Setswana

Setswana, also called Tswana, is a Bantu language of the Tswana group within the Niger-Congo language family. It is spoken by the Tswana people in southern Africa and forms part of the region’s common linguistic heritage. The language features a noun class system with prefixes that mark agreement on verbs and adjectives, and it typically follows a subject–verb–object word order. It is written in the Latin alphabet with standard orthography used in education and media.

Setswana is an official language in Botswana, where it is the most widely spoken and used in schooling, government, and broadcasting. It is also one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, with established presence in provinces such as North West and Limpopo, and is spoken by communities in other neighboring regions.

Several regional varieties exist, and speakers across Botswana and South Africa generally understand one another. Orthography uses the Latin script; standard spelling is taught in schools, and there are language authorities and publishing bodies that oversee terminology and dictionaries.

Common everyday phrases include "Dumela" for hello, illustrating its role in daily communication and culture.