Zulu (S42) is a Nguni language of the Zunda branch, closely related to Xhosa and mutually intelligible with it to a considerable extent.
- Name used by speakers: isiZulu [isiˈzuːlu]
- Number of speakers: c. 12–15 million native speakers, with over 15 million more speaking it as a second language. In the 2022 South African census, isiZulu was the home language of 24.4% of the population, making it the country's largest home language.
- Usage: Mainly spoken in KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and other parts of South Africa. Zulu is one of the official languages of South Africa and is extensively used in education, broadcasting, newspapers, literature, music, film and other media.
- Varieties: Zulu is relatively uniform, with limited regional variation. A traditional distinction is made between the varieties of Zululand and Natal. Peripheral forms of speech show influence from other Nguni varieties, particularly Swati/Tekela Nguni in the north, Lala along parts of the coast, and Bhaca and Xhosa in the south.
- First written: Zulu began to be written by missionaries in the 1830s. The first Zulu booklet, Incwadi Yokuqala Yabafundayo, appeared in 1837; Lewis Grout's important grammar The Isizulu appeared in 1859. The first novel in Zulu, Insila kaShaka, was published by John Dube in 1930.
- Contact: Zulu has had extensive contact with Khoekhoe languages and later with Afrikaans and English. Its click consonants were acquired through contact with Khoekhoe-speaking populations, although clicks are considerably less frequent in Zulu than in Xhosa.
Sources for SBED entries
- Doke, Clement Martyn, Daniel McKenzie Malcolm, J. M. A. Sikakana & B. W. Vilakazi. 2014. English-isiZulu, isiZulu-English dictionary. 4th edn. with revised orthography. Johannesburg: Witwatersrand University Press. — It uses the PanSALB (2008) orthography. Doke's numerical surface-pitch notation (scale of 1–9; 1 = highest) should not be equated directly with phonological High and Low tones. See Khumalo's 1990 preface on how to interpret Doke's markings.
- Mbatha, M. O. 2006. Isichazamazwi Sesizulu. Pietermaritzburg: New Dawn. — There are markings for high tones (´) and for falling tones (ˆ); low tones are unmarked.
Orthography (cf. Wikipedia)
a /a/
b /ɓ/
bh /b̤/
c /ǀ/
ch /ǀʰ/
d /d/
dl /ɮ/
e /e ~ ɛ/ — their distribution is largely conditioned by the vowels of the following syllable
f /f/
g /g/
gc /ᶢǀ/
gq /ᶢǃ/
gx /ᶢǁ/
h /h ~ x/
hh /ɦ/
hl /ɬ/
i /i/
j /dʒ/
k /kʼ/
kh /kʰ/
l /l/
m /m/
n /n/
nc /ᵑǀ/
ng /ŋ/
ngc /ᵑᶢǀ/
ngq /ᵑᶢǃ/
ngx /ᵑᶢǁ/
nq /ᵑǃ/
nx /ᵑǁ/
ny /ɲ/
o /o ~ ɔ/ — their distribution is largely conditioned by the vowels of the following syllable
p /pʼ/
ph /pʰ/
q /ǃ/
qh /ǃʰ/
r /r/
s /s/
sh /ʃ/
t /tʼ/
th /tʰ/
ts /tsʼ/
tsh /tʃʼ/
u /u/
v /v/
w /w/
x /ǁ/
xh /ǁʰ/
y /j ~jʱ/
z /z/
a /a/
b /ɓ/
bh /b̤/
c /ǀ/
ch /ǀʰ/
d /d/
dl /ɮ/
e /e ~ ɛ/ — their distribution is largely conditioned by the vowels of the following syllable
f /f/
g /g/
gc /ᶢǀ/
gq /ᶢǃ/
gx /ᶢǁ/
h /h ~ x/
hh /ɦ/
hl /ɬ/
i /i/
j /dʒ/
k /kʼ/
kh /kʰ/
l /l/
m /m/
n /n/
nc /ᵑǀ/
ng /ŋ/
ngc /ᵑᶢǀ/
ngq /ᵑᶢǃ/
ngx /ᵑᶢǁ/
nq /ᵑǃ/
nx /ᵑǁ/
ny /ɲ/
o /o ~ ɔ/ — their distribution is largely conditioned by the vowels of the following syllable
p /pʼ/
ph /pʰ/
q /ǃ/
qh /ǃʰ/
r /r/
s /s/
sh /ʃ/
t /tʼ/
th /tʰ/
ts /tsʼ/
tsh /tʃʼ/
u /u/
v /v/
w /w/
x /ǁ/
xh /ǁʰ/
y /j ~jʱ/
z /z/
Prenasalisation triggers several changes in the following consonant, some of which are phonemic and others allophonic.