A Dissertation on the Phonetics of the Zulu Language

The Zulu language proper, Isizulu, is now spoken by the natives of Zululand and of the greater part of Natal, though naturally there are dialectal differences within that area, and these differences become more pronounced as the Xosa border is approached. The language of the amaMpondo, for instance, seems to savour both of Zulu and of Xosa. One of the outstanding phonetic differences between Zulu and Xosa is that the latter uses the alveolar nasal combination nd where the former uses the velar ηg , e.g. Xosa ndi , and Z ulu “cardinal” vowels and the use of the vowel chart, cf. the various phonetic readers published by the London University Press, and particularly the Italian Phonetic Reader. They are indicated on the chart by the numbers (1) to (8).