About the Zulu language

Want to learn Zulu? Check out the link for 20% off uTalk - a language learning platform with more than 150 languages available: uta.lk/julingo
African languages are so interesting in many terms but yet so little research is actually done on them. Today I am trying to shed some light on one of the very important languages of the continent - the Zulu language. With millions of speakers, considerable cultural heritage and unique features it is truly an exciting language to explore!
Super big thank you if you decide to support me on Patreon, here's the link:
/ julingo
Music used:
Doug Maxwell/Media Right Productions - A Good Day On the African Planes
Circle of Life
Accralate - The Dark Contenent by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/
Allada by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/
Artifact - The Dark Contenent by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
Artist: incompetech.com/
Videos used:
Languages of Africa: isiZulu, available on • Languages of Africa: i...
How Zulu People Behave during News Interviews, available on • How Zulu People Behave...
Zulu Click Song from Dumisani & Mabee Mdlalose, available on • Zulu Click Song from D...

[@Tt-iu4vk]

As a South African who speaks Zulu, wonderful lesson and great pronunciation. Thanks so taking the time to learn and teach/share my language. You're a fantastic teacher.

[@GenericUsername1388]

As a South African who cannot speak Zulu bit is trying to learn some, I appreciate this video

[@giftnkosi4750]

I like it when you say "Umqombothi". You sound like a native speaker of the Zulu language. You're beautiful sister and so is your work. Keep it up. Much love from South Africa.

[@boydjenkins]

I found your video when I wanted to show my son how Zulu sounded. I lived in South Africa for two years and can speak Zulu now conversationally, and you did such a good job with this video. Ngiyabonga kakhulu uSisi wami!

[@AURABOSS]

Ngyakbonga Mfoka Jenkins

[@boydjenkins]

Siyabonga Dlamini nkona nkinga!

[@__donez__]

I wrote my final linguistics paper on the Zulu language. I was so surprised after studying the language for a bit, I heard a click in one of the words of the intro song of The Lion King. Even though I had listened to that song dozens of times in my life, I had never heard that click before

[@motosashi6971]

I'm South African of Indian descent and grew up in Kwazulu Natal. Its heartwarming to see this beautiful language showcased on your channel. Just love it. Interesting story, when I was walking through China, I overheard Zulu being spoken and joined my SA brothers and made 2 new local friends that far away from home. Was one of my most memorable travels that made me appreciate home even more. Ngiyabonga gakhulu sisi waam. ❤

[@celiwenkambule9677]

Ohh wow... uve just encouraged me to speak my zulu language more than English as a young lady thank you

[@mookehnormaphoo8599]

Sisonke sisi

[@anthonyappleyard5688]

The 'hl' sound also occurs in Welsh, where it is written 'll' .

[@JuLingo]

Funny you mentioned it just before I released my Welsh video 😉

[@user-eb4qk9lx3m]

@@JuLingo , люблю )

[@Hardmanferdead]

I hope you cover other African languages in the future such as Hausa, Yoruba, Swahili, Somali etc.

[@itsbeyondme5560]

Same

[@coeniebre]

I am from South Africa and your facts are 100% !

[@sthabilemkhize7723]

Wow😍✌... you've just explained our language in the best way possible even some of isiZulu teachers can't clearly verify like the Bantu history and forth... Ugeq'amagula (you've outspoken)😍

[@bandile21]

Because no one can verify our Bantu history. That’s just European theory not historical facts.

[@bonkosimncube2669]

@@bandile21 but your can't dismiss everything for example Nguni languages that includes what we now we call (Zulu;Xhosa Ndebele; Swathi and Tsonga ) are all part of Swahili language and Swahili is a most spoken language in Africa from Congo all the way to Kenya believe it or not Buntu people migrated from somewhere!!!

[@JohnJones-ct9pr]

@@bandile21 There is no such thing as "European theory" or "African theory". History is history. And the African history we have today comes from the oral traditions and stories handed down over hundreds and hundreds of years. Like all the histories of people all over the world these oral sources can be and are studied , evaluated and in the light of new evidence modified according to the weights attached to different evidence. Comic book Afrocentrism gets in the way of real African history , which is way way more interesting than "Wakanda" .

