Definition

1. Noun:

   • A member of the Bantu people inhabiting southern Africa: Refers to an individual belonging to a group of Bantu-speaking peoples primarily living in Botswana, Lesotho, and northern South Africa.
   • A group of related southern Bantu languages: Refers to any of the mutually intelligible languages spoken by the Sotho people, forming a linguistic group.

2. Adjective:

   • Relating to the Sotho people or their languages: Describes anything pertaining to the Sotho ethnic group or the Sotho languages.

Usage Examples

• Noun (referring to a person):

  • He is a Sotho from Lesotho.
  • The Sotho have a rich cultural heritage.

• Noun (referring to the language group):

  • Sesotho is a dialect of Sotho.
  • She is fluent in Sotho and English.

• Adjective:

  • We studied Sotho grammar.
  • This is a traditional Sotho blanket.

Advanced Usage

• "Sotho-Tswana": A linguistic classification referring to the larger group of languages that includes Sotho and Tswana.

  • The Sotho-Tswana languages share many grammatical features.

• "Southern Sotho": Specifically refers to Sesotho, the language of Lesotho.

  • Southern Sotho is one of the official languages of Lesotho.

Variants and Related Words

• Sesotho (noun): The specific language of the Basotho people, an official language of Lesotho and South Africa.

  • She is learning Sesotho.

• Setswana (noun): The Tswana language, closely related to Sotho.

  • Setswana and Sesotho are mutually intelligible to a degree.

• Sepedi (Northern Sotho) (noun): Another major language within the Sotho group.

  • Sepedi is also classified as a Sotho language.

Synonyms

• Basotho (noun, plural): Often used to refer to the Sotho people collectively.
  • The Basotho are known for their horseback riding skills.

Related Phrases

• Sotho language family: The group of related languages.
  • The Sotho language family is part of the larger Bantu group.

Adjective

1. of or relating to any of the group of Sotho languages
   • Sotho noun classifiers

Noun

1. any of the mutually intelligible southern Bantu languages of the Sotho in Botswana and South Africa and Lesotho
2. a member of the Bantu people who inhabit Botswana, Lesotho, and northern South Africa and who speak the Sotho languages