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The Tswa–Ronga languages (or just Tsonga) are a group of closely related Southern Bantu languages spoken in Southern Africa chiefly in southern Mozambique, northeastern South Africa and southeastern Zimbabwe.^{[citation needed]}

Tswa–Ronga
Geographic distribution	Mozambique, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Linguistic classification	Niger–Congo? Atlantic–Congo Volta-Congo Benue–Congo Bantoid Southern Bantoid Bantu Southern Bantu Nguni-Tsonga Tswa–Ronga
Glottolog	tswa1254

Languages

The group is divided into three main languages:[1]

• Tswa (Xitswa): Hlengwe (Khambana-Makwakwe, Khambani, Lengwe, Lhengwe, Makwakwe-Khambana, Shilengwe), Tshwa (Dzibi-Dzonga, Dzivi, Dzonga-Dzibi, Xidzivi), Mandla, Ndxhonge, Nhayi. Partially intelligible with Ronga [rng] and Tsonga [tso].[2]
• Ronga (Xironga): Konde, Putru, Kalanga. Partially intelligible with Tsonga [tso] and Tswa [tsc].[3]
• Tsonga (Xitsonga): Luleke (Xiluleke), Gwamba (Gwapa), Changana (Xichangana), Hlave, Kande, N’walungu (Shingwalungu), Xonga (Ssonga), Jonga (Dzonga), Nkuna, Songa, Nhlanganu (Shihlanganu).[4]

"Tsonga" is used to refer to all three languages,^{[citation needed]} although often used interchangeably with Changana, the most prestigious of the three. All are recognized as languages, although inherently intelligible.[4] The group also contains a variety of other minority languages and dialects which are undocumented and exist in an unwritten form.^{[citation needed]}

Writing system

This section contains information of unclear or questionable importance or relevance to the article's subject matter. (July 2017)

The sintu writing system, Ditema tsa Dinoko (also known in Zulu as Isibheqe Sohlamvu), for Southern Bantu languages, is used to represent all Tswa-Ronga languages consistently under one orthography.[5] This includes those marginal languages that have never been standardised in the Latin alphabet, such as the "East Sotho" varieties (Pulana, Khutswe and Pai). For example, it contains a specific grapheme indicating retroflex or "cerebral" consonants, such as the retroflex ejective affricate occurring here in Pai:

English	place
HiPai	itzau

Notes

На других языках

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- [en] Tswa–Ronga languages

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[it] Lingue tswa-ronga

Le lingue tswa-ronga sono un gruppo di lingue bantu parlato nell'Africa meridionale.

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