xiTsonga

Xitsonga, also called Tsonga, is a Bantu language spoken by the Tsonga people in southern Africa. It belongs to the Tswa-Ronga branch of the Bantu family and is closely related to the Ronga and Tswa languages. In South Africa it is one of the official languages, with wide use in education and media.

Geographically, Xitsonga is concentrated in Limpopo Province in South Africa, with smaller communities in Gauteng and Mpumalanga. It is also spoken in northern Mozambique and serves as a local lingua franca in some border areas. The language is used by millions of speakers and forms an important part of Tsonga cultural identity.

The language is written in the Latin alphabet and has a standardized orthography developed for educational and official use. It is taught in schools in South Africa and Mozambique, and appears in newspapers, radio, and television broadcasts. There are dictionaries, language resources, and literary works that support literacy and cultural expression in Xitsonga.

Linguistically, Xitsonga features a noun class system common to Bantu languages, with prefixes that mark number and agreement on verbs and adjectives. Verbs carry subject and, in some cases, object concords, and the language uses tone to distinguish meaning in certain lexical items. It has several regional dialects, and the standard form is often based on northern varieties.

Culturally, Xitsonga is central to Tsonga music, oral literature, and community life. The language continues to evolve through education, media, and intergenerational transfer among Tsonga communities.