[@passage2enBleu]

Congratulations on the pronunciation Julie. This is the country I live in. We all do learn at least three languages. In school I had to Learn Sotho, as well as Afrikaans. English being my home language. I lived in Germany and Czech for a year each so it was relatively easy to pick up these new languages, especially with Afrikaans having Germanic roots. The word for God in Zulu is interesting: Unkulunkulu - translated 'the big big'. My great great grandfather Dr J H Albert Kropf came from Prussia (in 1870s) to Africa as a missionary, and translated the bible into Xhosa, as well as an English-Xhosa dictionary. His fascination was philology. Languages are fascinating. Wealth is carried in language.

[@redx12ae33]

I concur

[@antviv]

interesting story there Ken. just an addendum, uNkulunkulu falls under pigdin, even though it's colloquial and used freely. the actual translation for God is uMvelinqangi

[@skinnyboystudios9722]

Zulu itself means Heaven

[@frankright4454]

Nkulunkulu translates to the "greatest of the great" or "Highest of the high" . "Big Big" is just a childish direct translation.

[@JohnJones-ct9pr]

As someone who grew up in Kwa Zulu Natal I must say your pronunciation is excellent. Well done !

[@mishapurser4439]

I really love the Ubuntu way of seeing yourself and your community.

[@avncamargo]

Always happy to see a new video of yours. Keep doing your awesome work.

[@renatomorello4318]

Julie, you are fantastic! Thank you for your work and congratulations for your competence!! 💐👏👏

[@ManicEightBall]

Another great video. I really appreciate all the detail. Thanks!

[@gastonmartinez6316]

Amazing information! Thank you for feeding our minds! Keep up the good work! Paldies

[@lisasutherland-fraser4479]

Fabulous Julie. Love that I’ve found your page. Really really good videos! X

[@holisticmaya]

I'm so glad I found your channel! I'm traveling in Georgia at the moment so I found you through your Georgian language video first. I really love the playful and smart way you deliver the information. Concise and so educational. Thank you Julie!

[@SoWhat89]

super interesting channel! thank you so much for these great videos. :)

[@smallbigbaby]

Excellent job, and I'm so happy you put out a new video! I also appreciate all the work you put in your thumbnails :D

[@fatdan5726]

I love your channel. You ALWAYS make me fall in love with language all over again!

[@MariaSantos-senager69]

Just the language...?!☺

[@michaelwho3284]

Julie Great Chanel I love how you have covered a lot throughout it. Bringing in rare subjects like the Ainu and fascinating people's like the Maori, bringing up haplo references and history's. It's also kinda rare to see the enthusiasm you put into these lessons. I think it's amazing !

[@licanueto]

Great stuff Julie! I usually don't write this type of comment but you don't have that many views (yet) so I thought I'd let you know I really liked it. I came across you Georgian video and I've just finished watching the other videos. I love the unusual language selection you made and the depth with which you go when letting us know about each language. You've clearly put a lot of work in this Zulu video and that can be easily noted and appreciated Can't wait to see what you come up with next! Keep it up! Greetings from Argentina!

[@tiantongxu3556]

That's amazing. Thank you, Julie.

[@siyabongashange5004]

I am a Zulu and I give a thumbs up

[@kennethcunningham70]

X is wrong

[@MattScottMusic]

Fantastic channel! One of the best!

[@julius43461]

I love the work you are doing with all these languages. Great content.

[@thomasde4573]

Hi Julie! Thanks for this fantastic video! Enjoyed it a lot!

[@vonratt]

This is now one of my favourite channels!

[@trevorm6746]

I really badly want to binge watch your videos, but I'd get through them all in a qday😂😂😂 I love your content so much!!! Keep creating!

[@valyriantime910]

Watching the video and how educational and interesting it was, I was so frustrated the channel had so few subscribers. But seeing how few videos you do have (4 or 5, If I remember) that’s explainable. You should really make MORE videos, Julie. Even if I had to unsubscribe out of 10 channels to follow yours, I would gladly do so. But you have so few contend. I really hope you would come with more videos!

