Tswa–Ronga languages

The Tswa–Ronga languages (or just Tsonga) are a group of closely related Southern Bantu languages spoken in Southern Africa chiefly in southern Mozambique, northeastern South Africa and southeastern Zimbabwe.^{[citation needed]}

Tswa–Ronga
Geographic distribution	Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Linguistic classification	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Volta-Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Southern Bantoid Bantu Southern Bantu Nguni-Tsonga Tswa–Ronga
Language codes
Glottolog	tswa1254

Languages

The group is divided into three main languages:^[1]

• Tswa–Ronga
  • Tswa (Xitswa): Hlengwe (Khambana-Makwakwe, Khambani, Lengwe, Lhengwe, Makwakwe-Khambana, Shilengwe), Tshwa (Dzibi-Dzonga, Dzivi, Dzonga-Dzibi, Xidzivi), Mandla, Ndxhonge, Nhayi. Partially intelligible with Ronga [rng] and Tsonga [tso].^[2]
  • Ronga (Xironga): Konde, Putru, Kalanga. Partially intelligible with Tsonga [tso] and Tswa [tsc].^[3]
  • Tsonga (Xitsonga): Luleke (Xiluleke), Gwamba (Gwapa), Changana (Xichangana), Hlave, Kande, N’walungu (Shingwalungu), Xonga (Ssonga), Jonga (Dzonga), Nkuna, Songa, Nhlanganu (Shihlanganu).^[4]

"Tsonga" is used to refer to all three languages,^{[citation needed]} although often used interchangeably with Changana, the most prestigious of the three. All are recognized as languages, although inherently intelligible.^[4] The group also contains a variety of other minority languages and dialects which are undocumented and exist in an unwritten form.^{[citation needed]}

Writing system

The sintu writing system, Ditema tsa Dinoko (also known in Zulu as Isibheqe Sohlamvu), for Southern Bantu languages, is used to represent all Tswa-Ronga languages consistently under one orthography.^[5] This includes those marginal languages that have never been standardised in the Latin alphabet, such as the "East Sotho" varieties (Pulana, Khutswe and Pai). For example, it contains a specific grapheme indicating retroflex or "cerebral" consonants, such as the retroflex ejective affricate occurring here in Pai:

English	place
HiPai	itzau	[iʈʂʼaːwu]