# Tswa language

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Bantu language spoken in southern Mozambique

"Dzonga" redirects here; not to be confused with [Dzongkha](/source/Dzongkha).

Tswa Xitswa Native to Mozambique Native speakers 1.2 million (2006)[1] Language family Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Volta-Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Southern Bantoid Bantu Southern Bantu Tswa–Ronga Tswa Language codes ISO 639-3 tsc Glottolog tswa1255 Guthrie code S.51,511[2] Linguasphere 99-AUT-da (shi-Tswa) incl. varieties 99-AUT-daa...-dae + 99-AUT-db (shi-Hlengwe) incl. varieties 99-AUT-dba...-dbb This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

**Tswa** (*Xitswa*) is a South-Eastern [Bantu language](/source/Bantu_languages) in Southern [Mozambique](/source/Mozambique). Its closest relatives are [Ronga](/source/Ronga) and [Tsonga](/source/Tsonga_language), the three forming the [Tswa–Ronga](/source/Tswa%E2%80%93Ronga) family of languages.

Tswa is mainly spoken in the rural areas west of [Inhambane](/source/Inhambane). Its largest dialect, Hlengwe, extends westwards to Southern [Zimbabwe](/source/Zimbabwe); Maho (2009) considers this to be a distinct language. The other principal dialects are Dzibi (Dzivi) and Dzonga. According to some estimates, there are perhaps more than one million BaTswa, however not all can communicate in Tswa. Many Mozambicans, including census takers, regard it as a dialect of Tsonga.

## Alphabet

Tswa uses a variant of the Latin alphabet previously used for Tsonga. It is partly based on those developed by the Portuguese colonists and Methodist missionaries to the region. The first major transliterator for the Tswa language into English was the Swede J. A. Persson, who consolidated the alphabet for Tswa specifically.

Letter: A B C D E G H I J K L M N Ṅ O P R S Ŝ T U V W X Y Z Ẑ Value: a b~β tʃ d e~ɛ ɡ h i dʒ k l m n ŋ ɔ~o p r s ʂ t u v w ʃ j z ʐ

*Ŝ* and *Ẑ* are lightly [whistled](/source/Whistled_sibilant). The letter *Q* is sometimes used in words imported from Zulu, in which case it is pronounced in various ways, the clicks of Zulu not being native to the Tswa language. There are also several compounds, which include lateral fricatives.

Like most Bantu languages, all syllables end in vowels or nasals. Tone is important but is rarely written.

## Phonology

### Consonants

Labial Labio- dental Alveolar Post-alv./ Palatal Velar Glottal plain whstld. lateral Click voiceless ᵏǃ voiced ᶢǃ prenasal ᵑǃᵏ Nasal m n ɲ ŋ Plosive voiceless p t c k aspirated pʰ tʰ cʰ kʰ voiced b d ɟ ɡ implosive ɓ ɗ Affricate voiceless p͡s p͡f t͡s voiced b͡z b͡v d͡z Fricative voiceless f s sᶲ ɬ ʃ h voiced v z zᵝ ɮ ʒ Rhotic r Approximant lateral l ʎ central ʋ j w

### Vowels

Front Central Back Close i u Mid e o Open a

## Basics of grammar

Tswa is a Bantu language and thus has a noun class system and verbal system easily recognisable to Bantu speakers throughout Eastern and Southern Africa. In general the system is the same as in most Bantu languages. The following details are more specific.

### Noun class system

Instead of genders there are eight classes which have a similar but more complex role, where each noun begins with a class prefix as below:

Class Number Singular Plural Uses 1 ma- ba- mainly nouns for people 2 mu- mi- impersonal objects 3 gi- ma- impersonal objects, particularly fruit 4 xi- ẑi- tools, means, languages, diminutives, defects, verbal nouns 5 yi- ti- particularly nouns for animals 6 li- ti- mental qualities, states of mind, verbal nouns 7 wu- - abstract nouns 8 ku - infinitives

### Verbal systems

Tswa verbs change according to status (affirmative/negative), mood (indicative/potential), aspect, tense, number, person and class. The usual three persons used in the Bantu group apply, and the first and second persons plural are maximally inclusive. The class link is usually written as a separate word, as in Tsonga and Ronga. Otherwise the paradigm is organised as follows:

**Affirmative**
- Indicative: - Present - Present continuous - Past - Past continuous - Perfect - Pluperfect - Future - Future perfect

- Potential: - Present - Past - Perfect

**Negative**
- Indicative: - Present - Past - Past continuous - Perfect - Pluperfect - Future - Future Perfect

- Potential: - Present - Past - Perfect

### Grammatical Peculiarities of Linguistic Interest

Though Tswa does have a subjunctive, it does not change the standard '-a' at the end of a verb to an '-e' like most of the surrounding Bantu languages, unless it is used as an implied imperative in a dependent clause – a peculiarity it shares with the Tsonga and Ronga. The 'xi-' class, unlike its seeming equivalents in other languages, more closely mirrors the Nguni 'isi-' in that it has a strongly diminutive use.

