Setswana
/sɪˈtswɑːnə/noun
Setswana is a Bantu language spoken chiefly in Botswana, South Africa, and neighboring regions.
Did you know?In Setswana grammar, the prefix se- identifies the language itself, just as related Bantu language names use parallel prefixes such as Sesotho and Sepedi.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Bantu
Proto-Bantu
*ci- / *ki-
“Reconstructed noun-class prefix associated with languages, manners, or cultural forms”
Early Bantu
Bantu
*tʷana
“Reconstructed source associated with the Tswana ethnolinguistic name; its precise original sense is uncertain”
Precolonial Southern Africa
Tswana
se-Tswana
“The Tswana language; se- functions as a language or cultural-form prefix”
19th Century
English
Bechuana / Setswana
“English sources used Bechuana for the people and language, while Setswana was the indigenous form”
Modern English
English
Setswana
“The standardized name for the Tswana language, especially in Botswana and South Africa”