ISO 639-3 · xhoxho
Niger–Congo family
Xhosa
isiXhosa
Xhosa is a language of the Nguni branch (Niger–Congo), spoken in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Lesotho. Wikidata counts 8.2 m first-language speakers (2011) and 11 m who speak it as a second language. Wikidata describes it as “Nguni language of southern South Africa”.
At a glance
- ISO 639-3
xho- ISO 639-1
xh- Glottocode
xhos1239- Family
- Niger–Congo
- EGIDS
- 1 National
- UNESCO
- Safe
- Centre point
- -32.00, 28.00
- Wikipedia
- 114 language editions
8.2 mfirst-language speakers
11 msecond-language speakers
3countries
1scripts
9levels in the tree
1EGIDS level
Facts
| Name | Xhosa · isiXhosa |
|---|---|
| Also called | xh, isiXhosa, Xosa, Xhosa language, xho |
| L1 speakers | 8,177,300 (2011) |
| L2 speakers | 11,000,000 (2002) |
| Written in | Latin script |
| Official in | South Africa, Zimbabwe |
Vitality
EGIDS 1 National1
Institutional. Used in government, education and media — EGIDS 0 to 4.
Other languages at this levelUNESCO: Safe
Languages at this levelfamily tree
From Niger–Congo to Xhosa
The branches above Xhosa, top to bottom. Each node counts the languages of this index that belong to it.
where it is spoken
Map and countries
A distribution map from Wikimedia Commons, as linked from Wikidata; borders of language areas are approximate.
Also spoken in South Africa
engEnglishIndo-European · 1.13 bn0 · InternationalpanPunjabiunclassified · 125 mSafetamTamilDravidian · 83 m2 · ProvincialafrAfrikaansIndo-European · 7.2 m1 · NationalsotSesothoNiger–Congo · 6 m1 · NationaltsnTswanaNiger–Congo · 4.5 m1 · NationalnsoNorthern SothoNiger–Congo · 4.1 m1 · NationaltsoTsongaNiger–Congo · 4 m1 · NationalslvSloveneIndo-European · 2.4 m1 · NationalvenVendaNiger–Congo · 1.3 m1 · National