## Further reading

- Chivambo, Albino (2022). ["Nominal Morphology in Citshwa"](https://web.archive.org/web/20230130130137/https://arushalinguistics.org/publications/Chivambo_AWPAL_2022.pdf) (PDF). *Arusha Working Papers in African Linguistics*. **4** (1): 57–99. Archived from [the original](https://arushalinguistics.org/publications/Chivambo_AWPAL_2022.pdf) (PDF) on 2023-01-30.

- Chivambo, Albino; Liphola, Marcelino (2022). ["Adjustment of Syllabic Structure in Citshwa"](https://web.archive.org/web/20230130130159/https://arushalinguistics.org/publications/Chivambo_Liphola_AWPAL_2022.pdf) (PDF). *Arusha Working Papers in African Linguistics*. **4** (1): 21–56. Archived from [the original](https://arushalinguistics.org/publications/Chivambo_Liphola_AWPAL_2022.pdf) (PDF) on 2023-01-30.

- Sarmento Gundane, Lucério (2015). *Morfologia e Fonologia Lexical em Citshwa*. Universidade Pedagógica Nampula.

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-e18_1-0)** [Tswa](https://www.ethnologue.com/18/language/tsc/) at *[Ethnologue](/source/Ethnologue)* (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Guthrie_2-0)** Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. [New Updated Guthrie List Online](https://web.archive.org/web/20180203191542/http://goto.glocalnet.net/mahopapers/nuglonline.pdf)

v t e Languages of Mozambique Official language Portuguese Indigenous languages Barwe Chewa Chichopi Chitonga Chuwabu Dema Gitonga Kimwani Koti Kunda Lomwe Maindo Makhuwa Makonde Makwe Manyika Nathembo Ndau Ngoni Nsenga Nyungwe Phimbi Ronga Sena Shona Swahili Swati Tawara Tewe Tsonga Tswa Yao Immigrant languages English Punjabi Hindi Sign languages Mozambican Sign Language

v t e Languages of Zimbabwe Official languages Zimbabwean English Chewa Chibarwe Kalanga Koisan Nambya Ndau Ndebele Shona Sotho Tonga Tsonga Tswana Venda Xhosa Zimbabwe Sign Unofficial languages Kunda Tswa Lozi Immigrant languages French Punjabi Hindi Chinese Portuguese

v t e Narrow Bantu languages (Zones N–S) (by Guthrie classification) Zone N N10 N11 Manda N12 Ngoni N13 Matengo N14 Mpoto N15 Tonga [N101 Ndendeule N102 Nindi N121 Ngoni of Malawi N20 N21 Tumbuka [N201 Mwera of Mbamba Bay N30 N31a Nyanja N31b Cewa N31c Manganja N40 N41 Nsenga N42 Kunda N43 Nyungwe N44 Sena N45[44] Rue N46[44] Podzo [N441 Sena-Malawi Zone P P10 P11 Ndengereko P12 Ruihi P13 Matumbi P14 Ngindo P15 Mbunga P20 P21 Yao P22 Mwera P23 Makonde P24 Ndonde P25 Mabiha P30 P31 Makua P32 Lomwe P33 Ngulu P34 Cuabo [P311 Koti P312 Sakati P331 Lomwe of Malawi P341 Moniga Zone R R10 R11 Umbundu R12 Ndombe R13 Nyaneka R14 Khumbi [R101 Kuvale R102 Kwisi R103 Mbali R20 R21 Kwanyama R22 Ndonga R23 Kwambi R24 Ngandyera [R211 Kafima R212 Evale R213 Mbandja R214 Mbalanhu R215 Ndongwena R216 Kwankwa R217 Dombondola R218 Esinga R241 Kwaluudhi R242 Kolonkadhi-Eunda R30 R31 Herero [R311 North-West Herero R312 Botswana Herero R40 R41 Yei Zone S S10 S11 Korekore S12 Zezuru S13a Manyika S13b Tebe S14 Karanga S15 Ndau S16 Kalanga S20 S21 Venda S30 S31a Tswana S31b Kgatla S31c Ngwatu S31d[311] Khalaxadi S32a Pedi S32b Lobedu S33 Sotho [S301 Phalaborwa S302 Kutswe S303 Pai S304 Pulana S40 S41 Xhosa S42 Zulu S43 Swati S44 (Northern) Ndebele [S401 Old Mfengu S402 Bhaca S403 Hlubi S404 Phuthi S405 Nhlangwini S406 Lala S407 South Ndebele S408 Sumayela Ndebele S50 S51 Tswa S52[53] Gwamba S53 Tsonga S54 Ronga [S511 Hlengwe S60 S61 Copi S62 Tonga [S611 Lenge Italics indicate extinct languages. Languages between parentheses are varieties of the language on their left. The Guthrie classification is geographic and its groupings do not imply a relationship between the languages within them. Narrow Bantu languages by Guthrie classification zone templates Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones A–B) Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones C–D) Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones E–H) Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones J–M) Template:Narrow Bantu languages (Zones N–S)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Tswa language](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tswa_language) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tswa_language?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.