Read More; development. 15% of its vocabulary is estimated to be of Khoekhoe (Khoisan) origin. Numbers | Thus their language is variously said to be extinct or to have 18,000 speakers, to be Ju or to be Khoe. You can unsubscribe at any time. Other Southeastern Bantu languages are Zulu, Swati (Swazi), Sotho, Tswana, Venda, and Ndebele. 2014 - 2023. Anthony Traill noted the Khoisan languages' extreme variation. [14] Also, a small community of Xhosa speakers (18,000) live in Quthing District, Lesotho.[15]. Here's 10 things you didn't know about this incredib, We're proud of you @KelvinvdLinde The Xhosa noun consists of two essential parts, the prefix and the stem. The only widespread Khoisan language is Khoekhoe (also known as Khoekhoegowab, Nm or Damara) of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, with a quarter of a million speakers; Sandawe in Tanzania is second in number with some 4080,000, some monolingual; and the Kung language of the northern Kalahari spoken by some 16,000 or so people. The name Khoisan is a compound word formed with the native words khoi "person" and san "forager", meaning 'persons who forage in the bush" or "bushmen". Kikuyu, Mende, The basic clicks are four: dental (|), alveolar (! Xhosa is an agglutinative language that expresses grammatical functions by adding prefixes and suffixes to roots. Ethnologue lists 27 Khoisan languages which are spoken by half a million people or less. Day 1 and 2 highlights of the Africa Green Economic Summit English. Xhosa, Zulu, Ndelebele and Swati share most of their basic vocabulary as well as grammar. Xhosa is an unusual and attractive sounding language, though difficult to master. Most have no written record. In, Honken, Henry. The following table lists the consonant phonemes of the language, with the pronunciation in IPA on the left and the orthography on the right: In addition to the ejective affricate [t], the spelling tsh may also be used for either of the aspirated affricates [ts] and [t]. Learning Xhosa is a challenging, but rewarding experience. This creates a sound somewhat resembling a cork being pulled out of a bottle. An estimated 15% of Xhosa vocabulary is of Khoisan origin. Corrections? Lingala, 1991). The debate about these relationships remains a prominent feature in the linguistic study of Khoisan languages, and the disagreements that sustain it have never been satisfactorily resolved. The term Bushman as it is used to describe certain southern African hunter-gatherers is somewhat controversial because it is perceived as racist. The Khoikhoi were once called Hottentots by Europeans. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. See also Khoisan languages, which contains several audio clips. http://www.freelang.net/dictionary/xhosa.php When plain voiceless clicks (c, x, q) are prenasalized, they become slack voiced nasal (ngc, ngx, ngq). Tone, stress and vowel length are not indicated. Forms of "Nga" ##. In southern Africa, they came into contact with Khoisan-speaking people. Xhosa and Khoisan peoples. However, the Dutch used the word stotteraarto more specifically describe the clicking sounds used in the Khoisan languages. The numerous click consonants have been borrowed from Khoi or San words. Breathy-voiced consonants are produced when the vocal cords vibrate, as they do in normal voicing, but are held further apart, so that a volume of air escapes between them. Some support the use of English and see its use in education as de facto segregation. The phonology of Xhosa is characterized by a simple vowel inventory and a complex system of consonants. The majority of languages which contain clicks originate with the Khoisan languages. The Kxa family is a relatively distant relationship formally demonstrated in 2010.[11]. http://www.southafricalogue.com/travel-tips/south-african-phrases-xhosa.html, Basaa, The Xhosas started facing serious trouble during the 18th and 19th Centuries when they engaged in frequent conflicts with the European settlers attempting to annex their native lands. isandla/izandla (hand/hands). Xhosa beliefs dictate that people turn to a diviner or healer, usually attired in a headdress and shawl of fur, when needing advice on how to deal with the spirits, help with illnesses, or to ward off evil from unnatural forces such as thetokoloshe a potentially malevolent goblin who attacks at night. Xhosa nouns belong to 17 different classes, roughly based on semantic categories, e.g., there are classes for human beings, animals, plants, objects of various shapes, etc. Updates? Xhosa is a tonal language with two inherent phonemic tones: low and high. Xhosa is one of the 11 official languages recognized by the South African Constitution, and in 2006 it was determined that just over 7 million South Africans speak Xhosa as a home language. There is also the South Cushitic language Dahalo in Kenya, which has dental clicks in a few score words, and an extinct and presumably artificial Australian ritual language called Damin, which had only nasal clicks. Xhosa is spoken as a first language by 8.2 million people and by 11 million as a second language in South Africa, mostly in Eastern Cape Province and Transkei. The South African Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts in Xhosa on both radio (on Umhlobo Wenene FM) and television, and films, plays and music are also produced in the language. Fang, Punu, 1971. But without a shift in language policy and government . It forms part of the ornamentation that reflects the different stages of a woman, s life. Nkore, [20] The Bantu ancestor of Xhosa did not have clicks, which attests to a strong historical contact with a Khoisan language that did. Release of the forward closure results in a pop-like sound. