Leboa

Leboa, also known as Northern Sotho or Sepedi (Sesotho sa Leboa), is a Bantu language of the Sotho-Tswana branch spoken primarily in the Limpopo Province of South Africa. The term Leboa is also used to refer to the Northern Sotho–speaking people, the Bapedi (BaPedi). In linguistic and educational contexts the language is commonly called Sepedi or Sesotho sa Leboa.

Geographic distribution and status: The language is concentrated in Limpopo, with speaker communities in adjacent provinces. It is one of South Africa's 11 official languages and is used in schooling, broadcasting, print and digital media, and regional administration in areas where it predominates.

Dialects and orthography: Northern Sotho comprises several regional dialects. The standard written form, Sepedi, is used in education and literature. The language is written with the Latin alphabet and features typical Bantu noun-class morphology, vowel harmony, and affixal verbs.

Relations and culture: Northern Sotho forms part of the Sotho-Tswana language group, sharing similarities with Sesotho and Setswana. The Bapedi people have a distinct cultural heritage, including traditional music, attire, and social structures, and they have a significant presence in Limpopo's history and contemporary life.