Abstract:
The objective of this article is to create awareness amongst speech-language pathologists and
audiologists in South Africa regarding the difference between the sound systems of Germanic
languages and the sound systems of South African Bantu languages. A brief overview of the
sound systems of two Bantu languages, namely isiZulu and Setswana, is provided. These two
languages are representative of the Nguni language group and the Sotho group respectively.
Consideration is given to the notion of language-specific symptoms of speech, language
and hearing disorders in addition to universal symptoms. The possible impact of speech
production, language and hearing disorders on the ability to produce and perceive speech
in these languages, and the challenges that this holds for research and clinical practice, are
pointed out.
