to Setswana than it is to Sepedi. Go figure...

[edit] Falacy

Northern Sesotho is not a language, but a group of languages, which are so-called because they are not Sesotho or Setswana. That, as far as I can tell, is the only common feature among the languages. As such, the various Northern Sesotho languages are not dialects of anything. -Zyxoas (not logged in) 198.54.202.210

[edit] Problems with Sesotho sa Leboa setup

• Because the language is made up of many other languages, the written formal language doesn't have formal month names( too many to pick from).
• The are some languages which are closer to Setwana than they are to Sepedi, due to regional proximity to batswana, then you wonder?

[edit] Sesotho sa Leboa

Would that name be preferable guys? I've just checked the Constitution Website(see http://www.constitutionalcourt.org.za/site/constitution/english-web/interim/ch1.html) and it refers to the official languages of South Africa as (all the others, obviously) and Sesotho sa Leboa. I'm not quite sure what that means - is it simply 'Northern Sotho' in Northern Sotho? :) Or is it the real name? Joziboy

Sesotho sa Leboa is "Northern Sotho" in Northern Sotho (literally "Sotho of the north"). There is a fashion amongst some not to use the English names for the African languages when speaking English (notably the government and some people doing their best to be politically correct). Since this is the English Wikipedia, we can really just use the English name (Northern Sotho), just as we do for other languages (French, German, etc.) --09:39, 6 March 2006 (UTC)

I agree; let's just stick to 'Northern Sotho'. — mark ✎ 11:35, 6 March 2006 (UTC)

The official spelling is "Sesotho sa Leboa", not "Sesotho sa Lebowa". The former is used by the Pan South African Language Board and the National Lexicography Unit for Northern Sotho and just about everyone else in the country. User:David Joffe 10 November 2006