Northern Ndebele people
The Northern Ndebele people (/ˌɛndəˈbɛli, -ˈbiːli, -leɪ/; EN-də-BE(E)L-ee, -ay; Northern Ndebele: amaNdebele) are a Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa. Significant populations of native speakers of the Northern Ndebele language (siNdebele) are found in Zimbabwe and in South Africa.
This article is about the Matabele people. For other uses of the terms Ndebele or Matabele, see Ndebele.Total population
2,200,000
150,000
23,000
8,000
liNdebele
amaNdebele
siNdebele
Regional classification[edit]
The Northern Ndebele language spoken by the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe is generally the same as the Northern Ndebele language spoken by the Ndebele people of South Africa with a few pronunciation and word meaning differences. Northern Ndebele spoken in Zimbabwe and Southern Ndebele (or Transvaal Ndebele) spoken in South Africa are separate but related languages with some degree of mutual intelligibility, although the former is more closely related to Zulu. Southern Ndebele, while maintaining its Nguni roots, has been influenced by the Sotho languages.[1]
Etymology[edit]
The Northern Ndebele, specifically the Khumalo (amaNtungwa) people under Mzilikazi, were originally named Matebele in English. This name is common in older texts because it is the name the British first heard from the Sotho and Tswana peoples.
In the early 19th century, the Ndebele invaded and lived in territories populated by Sotho–Tswana peoples, who used the plural prefix ma- for certain types of unfamiliar people (or the Nguni prefix ama-). British explorers—who were first informed of the existence of the Northern Ndebele people by the Sotho–Tswana communities they encountered on their trip north—would have been presented with two variations of the name: the Sotho–Tswana pronunciation (Matebele) and the Ndebele pronunciation (Ndebele or amaNdebele). Under British rule, they were officially known as the Matebele.[2] They are now commonly known as the Ndebele or amaNdebele.