| Southern Bantu | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Eswatini |
| Linguistic classification | Niger–Congo? |
| Proto-language | Proto-Southern Bantu |
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | sout3387 |
The Southern Bantu languages are a large group of Bantu languages, largely validated in Janson (1991/92).[1] They are nearly synonymous with Guthrie's Bantu zone S, apart from the debated exclusion of Shona and inclusion of Makhuwa. They include all of the major Bantu languages of South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Mozambique, with outliers such as Lozi in Zambia and Namibia, and Ngoni in Zambia, Tanzania and Malawi.