# Northern Sotho

Sesotho sa Leboa is a Sotho-Tswana language group spoken in the northeastern provinces of South Africa, most commonly in the Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Limpopo provinces. It is also known by Pedi or Sepedi and holds the status of an official language in South Africa.
An official language for the Lebowa homeland during apartheid, it is the first language of over 4.6 million (9.1%) people according to the South African National Census of 2011, making it the 5th most spoken language in South Africa.

## Official language status
### Sepedi vs Northern Sotho

According to Chapter 1, Section 6 of the South African Constitution, Sepedi is one of South Africa's 12 official languages. There has been significant debate about whether Northern Sotho should be used instead of Pedi. The English version of the South African Constitution lists Sepedi as an official language, while the Sepedi or Northern Sotho version of the Constitution of South Africa lists Sesotho sa Lebowa as an official South African language.

### South Africa's official language policy

South Africa's official language policy refers to the eleven official languages of South Africa (i.e., Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu and English), as specified in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa.

## Name

The Northern Sotho written language was based largely on the Sepedi dialect. Missionaries studied this dialect the most closely and first developed the orthography in 1860 by Alexander Merensky, Grutzner, and Gerlachshoop. This subsequently provided a common writing system for 20 or more varieties of the Sotho-Tswana languages spoken in the former Transvaal, and also helped lead to "Sepedi" being used as the umbrella term for the entire language family. However, there are objections to this synecdoche by other Northern Sotho dialect speakers, such as speakers of Modjadji's Lobedu dialect.

## Other varieties of Northern Sotho

Northern Sotho can be subdivided into Highveld-Sotho, which consists of comparatively recent immigrants mostly from the west and southwest parts of South Africa, and Lowveld-Sotho, which consists of a combination of immigrants from the north of South Africa and Sotho inhabitants of longer standing. Like other Sotho-Tswana people, their languages are named after totemic animals and, sometimes, by alternating or combining these with the names of famous chiefs.

### The Highveld-Sotho

The group consists of the following dialects:
* Bapedi
** Bapedi Marota (in the narrower sense)
** Marota Mamone
** Marota Mohlaletsi
** Batau Bapedi (Matlebjane, Masemola, Marishane, Batau ba Manganeng - Nkadimeng, Kgaphola, Diphofa, Nchabeleng, Mogashoa, Phaahla, Sloane, Mashegoana, Mphanama)
* Phokwane
* Bakone
** Kone (Ga-Matlala)
** Dikgale
* Baphuthi
* Baroka
* Bakgaga (Mphahlele, Maake, and Mothapo)
* Chuene
* Mathabatha
* Maserumule
* Tlou (Ga-Molepo)
* Thobejane (Ga-Mafefe)
* Batlokwa
** Batlokwa Ba Lethebe
* Makgoba
* Batlou
* Bahananwa (Ga-Mmalebogo)
* Moremi
* Motlhatlhana
* Babirwa
* Batswapong
* Mmamabolo
* Bamongatane
* Bakwena ba Moletjie (Moloto)
* Batlhaloga
* Bahwaduba, BaGaMagale, and many others

### The Lowveld-Sotho

The group consists of Lobedu, Narene, Phalaborwa (Malatji), Mogoboya, Kone, Kgaga, Pulana, Pai, Ramafalo, Mohale and Kutswe.

## Classification

Northern Sotho is one of the Sotho languages of the Bantu family. Although Northern Sotho shares the name Sotho with Southern Sotho, the two groups also have a great deal in common with their sister language Setswana. Northern Sotho is also closely related to Setswana, sheKgalagari and siLozi. It is a standardized variety, amalgamating several distinct varieties or dialects. Northern Sotho is also spoken by the Mohlala people.
Most Khelobedu speakers only learn to speak Sepedi at school, such that Sepedi is only their second or third language. Khelobedu is a written language. Lobedu is spoken by a majority of people in the Greater Tzaneen, Greater Letaba, and BaPhalaborwa municipalities, and a minority in Greater Giyani municipality, as well as in the Limpopo Province and Tembisa township in Gauteng. Its speakers are known as the Balobedu.
Sepulana (also sePulane) exists in unwritten form and forms part of the standard Northern Sotho. Sepulana is spoken in Bushbuckridge area by the MaPulana people.

