The official languages of Botswana are English and Tswana. English – Inherited from colonial rule and is used for official business and most written communication. Tswana – The language of the Tswana people Setswana is the country’s national language and is spoken by most of the population.
The official languages of Botswana are English and Tswana.
- English – Inherited from colonial rule and is used for official business and most written communication.
- Tswana – The language of the Tswana people—Setswana—is the country’s national language, and is spoken by most of the population.
In Setswana, prefixes are more important than they are in many other languages since Setswana is a Bantu language and has noun classes denoted by these prefixes. They include Bo, which refers to the country, which refers to the people, Mo, which is one person, and which is the language.
For example, the main ethnic group of Botswana is the Tswana people, hence the name Botswana for its country. The people as a whole are Batswana, one person is a Motswana, and the language they speak is Setswana.
Over 20 smaller languages are also spoken. Some of the country’s languages are in danger of becoming extinct. Here is a list of the languages in Botswana:
| Afrikaans | Haillom | Kua | Setswana |
| Ani | Herero | Kuhane | Shua |
| Birwa | Hua | Kung-Ekoka | Tshuwau |
| Chichewa | Ju’hoan | Lozi | Tswapong |
| English | Kalanga | Mbukushu | !Xóõ |
| Gana | Kgalagadi | Nambya | Yeyi |
| Gciriku | Khoekhoe | Naro | Zezuru |
| Gwi | Khwedam | Ndebele | isiXhosa |
What language is mostly spoken in Botswana?
Setswana
The official languages of Botswana are English and Tswana. English – Inherited from colonial rule and is used for official business and most written communication. Tswana – The language of the Tswana people—Setswana—is the country’s national language, and is spoken by most of the population.
How many languages are spoken in Botswana?
The number of individual languages listed for Botswana is 31. All are living languages. Of these, 26 are indigenous and 5 are non-indigenous.
What are the top 3 languages spoken in Botswana?
The biggest languages present in Botswana include English – with 611 thousand speakers. Setswana – 1.83 million speakers. Kalanga – 118 thousand speakers.
Do people speak English in Botswana?
Botswana has both an official language (English) and a national language (Setswana), and you’ll find both spoken throughout the country if you visit. English is used for official documents and formal written communications, whereas Setswana is primarily used as a spoken language.