Northern Ndebele language

The Ndebele Language
The Ndebele Language
Person	iNdebele
People	amaNdebele (prev. Matabele)
Language	isiNdebele

Northern Ndebele
Northern Ndebele
Mthwakazi Ndebele[citation needed],
isiNdebele
Region	Limpopo in South Africa; Matabeleland South in Zimbabwe; North-East District in Botswana
Ethnicity	Northern Ndebele
Native speakers	2.6 million (2023)
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Volta-Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Southern Bantoid Bantu Southern Bantu Nguni Zunda Northern Ndebele; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Writing system	Latin script
Official status
Official language in	Zimbabwe
Language codes
ISO 639-1	nd – North Ndebele
ISO 639-2	nde – North Ndebele
ISO 639-3	nde – North Ndebele
Glottolog	nort2795
Guthrie code	S.44
Linguasphere	99-AUT-fk incl.; varieties 99-AUT-fka; to 99-AUT-fkd
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Bantu language of Zimbabwe and Botswana

Northern Ndebele (English: ), also called Ndebele, isiNdebele saseNyakatho,^[4] Zimbabwean Ndebele,^[2]^[5] isiNdebele or North Ndebele,^[6]^[7] associated with the term Matabele, is a Nguni language spoken by the Northern Ndebele people which belongs to the Nguni group of languages.

Ndebele is a term used to refer to a collection of many different African cultures in Zimbabwe.^[8] As a language, it is by no means similar to the Ndebele language spoken in kwaNdebele in South Africa although, like many Nguni dialects, some words will be shared. Many of the natives that were colonized by the Matabele were assimilated into Mzilikazi's kingdom and are an of-shoot of the Zulu tribe. The Matebele people of Zimbabwe descend from the Zulu due to a Zulu leader Mzilikazi (one of Zulu King Shaka's generals), who left the Zulu Kingdom in the early 19th century, during the Mfecane, arriving in present-day Zimbabwe in 1839.

Although there are some differences in grammar, lexicon and intonation between Zulu and Northern Ndebele, the two languages share more than 85% of their lexicon.^[9] To prominent Nguni linguists like Anthony Trevor Cope and Cyril Nyembezi, Northern Ndebele is a dialect of Zulu. To others like Langa Khumalo, it is a language. Distinguishing between a language and a dialect for language varieties that are very similar is difficult, with the decision often being based not on objective linguistic criteria but on more subjective, often politicised considerations.^[10]^[11]^[12]

Northern Ndebele and Southern Ndebele (or Transvaal Ndebele), which is spoken in South Africa, are separate but related languages with some degree of mutual intelligibility, although the former is more closely related to Zulu. Southern Ndebele, while maintaining its Nguni roots, has been influenced by the Sotho languages.^[13]

Phonology

Consonants

Northern Ndebele consonants
		Bilabial	Labio- dental	Dental/ alveolar		Post- alveolar/ Palatal	Velar	Glottal
		Bilabial	Labio- dental	central	lateral	Post- alveolar/ Palatal	Velar	Glottal
Nasal	plain	m ⟨m⟩		n ⟨n⟩		ɲ ⟨ny⟩	ŋ ⟨ngh⟩
Nasal	depressed	mʱ ⟨m⟩		nʱ ⟨n⟩		ɲʱ ⟨ny⟩	ŋʱ ⟨ngh⟩
Plosive	ejective	pʼ ⟨p⟩		tʼ ⟨t⟩			kʼ ⟨k⟩
	voiced	b ⟨bh⟩		d ⟨d⟩			ɡ ⟨ɡ⟩
	aspirated	pʰ ⟨ph⟩		tʰ ⟨th⟩			kʰ ⟨kh⟩
	prenasalized	ᵐp ⟨mp⟩		ⁿt ⟨nt⟩			ᵑk ⟨nk⟩
	prenasalized (vd.)	ᵐb ⟨mb⟩		ⁿd ⟨nd⟩			ᵑɡ ⟨ng⟩
Affricate	ejective			tsʼ ⟨ts⟩		tʃʼ ⟨tj⟩	kxʼ ⟨kl⟩
	aspirated			tsʰ ⟨tsh⟩		tʃʰ ⟨tjh⟩
	voiced					dʒ ⟨j⟩
	prenasalized ejective			ⁿtsʼ ⟨nts⟩		ᶮtʃʼ ⟨ntjh⟩	ᵑkxʼ ⟨nkl⟩
	prenasalized voiced					ᶮdʒ ⟨nj⟩
Fricative	plain		f ⟨f⟩	s ⟨s⟩	ɬ ⟨hl⟩	ʃ ⟨sh⟩		h ⟨h⟩
	voiced (depr.)	βʱ ⟨b⟩	vʱ ⟨v⟩	zʱ ⟨z⟩		ʒʱ ⟨zh⟩	(ɣʱ ⟨k⟩)	(ɦ ⟨h⟩)
	voiced (non-depr.)	β ⟨b⟩			ɮ ⟨dl⟩		(ɣ ⟨k⟩)
	prenasalized		ᶬf ⟨mf⟩	ⁿs ⟨ns⟩	ⁿɬ ⟨nhl⟩
	prenasalized (vd.)		ᶬv ⟨mv⟩	ⁿz ⟨nz⟩	ⁿɮ ⟨ndl⟩
Sonorant	plain	w ⟨w⟩		r ⟨r⟩	l ⟨l⟩	j ⟨y⟩
Sonorant	depressed	wʱ ⟨w⟩			lʱ ⟨l⟩	jʱ ⟨y⟩

