The Jeliya catalogue uses itsonga / Tsonga. Glottolog indexes the corresponding language as Tsonga (tson1249). Its ISO 639-3 code is tso. [1]
Draft — awaiting native-speaker review
A cross-border language with regional varieties and varying names in different communities.
Opening retained from the existing catalogue; awaiting editorial and speaker review.The Jeliya catalogue uses itsonga / Tsonga. Glottolog indexes the corresponding language as Tsonga (tson1249). Its ISO 639-3 code is tso. [1]
Glottolog associates this record with the following country codes: MZ, SZ, ZA, ZW. Catalogue locations do not enumerate diaspora or second-language use. [1]
No dated, scope-checked speaker estimate has been approved for this page.
The catalogue classification follows this sequence: Atlantic-Congo → Volta-Congo → Benue-Congo → Bantoid → Southern Bantoid → Narrow Bantu → East Bantu → Southern Bantu → Nuclear Southern Bantu → Dimsuffix Southern Bantu → Nguni-Tsonga-Copi → Tsonga-Copi → Tswa-Ronga (S.50) → Tsongan. [1]
The Glottolog bibliography includes a linguistic description attributed to Bleek, Wilhelm Heinrich Immanuel 1856 and a more recent one attributed to Ribeiro, Armando 1965. These are publication dates, not language origins. [1]
Latin spelling uses multiletter consonants and normally omits tone. Preserve the chosen standard rather than respelling for English readers.
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.PanSALB provides a national spelling and orthography resource collection. A language-specific rule, edition date and regional scope must be checked before it is applied to a learner’s answer. [2]
Five basic vowel qualities with tone; aspirated/breathy contrasts and complex consonants differ by variety. Practise recorded consonant combinations rather than pronouncing each Latin letter separately.
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.A reviewed alphabet, sound-by-sound IPA guide and reference recordings are still needed.
Awaiting a cited, language-specific contribution and speaker review.
SVO, noun-class agreement and verbal extensions; aspect and tone interact.
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.A language-specific Grambank record is linked for comparison of grammatical features and their underlying references. Feature coding is an analytical resource; it is not a beginner explanation, a complete grammar or a substitute for a teacher’s review. [4]
Standard Xitsonga; identify country and variety
Existing linguistic-map notes are planning material, not newly verified facts. A named reviewer and reference are still needed.Named child varieties in this record include Bila (Tsonga), Changana, Gwamba, Hlave, Jonga, Kande (Tsonga), Luleke, walungu, Nhlanganu, Nkuma, Xonga. These labels do not select Jeliya’s teaching variety. [1]
An entry separates the headword, part of speech, senses and cited examples. A variant is another documented form; a synonym is a different word with a related meaning. Derived expressions can have their own entry. Follow source links and variety tags before using a form.
Search the everyday spelling and check tone-marked forms. ɛ, ɔ, ɲ and ŋ are letters, not removable accents. Search tolerance does not mean two spellings are the same word. Save an entry to keep its stable identity in your wordbook.
Open the dictionaryAwaiting a cited, language-specific contribution and speaker review.
Editorial adaptation: Jeliya
Language reviewer: awaiting appointment
Last revision: 10/12/2026
Harald Hammarström, Robert Forkel, Martin Haspelmath and Sebastian Bank
CC BY 4.0
Source checked: 10/12/2026Pan South African Language Board
Source checked: 10/12/2026Ribeiro, Armando 1965
Source checked: 10/12/2026