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Southern Khoisan languages have a very high ratio of words containing clicks as compared to those that do not contain them. Click here to claim your exclusive 30% discount. This came about because South African actor John Kani, a native of the Eastern Cape province who plays Wakandan King T'Chaka, speaks Xhosa and suggested that the directors of the fictional Civil War incorporate a dialogue in the language. [8] Despite their shared clicks, the Khoisan languages diverge significantly from each other. Marking of the plural number depends on the noun class. "Types of sound correspondence patterns in Khoisan languages." As in other Bantu languages, nouns in Xhosa are classified into morphological classes, or genders (15 in Xhosa), with different prefixes for both singular and plural. [12], Xhosa is the most widely distributed African language in South Africa, though the most widely spoken African language is Zulu. Ancestors of the Xhosa migrated to the east coast of Africa and came across Khoisan-speaking people; "as a result of this contact, the Xhosa people borrowed some Khoisan words along with their pronunciation, for instance, the click sounds of the Khoisan languages". Choose your English to Xhosa translation service. One puzzling feature of the Khoisan languages is that, despite some uniformity in their use of clicks, they differ considerably among themselves in aspects such as word formation, sentence structure, and vocabulary. They are now held to comprise three distinct language families and two language isolates. Eton, A palatal click is a sharp pop made by drawing the tongue down quickly from the roof of the mouth. [6] Dimmendaal (2008) summarized the general view with, "it has to be concluded that Greenberg's intuitions on the genetic unity of Khoisan could not be confirmed by subsequent research. Hadza (Hatsa), one of the East African Khoisan languages, is a remarkable exception to this, having retained its vitality through a pattern of stable bilingualism with Swahili, the dominant Bantu language in the area. Elsewhere many bilingual Khoisan speakers have tended to shift rapidly to the dominant language, thus ceasing transmission of the mother tongue to children and leaving it to contract and die, sometimes quite abruptly. tsk! Xhosa is rich in uncommon consonants. In keeping with many other Bantu languages, Xhosa is an agglutinative language, with an array of prefixes and suffixes that are attached to root words. The language is also rich in idioms. There are some exceptions, for instance, the Sandawe language in Tanzania whose speakers have maintained a relatively stable linguistic community. These famous click sounds are found in Khoisan languages (alternative names include Khoesaan or Khoesan). Don't let the learning stop here. Please check your inbox to confirm your email. Omissions? The word "Xhosa" is derived from the Khoisan language and means "angry men". The Xhosa people, or Xhosa-speaking people (/ k s , k o s /; Xhosa pronunciation: [ksa] ()) are a Nguni ethnic group whose traditional homeland is primarily the Cape Provinces of South Africa.They are the second largest ethnic group in Southern Africa and are native speakers of the IsiXhosa language. The click consonant sounds are a typical and unique feature of the San and Khoikhoi languages. Chokwe, Bonny Sands (1998) concluded that the family is not demonstrable with current evidence. Indeed, the use of the term 'Khoikhoi' meaning . It is also spoken in Botswana and Lesotho. Grammatically, the southern Khoisan languages are generally analytic, having several inflectional morphemes, but not as many as the click languages of Tanzania. uku-sebenz-is-el + wa -> ukusetyenziselwa "be used for"), but does not affect morpheme-initial consonants (i.e. Other figures are the huge lightning bird (impundudu), and the gentleabantubomlambo aquatic human-like beings who accept into their family those who drown. Kamba, Xhosa is the most widely distributed African language in South Africa, though the most widely spoken African language is Zulu. Xhosa. Swahili, This is usually a misnomer for ejective consonants, which are found across much of the world, or is a reference to paralinguistic use of clicks such as English tsk! Tower of Babel | In all of the Southern African Khoisan languages, a simple rule applies to using the sound. The Tuu family consists of two language clusters, which are related to each other at about the distance of Khoekhoe and Tshukhwe within Khoe. . Start learning here! While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. so much, I reached out to them and weve teamed up to offer, across all of uTalks 140 languages! Fricatives become affricated and, if voiceless, they become ejectives as well: mf is pronounced [pf], ndl is pronounced [nd], n+hl becomes ntl [nt], n+z becomes ndz [ndz], n+q becomes [n] etc. Traill demonstrated this linguistic diversity in the data presented in the below table. Although little Kwadi data is available, proto-KhoeKwadi reconstructions have been made for pronouns and some basic vocabulary. When consonants are prenasalised, their pronunciation and spelling may change. "Die Khoe-sprachigen Buschmnner der