Many consonant sounds may result in depressed (or breathy) allophones. Alveolar consonants, t, d, and n, may have dentalized allophones of [t̪ʼ, d̪, n̪]. Consonants k and h can result in allophones of [ɣ, ɣʱ] and [ɦ].

Ndebele /t͡ʃ/ generally correspond to Zulu /ʃ/.¹²

Vowels

There are five vowel phonemes, written with the letters a, e, i, o, u.

a is pronounced [a], approximately like a in father; e.g. abantwana (children)
e is pronounced [ɛ] or [e], sometimes like e in bed; e.g. emoyeni (in the air)
i is pronounced [i], like ee in see; e.g. siza (help)
o is pronounced [ɔ] or [o], sometimes approximately like o in bone; e.g. okhokho (ancestors)
u is pronounced [u], like oo in soon; e.g. umuntu (person)

Examples

Months in Northern and Southern Ndebele

English	Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe)	Southern Ndebele (South Africa)	Zulu (South Africa)
January	uZibandlela	uTjhirhweni	uMasingane
February	uNhlolanja	uMhlolanja	uNhlolanja
March	uMbimbitho	uNtaka	uNdasa
April	uMabasa	uSihlabantangana	UMbasa
May	uNkwenkwezi	uMrhayili	UNhlaba
June	uNhlangula	uMgwengweni	UNhlangulana
July	uNtulikazi	uVelabahlinze	uNtulikazi
August	uNcwabakazi	uRhoboyi	UNcwaba
September	uMpandula	uKhukhulamungu	uMandulo
October	uMfumfu	uSewula	uMfumfu
November	uLwezi	uSinyikhaba	uLwezi
December	uMpalakazi	uNobayeni	uZibandlela

Numbers in Northern Ndebele


English	Northern Ndebele
One	Kunye
Two	Kubili
Three	Kuthathu
Four	Kune
Five	Kuhlanu
Six	Isithupha
Seven	Isikhombisa
Eight	Sitshiyagalombili
Nine	Sitshiyagalolunye
Ten	Kulitshumi
Fifty	Amatshumi amahlanu
One hundred	Ikhulu
One thousand	Inkulungwane

Days of the week


English	Northern Ndebele
Monday	uMvulo
Tuesday	Olwesibili
Wednesday	Olwesithathu
Thursday	Olwesine
Friday	Olwesihlanu
Saturday	uMgqibelo
Sunday	iNsonto

Grammar

Nouns

The Northern Ndebele noun consists of two essential parts, the prefix and the stem. Using the prefixes, nouns can be grouped into noun classes, which are numbered consecutively, to ease comparison with other Bantu languages.

The following table gives an overview of Northern Ndebele noun classes, arranged according to singular-plural pairs.

