Zulu

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Zulu Translation

Zulu is the language of the Zulu people who make up the largest tribe in South Africa. It’s spoken in South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, Malawi, Botswana and Lesotho. Over 9 million people speak Zulu. It is part of the larger Niger-Congo language family. Zulu is closely related to Nguni languages including Xhosa and Ndebele. It’s so close to Xhosa that linguists consider them to be almost the same language. But speakers of both languages say that they are separate.

From Bantu to Zulu
Zulu is a part of the Bantu language family which falls under the Niger-Congo. The Zulu people were once part of the Bantu tribe. They are believed to have come from what is now Cameroon and Nigeria in one of the largest human migrations ever from 2000 BC-1000 AD. Once they reached their destination, the Bantu divided into Eastern and Western Groups. The Zulu broke from the Bantu and formed their own culture and language. The term Zulu can actually refer to the language or someone of native origin.
Missionaries and Zulu
Missionaries who traveled to Africa had an influence on Zulu literature. The written Zulu language is based on a Latin script brought in by the missionaries. Early examples of Zulu writings are translations of Christian texts in the 1800’s and of John Bunyan’s "Pilgrim’s Progress.”
Zulu Literature
Zulu is quite extensive because of its focus on preserving oral and cultural traditions. But it has since extended out to fiction, poetry, radio, television, and newspapers.

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