Tsonga, noun

/ˈtsɔŋɡa/
Origin:
See Tonga.
1. Shangaan sense 1 a; cf. Tonga sense 1.
1940 A.A. Jacques in Bantu Studies XIV. 259It should be noted that it is not correct to spell the name of this people (sc. the Shangana-Tsonga)Tonga or Thonga...Since the recent decisions taken by the Tsonga Language Board concerning orthography, there should be no difficulty in adopting the form Tsonga.
1970 M. Wilson 1000 Yrs before Van Riebeeck 5The Tsonga..sought much of their food in river estuaries and lagoons, lacing the mouth of each river with fish traps.
1975 S. Afr. Panorama Oct. 22Gazankulu, the Homeland of the Shangaan and Tsonga located in the North eastern Transvaal.
1976 West & Morris Abantu 105The Tsonga, although not members of the Nguni family, were considerably influenced by the Zulu...In the 19th century we know that the Tsonga were living in scattered units in the border area between Natal and Mocambique.
1985 Platzky & Walker Surplus People p.xxxThere have been serious fights between Tsonga and Sotho over the Gazankulu/Lebowa borders.
1990 Weekend Post 6 Oct. (Leisure) 4He met his death at the hands of a Shangean [sic] (Tsonga) warrior.
2. The language of the Shangaan people, especially the dialect spoken in South Africa; Tonga sense 2. Cf. Shangaan sense 2.
1970 Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. II. 106The Tsonga group is also often called the Shangana group. These languages are spoken by the descendents of the Zulu chief Shoshangana.
1970 Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. II. 306The first portions of the Scripture in Tsonga..appeared in 1883.
1971 S. Afr. Panorama Dec. 1The complete Bible is already available in..North and South Sotho, Tswana, Central Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu, Tsonga and the South West African Ndonga and also Nama.
1973 Drum 22 May 31 (letter)I would like girls not older than 22, and letters can be written in English, Zulu, North Sotho or Tsonga.
1973 M. Horrell Afr. Homelands 60Gazankulu was declared a self-governing territory within the Republic...Its seat of Government is Giyani, and Tsonga is recognised as an additional official language.
1985 Platzky & Walker Surplus People 125For most South Africans, Gazankulu is barely known. For nearly one million Tsonga-speaking people, it is the bantustan they are tied to by apartheid policies.
1993 Weekend Post 9 Oct. 9Sadly,..multilingualism, including North and South Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, [etc.]..is out.
The language of the Shangaan people, especially the dialect spoken in South Africa; Tonga sense 2.
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