Linguistic variations among the dialects of Shekgalagari

Resumo

Shekgalagari belongs to the Sotho-Tswana language phylum and is classified as western Sotho-Tswana (Bantu Zone S), quite distinct from Setswana, though they may be considered sister languages. It trans-borders Botswana and Namibia with majority of its speakers found in Botswana where it is geographically widespread. Roughly eight sub-groups of people speak Shekgalagari as mother-tongue. With the exception of two, the dialects spoken by these sub-groups manifest some peculiarities that distinguish the dialects from each other. This article describes some of these features, including phonological and lexical peculiarities. The focus is to highlight variations and, where applicable, present sociolinguistic factors that caused and causes them.