Xhosa - PanAfriL10n (original) (raw)

Xhosa - isiXhosa

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1. 1. Classification / Classification
2. 2. Where Spoken / Localisation g�ographique
3. 3. Number of Speakers / Nombre de locuteurs
4. 4. Dialect Survey / Enqu�te de dialecte
5. 5. Usage / Utilisation
6. 6. Orthography / Orthographe
   1. 6.1 Status / Statut
   2. 6.2 Sample Alphabet / Alphabet exemple
7. 7. Use in ICT / Utilisation dans les TIC
   1. 7.1 Fonts / Polices
   2. 7.2 Keyboard layouts / Dispositions de clavier
   3. 7.3 Content on computers & internet / Contenu en informatique et sur l'Internet
   4. 7.4 Localized software / Logiciels localis�s
   5. 7.5 Language codes / Codes de langue
   6. 7.6 Other / Autre
8. 8. Localisation resources / Ressources pour localisation
   1. 8.1 Individuals (experts) / Individuelles (experts)
   2. 8.2 Institutions / Institutions
   3. 8.3 On the internet / Sur la toile
9. 9. Comments / Remarques
10. 10. References / R�f�rences

1. Classification / Classification

Xhosa is a language in the Nguni group of Bantu (Guthrie S40). (Webbook)

Ethnologue lists the classification as: Niger-Congo, Atlantic-Congo, Volta-Congo, Benue-Congo, Bantoid, Southern, Narrow Bantu, Central, S, Nguni (S.40)

2. Where Spoken / Localisation g�ographique

Xhosa is spoken in the Transkei coastal region of South Africa. (Webbook)

A map from Wikipedia showing areas where "Xhosa is spoken as a home language by a significant proportion of the population" follows (it is reproduced under a GNU Free Documentation License.):

3. Number of Speakers / Nombre de locuteurs

According to Ethnologue:

• 7,196,118 in South Africa (1996 census)
• 18,000 in Lesotho (1993 Johnstone)
• Population total all countries: 7,214,118

Wikipedia quotes a figure of 7.9 million speakers.

4. Dialect Survey / Enqu�te de dialecte

According to Ethnologue:

• Gealeka
• Ndlambe
• Gaika (Ncqika)
• Thembu, Bomvana
• Mpondomse (Mpondomisi)
• Mpondo
• Xesibe
• Rhathabe
• Bhaca
• Cele
• Hlubi
• Mfengu

5. Usage / Utilisation

Xhosa is one of the 11 official languages of South Africa.

Literacy rate (according to Ethnologue):

• L1: 50%
• L2: 20% to 25%

Taught in primary and secondary schools. (Ethnologue)

6. Orthography / Orthographe

6.1 Status / Statut

Xhosa has a standardized orthography that uses the unmodified Latin alphabet. It is described in the Terminology and Orthography No. 3 of 1980. [need full citation]

Xhosa has a Roman based orthography that well represents the spoken language. Xhosa also uses various combinations of graphemes to represent, for example, click sounds that cannot be adequately represented using the Roman-based orthography. (UCLA)

An earlier orthography included some extended characters.

6.2 Sample Alphabet / Alphabet exemple

The "Language Museum" site has short sample texts in:

• Xhosa http://www.language-museum.com/x/xhosa.php (image missing, 11/06)
• Xhosa (Gaika) http://www.language-museum.com/x/xhosa-gaika.php

7. Use in ICT / Utilisation dans les TIC

7.1 Fonts / Polices

Latin fonts without extended ranges (such as commonly used for English) will suffice.

7.2 Keyboard layouts / Dispositions de clavier

An English keyboard or the South African keyboard http://translate.org.za/content/view/24/41/ can be used (verify re the English keyboard)

7.3 Content on computers & internet / Contenu en informatique et sur l'Internet

The South African language site "Batho Portal" http://www.sediba.org.za/ has a section on & in isiXhosa.

INKCAZO-JIKELELE NGEEMFANELO ZOLUNTU (Universal Declaration of Human Rights): http://www.unhchr.ch/udhr/lang/xos.htm

Wikipedia in Xhosa at http://xh.wikipedia.org/ (some content as of 11-2006)

7.4 Localized software / Logiciels localis�s

The OpenOffice suite of software applications has been localized in Xhosa by Translate.org.za. See http://translate.org.za/content/view/17/54/

There is a project to translate Debian (Linux) Installer in Xhosa: https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/edgy/+source/debian-installer/+pots/debian-installer

There is an "isiXhosa Spelling Checker 1.0 & Hyphenator" for Microsoft products for sale at http://www.bowline.co.za/home.asp?pid=24&product=1096

7.5 Language codes / Codes de langue

• ISO 639-1: xh
• ISO 639-2: xho
• ISO/DIS 639-3: xho

7.6 Other / Autre

• Google has a version localized in Xhosa: http://www.google.com/intl/xh/
• Xhosa English Dictionary isixhosa - isilungu [short lexicon] http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/Xhosa-english/

8. Localisation resources / Ressources pour localisation

8.1 Individuals (experts) / Individuelles (experts)

8.2 Institutions / Institutions

Translate.org.za

8.3 On the internet / Sur la toile

• Mzi_kaPhalo (forum for Xhosa Translators' Community): http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mzi_kaPhalo/
• AfricanLanguages.com page on isiXhosa (Xhosa): http://www.africanlanguages.com/xhosa/

9. Comments / Remarques

10. References / R�f�rences

Dwyer, David (1997), Webbook of African Languages, http://www.isp.msu.edu/AfrLang/hiermenu.html (page on "Xhosa," http://www.isp.msu.edu/AfrLang/Xhosa_root.html )

SIL International, Ethnologue: Languages of the World, "Xhosa," http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=xho

SIL International, "ISO 639 Code Tables," http://www.sil.org/iso639-3/codes.asp

U.S. Library of Congress, "ISO 639.2: Codes for the Representation of Names of Languages: Alpha-3 codes arranged alphabetically by the English name of language," http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/English_list.php

UCLA, Language Materials Project, "Xhosa (profile)," http://www.lmp.ucla.edu/Profile.aspx?LangID=21&menu=004

Wikipedia, "Xhosa language," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xhosa_language