Southern Bantu languages

The Southern Bantu languages are a large group of Bantu languages, largely validated in Janson (1991/92).[2] They are nearly synonymous with Guthrie's Bantu zone S, apart from the exclusion of Shona and the inclusion of Makhuwa. They include all of the major Bantu languages of South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Mozambique, with outliers such as Lozi in Zambia and Namibia, and Ngoni in Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi.

Southern Bantu
Geographic distribution	South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland
Linguistic classification	Niger–Congo Atlantic–Congo Volta-Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Southern Bantoid Bantu Southern Bantu
Glottolog	sout3180[1]

Languages

Language groups are followed by their code in the Guthrie classification.

• Makua (P30)
  • Makhuwa
  • Koti
  • Sakati (Nathembo)
  • Lomwe
  • Chuwabu
  • Moniga
• Chopi (S60)
  • Chopi
  • Guitonga
• Nguni languages (S40)
  • Zunda
    • Xhosa
    • Zulu
    • Ndebele
      • Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe Ndebele),
      • Southern Ndebele
  • Tekela
    • Swati
    • Phuthi
    • Sumayela Ndebele (Northern Transvaal Ndebele)
    • Lala
    • Bhaca
    • Hlubi
    • Nhlangwini
• Sotho–Tswana (S30 + K20):
  • Tswana ("West Sotho")
  • Birwa
  • Tswapong
  • Kgalagadi
  • Sotho
    • Northern Sotho (Sepedi)
    • Southern Sotho (Sesotho)
    • East Sotho (Pulana, Khutswe and Pai)
    • Lozi
• Tswa–Ronga (S50):
  • Tsonga
  • Ronga
  • Tswa
• Venda (S20)

Some classifications prior to Janson retained Shona as a coordinate branch, along with Nyasa, or excluded Makua.

References

1. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Southern Bantu–Makua". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
2. Tore Janson (1991-92) "Southern Bantu and Makua", Sprache und Geschichte in Afrika (SUGIA) Vol. 12/13: 63-106, Rüdiger Köppe Verlag, Cologne