Tsongan.adj.
/ˈtsɒŋɡə/ A. n.
An African people chiefly inhabiting southern Mozambique and Limpopo province in South Africa; the Bantu language spoken by this people; = Shangaan n.This people is known as Shangaan in Mozambique, and Tsonga in South Africa.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > languages of the world > African languages > Niger-Kordofanian > [noun] > Niger-Congo > Niger-Congo proper languages > Kwa family > Bantu languages > Tsonga
Ronga1897
Tsonga1905
Shangaan1968
the world > people > ethnicities > peoples of Africa > peoples of Southern Africa > [noun] > Bantu peoples
Xhosa1801
amaXhosa1809
Matabele1823
Amapondo1824
amaZulu1829
Bapedi1835
Basotho1835
knobnose1848
Ovambo1853
Sotho1883
Tonga1891
Ronga1899
Venda1901
Pedi1912
Mopedi1928
Ndebele1930
Lobedu1933
Tsonga1937
Pondo1950
Nguni1957
1905 Jrnl. Afr. Soc. 5 12 There are three main Native languages in South Africa: Zulu, Suto and Thonga.
1937 R. H. Lowie Hist. Ethnol. Theory xii. 225 The Northern Thonga of Portuguese East Africa use a single word for the maternal uncle, the maternal uncle's son, and the mother's father.
1940 A. A. Jaques in Bantu Stud. XIV. 259 It 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.
1955 M. Gluckman Custom & Confl. Afr. iii. 63 Among the Tsonga of Mozambique..witchcraft..passes..from women to their children, so that men carry it, but not transmit it.
1970 Standard Encycl. Southern Afr. II. 306/1 The first portions of Scripture in Tsonga..appeared in 1883.
1973 ‘S. Harvester’ Corner of Playground iii. ii. 181 A Swazi king in eighteen-fiftyfour raided the Tsonga to find boys..to sell to the Boers.
1974 Encycl. Brit. Micropædia IX. 967/3 Although many Thonga are Christian, a substantial proportion adhere to their own traditional, highly ritualistic religion.
B. adj.
Of, relating to, or designating this people or their language.
ΘΠ
the world > people > ethnicities > peoples of Africa > peoples of Southern Africa > [adjective] > Bantu peoples
Xhosa1812
Morolong1822
amaXhosa1824
Zulu1824
Sotho1827
amaZulu1828
Amapondo1830
African1832
Matabele1835
knob-nosed1838
Manganja1859
Pondo1872
Bapedi1878
Ovambo1897
Tsonga1907
Venda1913
Pedi1922
Nguni1929
Lobedu1937
Mosotho1955
the mind > language > languages of the world > African languages > Niger-Kordofanian > [adjective] > of or relating to Bantu languages
Kaffir1588
Kongo1597
Xhosa1812
Amapondo1830
Zulu1839
Sesotho1844
Swahilian1846
Kikuyu1850
Bantu1858
Fan1861
Amandebele1872
Nyamwezi1872
Wagogo1878
Lunda1879
Luganda1882
Sotho1883
Gogo1891
Tonga1891
Chichewa1897
Ronga1897
Bemba1904
Ila1907
Tsonga1907
Meru1908
Chewa1909
Venda1913
Lingala1922
Luba1922
Pedi1922
Nyanja1923
Nguni1929
Ndebele1930
Lobedu1937
Tiv1939
Mongo1961
Siswati1964
1907 H. A. Junod in C. W. Chatelain Pocket Dict. Thonga (Shangaan) (1909) 3 The Shangaan language, which would be more scientifically called the Thonga language.
1912 H. A. Junod Life S. Afr. Tribe I. 13 The Thonga tribe is composed of a group of Bantu peoples settled on the Eastern coast of South Africa.
1933 Bantu Stud. VII. 4 The languages of the South-eastern [sc. Bantu] zone fall into four clusters, the ‘Nguni’, the ‘Sotho’, the ‘Venda’ and the ‘Thonga’... In the Thonga cluster [are] three main groups, Ronga, Thonga and Tswa.
1940 [see sense A.]. 1955 M. Gluckman Custom & Confl. Afr. v. 116 Take this description of the Tsonga ritual which organizes the moving of a village.
1970 Standard Encycl. Southern Afr. II. 106/2 The Tsonga group is often also called the Shangana group. These languages are spoken by the descendants of the Zulu chief Soshangana.
1979 Jrnl. Imperial & Commonwealth Hist. 7 255 The provision of food, lodging and security to Tsonga migrants proved beneficial to Natal.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1986; most recently modified version published online December 2020).
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n.adj.1905