Sotho

Sotho
/sooh"tooh, soh"toh/, n., pl. Sothos, (esp. collectively) Sotho for 3.
1. a group of closely related Bantu languages spoken in Lesotho and South Africa.
2. any of the Sotho languages, esp. Sesotho.
3. Also called Basuto. a member of any of a cluster of linguistically and culturally related Bantu-speaking peoples of southern Africa, including the Tswana.

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Cluster of Bantu-speaking peoples (numbering 10 million) occupying the high grasslands of southern Africa, mainly parts of South Africa, Botswana, and Lesotho.

They are culturally and historically distinct from the Nguni peoples. The main Sotho groups are the Pedi and Lovedu in the north, the Tswana in the west, and the Basuto of Lesotho. Most farm and raise livestock, though Christian missionary activity and urbanization have resulted in a breakdown of traditional culture patterns.

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people
also called  Suthu  or  Suto 

      linguistic and cultural group of peoples occupying the high grasslands of southern Africa. The main groups are customarily classified as the Transvaal, or northern, Sotho ( Pedi, Lovedu, and others); the western Sotho, or Tswana (q.v.); and the southern Sotho (often called Basuto) of Lesotho and adjoining areas.

      Traditionally, most Sotho groups relied both on cultivation and on animal husbandry. Corn (maize) was a staple, and millet, beans, sweet potatoes, and a variety of other crops are also of importance. In modern times, a large proportion of Sotho men are often absent from home as migrant labourers.

      The typical settlement pattern was characterized by scattered hamlets of circular huts with mud and wattle or stone walls surmounted by a conical, thatched roof. Towns of considerable size occur among some groups, particularly the Tswana, and among groups organized into Bantu townships in South Africa.

      Polygyny was traditionally permitted, and a substantial bridewealth in cattle was paid. Descent, succession, and inheritance were patrilineal, except in the case of one group among whom descent was traced through both the male and female lines.

      The advent of Christianity, urbanization, and industrialization have resulted in a progressive breakdown of the Sotho's traditional culture patterns.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • SOTHO — ou SOUTH Répartis largement à travers l’Afrique australe, les Sotho présentent, malgré leur dispersion géographique, une grande homogénéité culturelle et linguistique. Les Sotho du Sud peuplent le Lesotho et les territoires adjacents de l’Afrique …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Sotho — Sotho,   Basuto, zwei kulturell nahe verwandte, durch eigenständige historisch soziologische Entwicklung getrennte Bantuvölker im südlichen Afrika. Von den etwa 4,1 Mio. sehr einheitlichen Südsotho (Seshoeshoe) leben 2,1 Mio. in der Provinz… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • Sotho — may refer to:*The Sotho people (or Basotho ), an African ethnic group principally resident in South Africa and Lesotho. *The Sotho language ( Sesotho or Southern Sotho ), a Bantu Language spoken in southern Africa, an official language of both… …   Wikipedia

  • sotho — SÓTHO subst. 1. s.n. Familie de limbi bantu, incluzând tswana (2), vorbită în sudul Africii. ♦ (p. ext.) Oricare dintre limbile aparţinătoare familiei sotho. 2. s.m. Membru al populaţiei vorbitoare a limbilor sotho (1). (cf. engl. sotho <… …   Dicționar Român

  • Sotho — [sō′thō, sō′tō] n. pl. Sothos or Sotho 1. a member of a group of peoples living in S Africa 2. the group of Bantu languages of these peoples …   English World dictionary

  • Sotho — (Suto), die Sprache der Basuto (s. d.) …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Sotho — Der Begriff Sotho fasst verschiedene Ethnien der Bantu zusammen. Ihre Sprachen bilden die Gruppe der Sotho Sprachen (auch Soto Tswana Sprachen), die wiederum zur Gruppe S unter den Zentral Süd Bantusprachen gehören. Es handelt sich um einen… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Sotho — Basotho Basotho Écolier Basotho Populations significatives par régions …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Sotho — I noun 1. a member of the Bantu people who inhabit Botswana, Lesotho, and northern South Africa and who speak the Sotho languages • Hypernyms: ↑Bantu • Member Holonyms: ↑Botswana, ↑Republic of Botswana, ↑Lesotho, ↑Kingdom …   Useful english dictionary

  • Sotho — noun (plural Sotho or Sothos) Date: 1928 1. a. any one of the Sotho languages and especially Sesotho b. a group of closely related Bantu languages of Lesotho, Botswana, and northern South Africa 2. a member of a group of southern African peoples… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

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