How many official languages are there in South Africa?
There are 11 official languages spoken in South Africa and many unofficial ones.
English is the official language of business, politics and media, but on South Africa's streets you'll find a heady mix of languages spoken from all over the world, most notably Africa, Europe and Asia.
Most South Africans are multilingual and often mix languages together so you'll hear IsiZulu, for example, peppered with English or Afrikaans phrases.
More Info:
en.wikipedia.org
What are your thoughts on this subject?
3 Comments
klmilles
You forgot South African Sign Language.
Thandi Manyatshe
r peladeau, many official documents are in English and Afrikaans. This you can even see in the information leaflets in medication packaging. This is historical from pre-1994. Ethnic groups are the majority in specific areas, eg. in the Cape Xhosa dominates so signage will be in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa. In KwaZulu-Natal, Isizulu dominates. In North West Province, Tswana dominates. So each province, in addition to English and Afrikaans, may add a local dominant vernacular language.
r peladeau
Do all the official document have to be translated into all the official languages like in Canada.