Zulu is a tonal language. Zulu words my have the same spelling but take on a different meaning depending on the accented tones. Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers as a first language and 16 million as a second language. Most speakers of the Zulu language live in South Africa. It became one of South Africa’s eleven official languages in 1994 at the end of apartheid. Like many other Bantu languages, it is written using the Latin alphabet. Official language in South Africa and regulated by Zulu Language Board.
Zulu is spoken in:
1. South Africa
2. Zimbabwe
3. Malawi
4. Mozambique
5. Swaziland
Some common Zulu words are:
cula….. sing
d-la….. eat
imali….. money
umusa….. kindness
futi….. also
In Africa, Ethiopia’s historical pedigree is second only to that of Egypt. The country claims a history going back 5,000 years. Addis Ababa is Ethiopia’s capital city. Addis Ababa means New Flower and its foundation is credited to Queen Taitu -consort to Menelik II. Lake Tana, Ethiopia’s largest lake is the source of the Blue Nile. The lake is dotted with 37 islands hosting some enthralling 13th century churches, monasteries, monuments and archaeological treasures. Of particular interest, is Dek Stephanos, which has a treasury of priceless religious icons, and is the burial place of several medieval emperors, including Yekuno Amlak and Fasilidas.
Still to the east of the country, in the Afar region, the banks of Awash River make an important pre historic and archaeological site. This is where the hominid ‘Lucy’, -believed to be the missing link between man and his ape ancestors was excavated. Recent findings in neighbouring Kenya have however come to challenge this position. The local name of the hominid is Dinknesh -meaning “thou art wonderful”. Lucy is the fun name given to her by the scientists who found her, after the Beatles song “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”. Lucy is preserved at the National Museum of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_84239_29.html Author: Andrew Muigai Photo S. Kalscheur