Class	Singular	Plural
1/2	um(u)-¹	aba-, abe-
1a/2a	u-	o-
3/4	um(u)-¹	imi-
5/6	i-, ili-	ama-
7/8	is(i)-	iz(i)-
9/10	iN-	iziN-
11/10	u-, ulu-
14	ubu-, ub-, utsh-
15	uku-
17	uku-

¹ umu- replaces um- before monosyllabic stems, e. g. umuntu (person).

Verbs

Verbs are marked with the following prefixes in agreement with the noun class of the subject and the object:

Person/ Class	Subject marker	Object marker
1st sing.	ngi-	-ngi-
2nd sing.	u-	-wu-
1st plur.	si-	-si-
2nd plur.	li-	-li-
1	u-	-m(u)-
2	ba-	-ba-
3	u-	-m(u)-
4	i-	-yi-
5	li-	-li-
6	a-	-wa-
7	si-	-si-
8	zi-	-zi-
9	i-	-yi-
10	zi-	-zi-
11	lu-	-lu-
14	bu-	-bu-
15	ku-	-ku-
17	ku-	-ku-
reflexive		-zi-

While subject-verb agreement is obligatory, object marking is not, and only appears when the object is given in the discourse.^[16] The object marker attaches closer to the verb root when it occurs (with the following notations: A - augment vowel; 1 - class 1 nominal prefix, etc.; 1s - class 1 subject agreement, etc.; FUT - future; 1o - class 1 object marker, etc.):

ex:

U-Thabani

A-1Thabani

u-za-yi-pheka

1s-FUT-9o-cook

i-nyama

A-9meat

U-Thabani u-za-yi-pheka i-nyama

A-1Thabani 1s-FUT-9o-cook A-9meat

"Thabani will cook the meat."^[16]

There is evidence from Zulu that object markers are an evolution of pronominal clitics to be agreement markers,^[17] which might also be the case for Northern Ndebele, given the linguistic similarity between the languages.

References

↑ Northern Ndebele. "Ndebele speaking countries: Zimbabwean Ndebele". worlddata.info.
1 2 Ndebele at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
↑ Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
↑ "Northern Ndebele language". www.omniglot.com. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
↑ Mpofu, I. N. (2011). Sithini isiNdebele? (1st ed.). Harare, Zimbabwe: Radiant Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-7974-4280-1. OCLC 755905987.
↑ "Documentation for ISO 639 identifier: nde". ISO 639-2 Registration Authority - Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-07-04. Name: North Ndebele
↑ "Documentation for ISO 639 identifier: nde". ISO 639-3 Registration Authority - SIL International. Archived from the original on 2017-11-01. Retrieved 2017-07-04. Name: North Ndebele
↑ Sibanda, Julius (2002). Isikithi (2nd ed.). Harare Zimbabwe: College Press. p. 7. ISBN 1779001371.
↑ Langa Khumalo, “Language Contact and Lexical Change: A Lexicographical Terminographical Interface in Zimbabwean Ndebele,” Lexikos 14, no. 108 (2004).
↑ Anthony Cope, “A Consolidated Classification of the Bantu Languages,” African Studies 30, nos. 3–4 1971): 213–36.
↑ Nyembezi, C.L.S., 1957. Learn Zulu, Cape Town: Shuter & SHooter
1 2 D.K. Rycroft “Ndebele and Zulu: Some Phonetic and Tonal Comparisons,” Zambezia, no. 2 (1980): 109–28.
↑ Skhosana, Philemon Buti (2009). "3". The Linguistic Relationship between Southern and Northern Ndebele (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-11-17.
1 2 3 Shenk, J.R. A New Ndebele Grammar
1 2 3 NorthernNdebele at blogspot.com
1 2 "The timing of agreement and A-movement in Ndebele - lingbuzz/005254". ling.auf.net. September 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-04.
↑ Zeller, Jochen (June 2012). "Object marking in isiZulu". Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies. 30 (2): 219–235. doi:10.2989/16073614.2012.737600. ISSN 1607-3614. S2CID 145587448.

Bowern, Claire; Lotridge, Victoria, eds. (2002). Ndebele. Munich: LINCOM EUROPA. ISBN 3-89586-465-X.
Sibanda, Galen (2004). Verbal Phonology and Morphology of Ndebele (Ph.D.). University of California, Berkeley.
Skhosana, P.B. (2010). The Linguistic Relationship between Southern and Northern Ndebele. University of Pretoria: DLitt Thesis.

