What is the most common language spoken in southern Africa?

Zulu
The most common language spoken as a first language by South Africans is Zulu (23 percent), followed by Xhosa (16 percent), and Afrikaans (14 percent). English is the fourth most common first language in the country (9.6%), but is understood in most urban areas and is the dominant language in government and the media.

What are two major language families in Southern Africa?

Language groups. Most languages spoken in Africa belong to one of four language families: Afroasiatic, Nilo-Saharan, Niger-Congo, and Khoisan.

How many languages are in southern Africa?

Eleven languages
Eleven languages (Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, and Zulu) hold official status under the 1996 constitution, and an additional 11 (Arabic, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hebrew, Hindi, Portuguese, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telegu, and Urdu) are to be promoted and developed; all …

How do you say hello in South Africa?

1. Howzit – A traditional South African greeting that translates roughly as “How are you?” or simply “Hello”. 2. Heita – An urban and rural greeting used by South Africans.

What is the most beautiful African language?

Swahili
Swahili is spoken primarily in Kenya and Tanzania, but speakers of this beautiful language can be found right across the continent of Africa.

What is South Africa’s national dish?

Bobotie
Bobotie. Another dish thought to have been brought to South Africa by Asian settlers, bobotie is now the national dish of the country and cooked in many homes and restaurants. Minced meat is simmered with spices, usually curry powder, herbs and dried fruit, then topped with a mixture of egg and milk and baked until set …

How do you say bye in South Africa?

In typical South African multi-purpose style, ‘aweh’ can also mean ‘goodbye’ or ‘yes’.

What is the native language of South Africa?

The language spoken by the majority of the people, especially native South Africans is Zulu which is spoken by 23% of the population followed by Xhosa and Afrikaans at 16% and 14% respectively. Zulu is the language of the Zulu people who number 10 million.

What are the most common languages in Africa?

The Most Commonly Spoken Languages. Arabic. Arabic is a Semitic language spoken by 150 million people in Africa, making it the most widely spoken language on the continent.

What languages are spoken in which African nations?

The most common languages spoken in Africa are English, Arabic, French, Swahili and Portuguese. Of these, Swahili is the only African language.

How many languages are spoken in Africa?

There are an estimated 2,000 languages spoken on the continent of Africa. Africa is one of the world’s most linguistically diverse continents. Africa is the second largest continent in the world both by population and land area.