Ndebele language page

Classification and where spoken

Ndebele is a language in the Nguni group of Bantu (Guthrie S40). Ownby (personal communication, 1986) notes that "there are three distinct dialects of Ndebele: Northern Transvaal Ndebele (on the verge of extinction), Southern Transvaal Ndebele and that spoken in Zimbabwe."

Number of speakers

Grimes (1996) gives a figure of 588,000 speakers. UBS (1982) notes 380,000 Ndebele speakers. Figures from South Africa's Race Relations Annual Survey (1981) show 480,000 Ndebele speakers.

Usage

Ndebele is taught as a subject in Zimbabwean schools.

Orthographic status

Ndebele has a standardized orthography.

Sets of learning materials

One set of materials is sufficient for Ndebele.