[@senzomemela1311]

Ngiyawuthanda umsebenzi wakho, muhle kakhulu. You are blessed with both the intelligence and wisdom. your parents should be proud for raising such a phenomenal young lady...

[@IvyPearsonUnderwater]

Thank you for this video. I learned a lot. I'm looking forward to hearing about the Swahili language!

[@pashersil]

so impressed - I learned more about what I knew from living and interacting there for 30 years and consolidated it. Excellent research and great examples. Clearly a gifted teacher - I am blown away completely! Ngiyabonga!

[@mlungisimanqina1966]

came straight from the welsh language video! thoroughly impressed. Siyabonga kakhulu! your pronunciation is on point.

[@lindsaygoodwin3140]

Love your channel! Keep it up.

[@luthercairo]

Love this channel the knowledge she has is crazy🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@JuLingo]

Thank you so much!!!

[@jmich7]

Thank you Ju! We love languages and our ancestors. What a powerful video!

[@JLandavega]

Fascinating information Keep up the informative content

[@pierre-yvesbernolle8174]

The sound transcribed hl (H+L) in Zulu also exists in at least one European language: Welsh, where it is written ll (double L). Try to say 'milk' in Welsh: 'llaeth'.

[@rahuldhargalkar]

Wow!!!

[@DisregardThis]

I heard there is a welsh town name that start with that sound. Something like Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch ???

[@pierre-yvesbernolle8174]

@@DisregardThis llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch! Exactly

[@senzomemela1311]

As a Zulu speaker , I find what your so interesting...

[@silveribis55]

Very well done, and I learned some things! Born and grew up in South Africa, all you say is spot on. I only spoke bits when I was out there, and with Zulu, they are very accepting and flexible if you don't know how to talk it properly 😅, and looking back realise just how accepting and patient they are really. We tend to find language isn't just a creation of words but is part of your ancestry and genealogy...our history of where we all come from, and In lots of cases, by watching your videos just shows the adaptations, adoptions, additions that it picks up as people migrated through areas. Another interesting fact, cos south Africa was a colonial area, with lots of people that have come from all over, the adaptations of words from even Malaysia, possibly as south Africa at one time was a stop over port, with trading, did pick up naming of some things, influencing the people and all home languages.

[@AnalediAfrika]

Very impressive. Your facts are well researched, and your pronunciation really good. (I'm a South African, native speaker of Afrikaans, can read and pronounce isiXhosa, my sixth language, speak only very little "ncinci".)

[@mookehnormaphoo8599]

However, there is no letter R in isiZulu language, we only use R when we are featuring the other language that has R

[@makteko]

Wow, I am really grateful that you picked that up as well. Xhosa also doesn't have the word 'R', but it was only something we theorized at work as we couldn't find any non-borrowed word that had the 'R' sound. That's wonderful Mookeh. I am Xhosa by the way. :)

[@bartek8895]

I use your movies to help my student (they don't like grammar and you make it interesting...) Still wait for video about Polish Language ;) thanks for your work and passion!

[@scorpion777silvermoon3]

Wow.. awesome info. Thank you

[@albtranslationinterpretati5210]

❤im impressed. Keep it up

[@kurzweil4]

Excellent work!

[@kimmagennis634]

Great video. Thank you.

[@rahuldhargalkar]

What an amazing video! Kept me glued to the screen all the time! Never knew the impala, mamba and Ubuntu origins before! This is super cool. And especially the cultural and philosophical parts conveyed at the ending, very impressive I feel like I want to learn this and Xhosa! (:

[@rahuldhargalkar]

@@JuLingo may I know what's your native language? 😊

[@rahuldhargalkar]

@@JuLingo oh lovely! (:

[@omp199]

@@rahuldhargalkar Did she reply? I can't see her reply.

