bechuana
Definition
Noun: 1. A member of the Tswana people: Refers to an individual belonging to a Bantu-speaking ethnic group primarily inhabiting Botswana and parts of northwestern South Africa. The term is an older, now less common, English exonym for the Tswana people.
Usage Notes
- The term 'Bechuana' is an archaic spelling and form of the modern ethnonym 'Tswana' (or 'Batswana' for the people collectively). It is derived from early European transliterations.
- Its use today is largely historical or found in older texts. The preferred and respectful contemporary terms are 'Tswana' for an individual or the language and culture, and 'Batswana' for the people as a group.
- It functions as a countable noun (e.g., , ).
Examples
- Historical records describe the arrival of the Bechuana in the region centuries ago.
- Early missionaries worked among the Bechuana to translate texts.
- (Modern preferred usage): He is Tswana, from a village near Gaborone.
Advanced / Historical Usage
- The term was commonly used in 19th and early-to-mid 20th century colonial administration, anthropology, and literature to refer to the people and their territories (e.g., Bechuanaland Protectorate, which became modern Botswana).
Variants and Related Words
- Tswana (n.): The modern and standard term for a member of this ethnic group or the language they speak.
- Motswana (n.): A singular term for a Tswana person (used in Setswana).
- Batswana (n. pl.): The plural term for the Tswana people (used in Setswana and often in English).
- Setswana (n.): The Bantu language spoken by the Tswana people.
- Bechuanaland (n.): The historical name for the British protectorate that became Botswana.
Synonyms
- Tswana
- Motswana (singular, from Setswana)
- (Contextual) A citizen or native of Botswana.
Notes on Related Terms
- Bechuana is specifically an ethnic demonym. The modern national demonym for a citizen of Botswana is 'Motswana' (singular) or 'Batswana' (plural), regardless of ethnicity.
Noun
-
a member of a Bantu people living chiefly in Botswana and western South Africa