## Writing system

Sepedi is written in the Latin alphabet. The letter š is used to represent the sound [ʃ] ("sh" is used in the trigraph "tsh" to represent an aspirated ts sound). The circumflex accent can be added to the letters e and o to distinguish their different sounds, but it is mostly used in language reference books. Some word prefixes, especially in verbs, are written separately from the stem.

## Phonology
### Vowels

Northern Sotho vowels :
| | Front | Back |
| Close | i | u |
| Close-mid | e | o |
| Open-mid | ɛ | ɔ |
| Open | a | a |

### Consonants

Northern Sotho consonants :
| | | Labial | Alveolar | Alveolar | Post- alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal |
| | | Labial | plain | lateral | Post- alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Glottal |
| Nasal | Nasal | m | n | | | ɲ | ŋ | |
| Plosive | ejective | pʼ | tʼ | tˡʼ | | | kʼ | |
| Plosive | aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | tˡʰ | | | kʰ | |
| Affricate | ejective | | tsʼ | | tʃʼ | | | |
| Affricate | aspirated | | tsʰ | | tʃʰ | | kxʰ | |
| Fricative | voiceless | f | s | ɬ | ʃ | | | h~ɦ |
| Fricative | voiced | β | | | ʒ | | ɣ | h~ɦ |
| Rhotic | Rhotic | | r | ɺ | | | | |
| Approximant | Approximant | w | | l | | j | | |
Other consonant sounds include fricative-combinations /pʃʼ pʃʰ fʃ βʒ/ and /psʼ psʰ fs/.
Within nasal consonant compounds, the first nasal consonant sound is recognized as syllabic. Words such as nthuše "help me", are pronounced as [n̩tʰuʃe]. /n/ can also be pronounced as /ŋ/ following a velar consonant.
Urban varieties of Northern Sotho, such as Pretoria Sotho (actually a derivative of Tswana), have acquired clicks in an ongoing process of such sounds spreading from Nguni languages.

