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Glite Dictionary
Swazi language

Swazi language

7.5
A language like Zulu spoken in Eswatini and South Africa
  • noun
translation icon : idioma suazi
  • Many people in Eswatini use the Swazi language in everyday conversation.

Examples

  • Do you speak the Swazi language?

  • Linguists study the similarities between Zulu and the Swazi language.

  • The young girl is fluent in both English and Swazi language.

  • The Swazi language is rich in proverbs.

  • Many people in Eswatini use the Swazi language in everyday conversation.

  • The Swazi language is rich in proverbs that reflect the culture.

  • Linguists study the similarities between Zulu and the Swazi language.

Synonyms

Swazi
vsSwazi language
9.1

A Bantu language spoken in Eswatini and South Africa

refers more generally to the language without stating speaker numbers
Swati
vsSwazi language
9.2

A person from Eswatini or the Bantu language they speak

means only the language, not a person

Surface Forms

Swazi language singular
Swazi languages plural

Morphology

Swazi + language

The meaning is fully compositional: 'Swazi' identifies the people/ethnicity (or their language) and 'language' names a speech system, so together they denote the language of the Swazi. This 'X language' pattern is cross-linguistically common and would be immediately understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.

Etymology

Swazi language comes from the name Swazi, the people of Eswatini. Those people are named after a past king called Mswati, and the language they speak is called 'siSwati' by its speakers. So, Swazi language simply means the language of the Swazi people.