Free State: Principal languages spoken in the Free State include Sesotho (64,2%), Afrikaans (12,2%) and isiXhosa (7,5%). Mining, particularly gold, is the biggest employer, followed by manufacturing.

What is the language of free state?

The Free State is the only province in South Africa with a Sesotho majority. Afrikaans is widely spoken throughout the province, as a first language for the majority of whites and coloureds and as a second or third language by Sesotho, Setswana and isiZulu speakers.

Which language is mostly spoken in South Africa?

As of 2018, the languages most commonly spoken by individuals inside of South African households were isiZulu at 25.3 percent, isiXhosa at 14.8 percent and Afrikaans at 12.2 percent respectively.

What language do black South African speak?

Home languages of black South Africans

A total of 11.5-million black South Africans speak isiZulu as a first language, or about three in 10 (28.5%) black people. Next up is isiXhosa, the first language of 8.1-million black South Africans, spoken at home by two in every 10 (20.1%) black people.

Where is Xhosa dominantly spoken?

isiXhosa — Xhosa is the second most common language in the country, spoken by eight million people. The majority of Xhosa speakers reside in the Eastern Cape — where the Xhosa ethnic group originated — and in the Western Cape.

Languages of South Africa

Is Zulu a tonal language?

Like almost all other Bantu and other African languages, Zulu is tonal.

Does South Africa speak Spanish?

South Africa's Constitution recognises 11 official languages: Sepedi (also known as Sesotho sa Leboa), Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa and isiZulu. For centuries South Africa's official languages were European – Dutch, English, Afrikaans.

Is South Africa Dutch or British?

Increased European encroachment ultimately led to the colonisation and occupation of South Africa by the Dutch. The Cape Colony remained under Dutch rule until 1795 before it fell to the British Crown, before reverting back to Dutch Rule in 1803 and again to British occupation in 1806.

Is Zulu or Xhosa more widely spoken?

According to census data from 2011, Zulu is the most widely spoken language in the country with 11.6 million speakers. This is followed by Xhosa with 8.15 million speakers, and Afrikaans, with 6.85 million speakers.

Is Zulu difficult to learn?

The isiZulu language, although not overly difficult to learn, has a complex linguistic make up. ... Henning however comforts his students by telling them that it takes at least a year before one is comfortably conversational in Zulu.

Does Free State belongs to Lesotho?

The Free State Province lies in the heart of South Africa, with the Kingdom of Lesotho nestling in the hollow of its bean-like shape.

What African language is most spoken in Gauteng?

IsiZulu is spoken most by individuals in households across Gauteng (19.48%) with SiSwati (1.11%) and Sign Language (0.43%) least used. The dominant languages appear to be largely clustered in areas to the north (Afrikaans), south (Sesotho), north-east (IsiNdebele) and west of Gauteng (IsiNdebele).

Does SA speak Swahili?

The exact number of Swahili speakers is unknown, but it is often accepted as one of the most widely spoken languages in Africa and is recognized as an official language in Kenya, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda and Tanzania. ...

Is German spoken in South Africa?

Mostly originating from different waves of immigration during the 19th and 20th centuries, an estimated 12,000 people speak German or a German variety as a first language in South Africa.

Is French spoken in South Africa?

French has been taught and learned in South African classrooms for decades, even though it isn't one of the country's official languages. The language doesn't carry the same colonial stigma as it does in other African countries such as Côte d'Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Is Dutch spoken in South Africa?

Most people in South Africa speak one or two official languages, except for about two percent. ... In 1961, South Africa became a republic and Afrikaans language included Dutch, which was later dropped in 1984. From then until 1994, Afrikaans and English were the official languages of South Africa.

Is Zulus the Congo?

The Zulu believe that they are the direct descendants of the patriarch Zulu, who was born to a Nguni chief in the Congo Basin area. In the 16th century the Zulu migrated southward to their present location, incorporating many of the customs of the San, including the well-known linguistic clicking sounds of the region.

How many Venda are in South Africa?

Today about 875 000 people in South Africa speak Tshivenda. The history of the Venda starts from the Mapungubwe Kingdom (9th Century).

Which is the biggest tribe in South Africa?

Indians, Coloureds and Africans were also allotted separate schools. The largest ethnic group in South Africa is the Zulu and the majority of them live in KwaZulu Natal Province and Gauteng Province. The second largest is the Xhosa group; they are located in the Eastern Cape Province and Western Cape Province.

Is English widely spoken in South Africa?

Most South Africans speak English, which is fairly ubiquitous in official and commercial public life. The country's other lingua franca is Zulu. ... The Sotho languages – Tswana, Sotho sa Leboa and Sotho – also have much in common. Many of South Africa's linguistic groups share a common ancestry.

Are Swahili and Zulu related?

They're really dialects of the same language; they're very closely related. Zulu speakers can understand a Xhosa speaker. ... I've seen 600 – 1000 Bantu languages. It depends on how you count them.