the following two syllables will have high tones unless they are at the end of the word. simolola > "to begin" simologêla > "to begin for/at" Orthography Tswana orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. The letter š was introduced in 1937, but the corresponding sound is still sometimes written as ⟨sh⟩. The letters ⟨ê⟩ and ⟨ô⟩ are used in textbooks and language reference books, but not so much in daily standard writing. Grammar Nouns Nouns in Tswana are grouped into nine noun classes and one subclass, each having different prefixes. The nine classes and their respective prefixes can be seen below, along with a short note regarding the common characteristics of most nouns within their respective classes. Some nouns may be found in several classes. For instance, many class 1 nouns are also found in class 1a, class 3, class 4, and class 5. Further reading References Notes General External links Peace Corps Botswana: An Introduction to the Setswana Language Setswana: Grammar Handbook. Peace Corps Language Handbook Series About Setswana Sotho-Tswana languages Subject–verb–object languages Languages of Botswana Languages of South Africa Languages of Zimbabwe Languages of Namibia