[@mndenimnguni8241]

I am zulu guy, thanks(ngiyabonga) about the video

[@ronin667]

I tried to pronounce the "hl" sound and my cat looked at me at if I'd hissed at him

[@user-cd1fx2uz3o]

Holley you vary sweet ilke can girl friend Really picture what you I am from Yemen sanaa ilke

[@user-cd1fx2uz3o]

Your toke for Africa ilve ilke thamks

[@user-cd1fx2uz3o]

With letter for you

[@michaeldavis9190]

I love how the woman looks at the man at 6:25, like he's completely fuck up her song or something lol

[@jorgepadilha1873]

Awesome! You have another subscription!

[@pravoslavn]

EXCELLENT presentation ! Thank you, from Pennsylvania in the USA. ☺

[@loksterization]

Very well presented!

[@sicko_the_ew]

My neighbours are Zulu, and all the kids in our complex speak (well shout, because they're kids :-) ) English to each other when they're at play. They probably still speak Zulu to Mom and Dad, so hopefully this isn't so much a sign of Zulu being abandoned by its own speakers (that would be a terrible tragedy), as it is of the new generations being polyglot. (It might actually be Ubuntu related, actually. I'm no expert, but I've heard that it's good manners in Zulu culture to speak loudly, so that nobody can form the impression that you're gossiping about them. It's not about attention grabbing; it's about setting people at ease. So maybe the parents like their kids to speak English partly because it saves their neighbours with a poor grasp of isiZulu from paranoia. It's probably more just a product of the kids attending English instruction medium schools, just because these still tend to be the best schools. It would actually be nice if some Zulus at least, would do what the Afrikaaners did, and take steps to protect their language from English. It's quite a difficult thing to do, because to truly ensure the survival of a language, you need to create a complete technological vocabulary for it. I would guess that going into the future, what's going to happen, though, is that Zulu will just naturally become more and more anglicized. I just hope that doesn't go too far.)

[@moroccancitiesnatureandbea2073]

I was fascinated by languages now you fascinate me

[@andrefmartin]

I'd like to know it you really speak all these rare and not common languages you expose to us so well!

[@andrefmartin]

@@JuLingo Kind of you answering me. Many thanks. Good research and thanks for sharing. Good luck.

[@riverniletv7273]

Excellent!!! I can speak Zulu, I think you did a great job. Keep it up sisi wami.

[@heroebookfair]

Uyaphi sounds very much like the Swahili "waenda wapi?" Or "unaenda wapi?" To mean where are you going? I loved this video. I can barely pronounce words in various South African dialects because of my East African influence but you do so well. It's really admirable. You just got a new subscriber ✋🏾.

[@tigerinthecityalozie2812]

Great information. I would like you to carry out research on Igbo language.

[@gwho]

She says all this in a very soothing, mesmerizing way.

[@dodoraptor8387]

She's a Zulu now!! Wow incredible 🤠

[@gwho]

Great great video

[@tashuntka]

Sawubona.... I'm painting that on my bus.. You're stellar ✨️ 💛 💖...

[@frankbitah9153]

Your videos are into educational and also I lovely

[@SLBLADE]

You are a delight 😊

[@to-io8bq]

I enjoy listening to you 🙂

[@SlugSage]

@8:19 I recognize "ufunani" from watching Shaka Zulu so many times.

[@GarfieldRex]

Awesome! Didn't know Zulu was so alive with 27 million speakers 😱 themselves could be country. Anyway, hl and x, q are so weird. When hearing the native speakers making the click sound seems like if it was an audio mistake and it wasn't them speaking. Nice to see there are also agglutinative languages in Africa too (I think Magyar and Quechua are too, not sure). French numbers to another level. Surprise us again with another cool language 😉👌 love your videos :)

[@GarfieldRex]

@KALUMO that's very interesting. Wonder if Akkadian was too, being that they used their scripture , thanks!

[@GarfieldRex]

@KALUMO 😱 I really had no idea about that. Thanks a lot for the info :D God bless 🤓

[@ravingcyclist624]

Yes! When will the French fix their numbers? :-)

[@ismaeil4233]

Brief and educational!

[@mysteriousDSF]

I've been learning Swahili for three years and noun classes are basically the only thing that makes it hard, but it makes it ridiculously hard....

