The Acquisition of Bantu languages

The systematic study of Bantu language acquisition began with Lwandle Kunene’s (1979) dissertation on the acquisition of Swati. Subsequent studies of other languages (Nguni languages Zulu and Xhosa, Sotho languages Sesotho (henceforth Sotho) and Tswana, Malawian Chewa and the Gabonese language Sangu), have examined various aspects of children’s language acquisition. While there are typological characteristics common to these and other Bantu languages, there are also different linguistic details that influence the course of acquisition in important ways. Thus, a comparison of the acquisition of Bantu languages offers an extremely rich area for research, providing insights not only into how language is learned, but also into the possible impact that language learning may exert on processes of historical change. A brief summary of the Bantu acquisition literature by language is provided below. Children’s ages are represented as follows: 2;11 = 2 years 11 months.