Britannica AI Icon

Quick Summary

SiSwati is a Bantu language spoken by the Swazi people in Eswatini and neighboring regions. It is the national language of Eswatini, alongside English. SiSwati is part of the Nguni language cluster, which also includes Xhosa and Zulu. A unique characteristic of Nguni languages, including SiSwati, is the presence of "clicking" sounds, which were absorbed from earlier Khoisan-speaking peoples. The term "Swazi" can refer to both the people and their language.1234

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.