The eleven languages are Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans, English, Sotho, Tswana, Venda, Tsonga, Swati, Ndebele and Pedi. Each one has its own sound and its own way of saying hello. In Zulu, hello is 'sawubona'. In Xhosa, it's 'molo'. In Afrikaans, it's 'hallo'. Children often know how to greet a grandparent, a teacher and a friend each in a different language.
Xhosa is one of the world's most musical-sounding languages because it uses 'click' sounds - little sharp clicks made with the tongue. Linguists write these clicks with letters like X, Q and C. The word 'Xhosa' itself starts with a click, made by pulling the tongue down from the roof of the mouth.
A South African classroom may have books in three or four different languages all at the same time. Many schools teach younger children in their home language and then add English as they grow up. By the time a child finishes primary school, they may have studied stories, songs and maths in more than one language.
Speaking more than one language is normal for most people on Earth. About two-thirds of children in the world grow up using two or more languages every day. When you learn a new language, you don't just learn new words - you learn new ways of seeing things, and you make it easier to learn the next one.
