Southern Bantu languages
| Southern Bantu | |
|---|---|
| Bantu zone S | |
| Geographic distribution: | South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique |
| Linguistic classification: | Niger–Congo
|
| Subdivisions: | |
The Southern Bantu languages, also known as Bantu zone S, are a group of languages in the Bantu language family. It was first described by Malcolm Guthrie in 1948. Guthrie's divisions of the Bantu languages were based on geography, not on language characteristics. The Southern Bantu languages, however, are also a valid linguistic group.
The Southern Bantu languages are a group of languages in the Niger-Congo language superfamily. The group includes all of the important Bantu languages of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. It also includes some important languages of southern Mozambique.
Languages
[change | change source]The Southern Bantu language group includes six sub-groups of languages:
