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IsiNdebele

isiNdebele, also called Northern Ndebele, is a Bantu language of the Nguni subgroup. It belongs to the larger Niger-Congo language family and is closely related to Zulu, Xhosa, and Swati. The language is written with the Latin alphabet and uses a five-vowel system (a, e, i, o, u). It is an agglutinative language with noun-class prefixes that concord with verbs, adjectives, and pronouns, a feature common to many Bantu languages.

Geographic distribution and status: In Zimbabwe, isiNdebele is spoken by communities in Matabeleland and urban centers

Linguistic variation: The language has regional dialects and varieties. Efforts toward standardization address spelling, terminology, and

Sociolinguistic context: IsiNdebele has a rich oral tradition, including poetry, storytelling, and music. It remains a

such
as
Bulawayo
and
surrounding
areas.
It
is
one
of
the
official
languages
of
Zimbabwe,
alongside
English
and
Shona.
In
South
Africa,
isiNdebele,
often
referred
to
as
Northern
Ndebele,
is
one
of
the
country’s
11
official
languages
and
is
used
by
Ndebele
communities
primarily
in
the
northern
provinces.
educational
material
to
support
literacy
and
media
in
isiNdebele.
living
language
used
in
daily
communication,
media,
and
cultural
expression,
with
continued
development
in
writing,
literature,
and
education
to
maintain
its
vitality
in
multilingual
communities.