## Vocabulary

Some examples of Northern Sotho words and phrases:
| English | Northern Sotho |
| Welcome | Kamogelo (noun) / Amogela (verb) |
| Good day | Dumela (singular) / Dumelang (plural) / Thobela and Re a lotšha (to elders) |
| How are you? | O kae? (singular) Le kae? (plural, also used for elders) |
| I am fine | Ke gona. |
| I am fine too, thank you | Le nna ke gona, ke a leboga. |
| Thank you | Ke a leboga (I thank you) / Re a leboga (we thank you) |
| Good luck | Mahlatse |
| Have a safe journey | O be le leeto le le bolokegilego |
| Good bye! | Šala gabotse (singular)/ Šalang gabotse (plural, also used for elders)(keep well) / Sepela gabotse(singular)/Sepelang gabotse (plural, also used for elders)(go well) |
| I am looking for a job | Ke nyaka mošomô |
| No smoking | Ga go kgogwe (/folwe) |
| No entrance | Ga go tsenwe |
| Beware of the steps! | Hlokomela disetepese! |
| Beware! | Hlokomela! |
| Congratulations on your birthday | Mahlatse letšatšing la gago la matswalo |
| Seasons greetings | Ditumedišo tša Sehla sa Maikhutšo |
| Merry Christmas | Mahlogonolo a Keresemose |
| Merry Christmas and Happy New Year | Mahlogonolo a Keresemose le ngwaga wo moswa wo monate |
| Expression | Gontsha sa mafahleng |
| yes | ee/eya |
| no | aowa |
| please | hle |
| thank you | ke a leboga |
| help | thušang/thušo |
| danger/accident | kotsi |
| emergency | tšhoganetšo |
| excuse me | ntshwarele |
| I am sorry | Ke maswabi |
| I love you | Ke a go rata |
| Questions / sentences | Dipotšišo / mafoko |
| Do you accept (money/credit cards/traveler's cheques)? | O amogela (singular) / Le amogela ( tshelete/.../...)? |
| How much is this? | Ke bokae e? |
| I want ... | Ke nyaka... |
| What are you doing? | O dira eng? |
| What is the time? | Ke nako mang? |
| Where are you going? | O ya kae? |
| Numbers | Dinomoro |
| 1 | tee |
| 2 | pedi |
| 3 | tharo |
| 4 | nne |
| 5 | hlano |
| 6 | tshela |
| 7 | šupa |
| 8 | seswai |
| 9 | senyane |
| 10 | lesome |
| 11 | lesometee |
| 12 | lesomepedi |
| 13 | lesometharo |
| 14 | lesomenne |
| 15 | lesomehlano |
| 20 | masomepedi |
| 21 | masomepedi-tee |
| 22 | masomepedi-pedi |
| 50 | masomehlano |
| 100 | lekgolo |
| 1000 | sekete |
| Days of the week | Matšatši a beke |
| Sunday | Lamorena |
| Monday | Mošupologo |
| Tuesday | Labobedi |
| Wednesday | Laboraro |
| Thursday | Labone |
| Friday | Labohlano |
| Saturday | Mokibelo |
| Months of the year | Dikgwedi tša ngwaga |
| January | Pherekgong |
| February | Dibokwane |
| March | Hlakola |
| April | Moranang |
| May | Mopitlo |
| June | Ngwatobosego |
| July | Phuphu |
| August | Phato |
| September | Lewedi |
| October | Diphalane |
| November | Dibatsela |
| December | Manthole |
| Computers and Internet terms | Didirishwa tsa khomphutha le Inthanete |
| computer | sebaledi / khomphutara |
| e-mail | imeile |
| e-mail address | aterese ya imeile |
| Internet | Inthanete |
| Internet café | khefi ya Inthanete |
| Website | weposaete |
| Website address | aterese ya weposaete |
| Rain | Pula |
| To understand | Go kwešiša |
| Reed pipes | Dinaka |
| Drums | Meropa |
| Horn | Lenaka |
| Colours | Mebala |
| Red/orange | Hubedu |
| Brown | Tsotho |
| Green | Talamorogo |
| Blue | Talalerata |
| Black | Ntsho |
| White | šweu |
| Yellow | Serolwana |
| Gold | Gauta |
| Grey | Pududu |
| Pale | Sehla or Tshehla |
| Silver | Silifere |

## Sample text

Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Temana 1 Batho ka moka ba belegwe ba lokologile le gona ba na le seriti sa go lekana le ditokelo. Ba filwe monagano le letswalo mme ba swanetše go swarana ka moya wa bana ba mpa.   Temana 2 Mang le mang o swanetše ke ditokelo le ditokologo ka moka tše go boletšwego ka tšona ka mo Boikanong bjo, ntle le kgethollo ya mohuta wo mongwe le wo mongwe bjalo ka morafe, mmala, bong, polelo, bodumedi, dipolitiki goba ka kgopolo, botšo go ya ka setšhaba goba maemo, diphahlo, matswalo goba maemo a mangwe le a mangwe.   Go feta fao, ga go kgethollo yeo e swanetšego go dirwa go ya ka maemo a dipolitiki, tokelo ya boahlodi, goba maemo a ditšhabatšhaba goba lefelo leo motho a dulago go lona, goba ke naga ye e ipušago, trasete, naga ya go se ipuše goba se sengwe le se sengwe seo se ka fokotšago maemo a go ikemela ga naga ya gabo.