External links

[1] Northern Ndebele. "Ndebele speaking countries: Zimbabwean Ndebele". worlddata.info.

[e18-2] 1 2 Ndebele at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[Guthrie-3] Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online

[4] "Northern Ndebele language". www.omniglot.com. Retrieved 2025-04-16.

[5] Mpofu, I. N. (2011). Sithini isiNdebele? (1st ed.). Harare, Zimbabwe: Radiant Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-7974-4280-1. OCLC 755905987.

[ISO_639-2/RA-6] "Documentation for ISO 639 identifier: nde". ISO 639-2 Registration Authority - Library of Congress. Archived from the original on 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2017-07-04. Name: North Ndebele

[ISO_639-3/RA-7] "Documentation for ISO 639 identifier: nde". ISO 639-3 Registration Authority - SIL International. Archived from the original on 2017-11-01. Retrieved 2017-07-04. Name: North Ndebele

[8] Sibanda, Julius (2002). Isikithi (2nd ed.). Harare Zimbabwe: College Press. p. 7. ISBN 1779001371.

[9] Langa Khumalo, “Language Contact and Lexical Change: A Lexicographical Terminographical Interface in Zimbabwean Ndebele,” Lexikos 14, no. 108 (2004).

[10] Anthony Cope, “A Consolidated Classification of the Bantu Languages,” African Studies 30, nos. 3–4 1971): 213–36.

[11] Nyembezi, C.L.S., 1957. Learn Zulu, Cape Town: Shuter & SHooter

[D.K._Rycroft_1980-12] 1 2 D.K. Rycroft “Ndebele and Zulu: Some Phonetic and Tonal Comparisons,” Zambezia, no. 2 (1980): 109–28.

[Skhosana_2009_ch_3-13] Skhosana, Philemon Buti (2009). "3". The Linguistic Relationship between Southern and Northern Ndebele (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-11-17.

[Shenk-14] 1 2 3 Shenk, J.R. A New Ndebele Grammar

[NorthernNdebeleBlog-15] 1 2 3 NorthernNdebele at blogspot.com

[:0-16] 1 2 "The timing of agreement and A-movement in Ndebele - lingbuzz/005254". ling.auf.net. September 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-04.

[17] Zeller, Jochen (June 2012). "Object marking in isiZulu". Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies. 30 (2): 219–235. doi:10.2989/16073614.2012.737600. ISSN 1607-3614. S2CID 145587448.

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v t e Languages of Zimbabwe
Official languages	Zimbabwean English Chewa Chibarwe Kalanga Koisan Nambya Ndau Ndebele Shona Sotho Tonga Tsonga Tswana Venda Xhosa Zimbabwe Sign
Unofficial languages	Kunda Tswa Lozi
Immigrant languages	French Punjabi Hindi Chinese Portuguese

v t e Languages of Botswana
Indo-European	English (official) Afrikaans
Bantu	Birwa Gciriku Herero Ikalanga Kgalagadi Kuhane Mbukushu Nambya Northern Ndebele Tswana (official) Tswapong Yeyi Zezuru
Khoisan	ǁAni Gǁana Gǀwi ǂHõã Juǀʼhoan Khwe ǂKxʼauǁʼein Nama Naro Shua Taʼa Tshwa

Authority control databases
International	GND
National	United States Czech Republic Israel
Other	IdRef Yale LUX

Northern Ndebele
Mthwakazi Ndebele^{[citation needed]},
isiNdebele
Region	Limpopo in South Africa; Matabeleland South in Zimbabwe; North-East District in Botswana
Ethnicity	Northern Ndebele
Native speakers	2.6 million^[1] (2023)^[2]
Language family	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Volta-Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Southern Bantoid Bantu Southern Bantu Nguni Zunda Northern Ndebele
Writing system	Latin script
Official status
Official language in	Zimbabwe
Language codes
ISO 639-1	`nd` – North Ndebele
ISO 639-2	`nde` – North Ndebele
ISO 639-3	`nde` – North Ndebele
Glottolog	`nort2795`
Guthrie code	`S.44`^[3]
Linguasphere	99-AUT-fk incl. varieties 99-AUT-fka to 99-AUT-fkd
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.