Sepedi

Sepedi, also known as Sesotho sa Leboa or Northern Sotho, is a Bantu language spoken in southern Africa. It belongs to the Sotho-Tswana branch of the Southern Bantu languages.

In South Africa, Sepedi is one of the official languages and is widely used in education, media, and government in Limpopo Province and surrounding areas; it is spoken by several million people as a first language and many more as a second language.

The language uses the Latin alphabet and is characterized by a rich noun class system common to Bantu languages, producing extensive inflection in nouns and verbs. Verbs are built through prefixes and suffixes to mark tense, aspect, mood, object agreement, and negation. Sepedi is part of the Northern Sotho group and shares features with Setswana and Sesotho.

There are several dialects or varieties within Northern Sotho, including Pedi, and speakers in different regions may use dialectal vocabulary and pronunciation differences, but standardized Sepedi is used in education and formal contexts.

Script and standardization: The language has an official orthography with standardized spellings for literacy and publishing; it is supported by language planning bodies in South Africa, and translations of religious texts, literature, and media are available.

Cultural and media presence: Sepedi-language radio, television, and print media contribute to its vitality, alongside a body of literature, including traditional poetry and contemporary novels.