History
Sesotho, or Southern Sotho, is spoken in Lesotho, the Free State and southern Gauteng. Also spoken in the vicinity of Pretoria and Brits. Sesotho was one of the first African languages to be reduced to writing, and it has an extensive literature. According to scholars the written form was originally based on the Tlokwa dialect. Today the written language is mostly based on the Kwena and Fokeng dialects. Although there are variations. It's a tonal language and very different to Western languages. The Sesotho language is governed by the noun, which is split into various classes. It is known as an agglutinating language (a combination of simple word elements to express a specific meaning), with many suffixes and prefixes used in sentence construction causing sound changes. Sesotho was transmuted into writing by the missionaries Casalis and Arbousset of the Paris Evangelical Mission who arrived at Thaba Bosiu in 1833. 

CLASSIFICATION:
Family: Bantu (or rather Ntu) Language Family
Group: South Eastern Bantu (or rather Ntu)
Subgroup: Sotho

VARIETIES: Sekgolokwe; Setlokwa; Sekwena; Serotse (Selozi)

Speakers
Around 3 104 197 people use it as their home language in South Africa. Yet it is also the official language of the Kingdom of Lesotho.

Books

	Amazon.com
	Southern Sotho (2 audiotapes & booklet)
	Basotho (Heritage Library)
	African Painted Houses : Basotho
	Kalahari.net (South African bookshop)
	Sesotho made easy
	Understanding everyday Sesotho
	The concise trilingual pocket dictionary: English Southern Sotho Afrikaans

Internet Links
Language introductions
SESOTHO WEB - introduction to the language, includes vocabulary and notes on grammar
ETHNOLOGUE: Sesotho
Pronunciation Guide
Wikipedia: Sesotho language - short introduction to the language

Word lists/dictionaries
BUKANTSWE - downloadable Sesotho <> English dictionary 
TRAVLANG: Sesotho
Sesotho words and Phrases - short list with pronunciation
ITESLJ: English-Sesotho Vocabulary Quizzes - quizzes on Sesotho vocabulary

General information the Basotho people/Lesotho
Kingdom of Lesotho - Lesotho government site
Lesotho: Department of Culture
Siyabona: Basotho - introduction to the Basotho

Websites in Sesotho or with Sesotho content
Google: Sesotho - search online in Sesotho
On Sesotho - Sesotho blog
Sesotho wikipedia - Sesotho online encyclopedia (still very much under construction)
Bosiu bo kgutsitseng - Silent Night in Sesotho
Christus Rex: Sesotho - Lord's prayer and Hail Mary in Sesotho

 

Lesedi FM Sesotho Radio Station

© J. Olivier (2009)
SAlanguages.com