[@margolitapnina6716]

omg the clicking is amazing 🤩

[@siyakhuzwayo9714]

Waw my sister I am siya I like da way you explain it thank you 👌👌👌

[@JuLingo]

Welcome 😊

[@k9fangamvs53]

"Nansi ingonyama bakithi baba" directly translates to "Here is the Lion, Oh father". "Bakithi" is what we say when something shocks us.

[@haplozetetic9519]

@JuLingo Have you ever considered examining any fictional languages such as Elvish or Klingon? These and others are quite functional, as well as being quite interesting. Klingon especially is rather strange. It is said to be partly based on, or at least influenced by one or two of the stranger languages in use. It also uses an object-verb-subject word order and uses suffixes and prefixes similar to Zulu. Edited for grammar.

[@behzadparsa44]

Interesting in Iran they do that too some people call other people's sister or mother if they are in the same age group. Thank you good job.

[@oceanblue6204]

It was truly amazing. Where do you learn all this stuff ?

[@celiwenkambule9677]

You can ask that again.... especially abt some alphabet were taken from Khoisan people ...my name is Celiwe 😃😃

[@MsCaleb79]

Im learning nyanja now because my wife is from Zambia, its not so easy as you think is

[@giovanniacuto2688]

I worked in Eswatini (Swaziland) for a few months over 40 years ago. Siswati language and isizulu are mutually intelligible. I learned a little siswati and one of the fun things we used to practice was saying coca cola using each of the 3 clicks!

[@lambd01d]

My earliest memories are of Swaziland/Eswatini when my dad worked for the British High Commissioner. I always wondered why it was called Swaziland, but the language is called Siswati. Recently, I found out that in Zulu, the Swazi t is a z, so I'm guessing when British people came, they asked a Zulu what the people over there were called.

[@giovanniacuto2688]

@@lambd01d That's right!

[@learnurduwithsara1068]

It is a facinating langauge. Didnt know around 10 million speakers speak it as a first language.

[@TommyTheWalker]

Very interesting language, a bit unusual, but I like it, it sounds nice

[@johannfer7073]

More African languages plz 😍

[@NikhileshSurve]

I think Zulu language having its own province has a better chance of not just surviving but also flourishing. I don't think all the official South African languages have their own provinces where they're the absolute majority, the languages which share a province with other languages will probably lose out to English eventually.

[@VipinKumar-nt6li]

Thank you 🙏❤️🌹 mam..

[@zw-crc]

Shona has more than 12 million speakers mostly in Zimbabwbe and Mozambique, which means Shona has more native speakers than Zulu, which comes second (focus here is "native" speakers).

[@Mike-ym6rl]

Julie, do you have a video on the language of your homeland?

[@littleandre4957]

Wow. Where are you from? Your accent sounds familiar. I love languages TOO and I'm from South Africa and can speak some Zulu but mostly isiXhosa which is similar. How many languages do you speak though? I must just say you're very cute.

[@justanormalyoutubeuser3868]

6:40 stress doesn't always fall on the penultimate sillable in Italian, though it does in most words.

[@frankright4454]

Miriam Makeba's "Click song" is in Xhosa, not Zulu. We don't have clicks that extreme.

[@alangordon4186]

You are an amazing linguist.

[@BhutOmdala_rsa]

Hi.Love the video.From SA.Can i please havee permission to use it?

[@philstone3859]

Very interesting, I can’t stop staring at your eyes. 😄

[@SantaFe19484]

I really like the Zulus, after watching the movie about them, in which they fought the British at Rorke's Drift, with Michael Caine!

[@TermiNation_45669.]

@@MrZog-yv3be So what, their enemy had better weapons of war. An industrial army versus and iron age army. Ofcourse they lost.

[@koveek]

Very interesting video! I somehow can't pronounce the clicks in the middle of the words >:(

[@1czechit1]

how so very cool

[@ChannelBerpindah]

Just kurious, how many languages do u speak?

[@ChannelBerpindah]

@@JuLingo and the languages are?

[@CRCH714]

Am trying to pronounce Wena in a non American way Thanks tho So Beautiful 🥺

[@birchnewark5083]

What is your first language?