Kalahari." All rights reserved. Tumbuka, All education at the university level is in English or Afrikaans. Learn the local language with her 80/20 method for less than the cost of eating at a tourist trap restaurant Start learning today! Isewell [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons. When visiting the Eastern Cape be sure to ask an amaXhosa to teach you a few phrases, they are certain to be willing to share their unique language with you. The release of the forward closure results in a pop-like sound. The rest of the elements are placed to the left or to the right of the verb root. But this line of thinking has proved fruitless. Shona, The pocket of air produced by the resulting enclosure is rarefied by the sucking action of the tongue. #VisitSouthAfrica https://t.co/A4fSLf2jvP, Hello Cape Town Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. The first printed Thus, a more correct spelling is Khoesaan. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. A member of a Bantu people inhabiting the eastern part of Cape Province, South Africa. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They are known as the Saa by the Nama, and this is the source of the word San. Phrases | The sustainability village focused on boo https://t.co/BDeRnlGHot, Experience the most exciting electric street racing here in Cape Town as the world's best street racers battle. https://t.co/ZihxkpWwe7, Undoubtedly the best spots to experience unbridled views of the Mother City. It is a national of Namibia, along with English and a number of other regional languages. Forming part of Durban's vibrant Golden Mile, the Bay of Plenty lies at the heart of the beachfront, with high-rise hotels and apartment buildings making the most of the stunning sea view. Let me know using thecomments section below or join me on social media to start a conversation. National Treasures Haya, Chichewa, Because Xhosa and Zulu are both classed as Bantu languages, they are quite similar. Xhosa is one of four sister languages called Nguni Languages (Ndebele, Swati, Xhosa and Zulu) which are all mutually intelligible. Gogo, Yao, Kisi, Pair them with vowels, tones, and other constants and you've got a wide variety of sounds and meanings. A Niger-Congo language and a member of the Bantu family (Nguni group), spoken by more than 5 million people in the south-eastern part of South Africa, most notably in Cape Province and Transkei; also known as isiXhosa. Southern Khoisan has a fifth click, the bilabial . There are two groups of languages in southern Africa that have clicks: the Khoisan languages and certain languages of the Niger-Congo family, most notably Zulu and Xhosa. Mandekan, Subscribe to my newsletter to receive detailed travel guides, exclusive travel and language learning tips, priority access to giveaways and more! Prenasalisation occurs in several contexts, including on roots with the class 9 prefix /iN-/, for example on an adjective which is feature-matching its noun: /iN- + / [int] "beautiful" (of a class 9 word like inja "dog"). Xhosa, along with Zulu and other indigenous languages of South Africa, has been a source of many words that were borrowed by South African English and that do not occur in other varieties of English in other parts of the world. On commence, ce tour d'horizon des onze langues officielles en Afrique du Sud par le xhosa. Languages such as Zulu and Xhosa make use of three of the five kinds of clicks. Xhosa is listed amongst South Africa's 11 official languages and is spoken by approximately 18% of the country's population (plus-minus 7.9 million individuals). Of these languages, Xhosa, Zulu, Ndebele and Yeyi have intricate systems of click consonants; the others, despite the click in the name Gciriku, more rudimentary ones. Long vowels are phonemic but are usually not written except for and , which are each sequences of two vowels with different tones that are realized as long vowels with contour tones ( highlow = falling, lowhigh = rising). (Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights), Some corrections to this page by Michael Peter Fstumum, Information about Xhosa | Aspirated clicks become prenasalized ejected clicks. Bemba, Contact Us, 8.2 million people and by 11 million as a second language in South Africa, mostly in Eastern Cape Province and Transkei. "Phonetic Correspondences among Khoisan Affricates." The linguistic use of clicks, whether original or borrowed, is restricted to these few African languages, with one exception: Damin. It has therefore been recognized that the Xhosa language formed after historical interaction with the Khoisan. Similarly, the tenuis (plain) clicks are often glottalised, with a long voice onset time, but that is uncommon. Updates? But those simple 5 clicks can add a lot to a sentence. used as a language of instruction in primary schools, and in some Terms of Use A system for writing Xhosa using the Latin alphabet was devised by Agreements usually reflect part of the original class with which the word agrees. A Beginners Guide Khoisan: Africas Clicking Languages. The Khoisan languages ( / ksn /; also Khoesan or Khoesaan) are a number of African languages once classified together, originally by Joseph Greenberg. Believed to be the oldest of the four language families, it is the smallest of the four and is found mainly in Southern Africa. The first two columns include words from the two Khoisan language isolates, Sandawe and Hadza. #CapeTownEPrix The spirits of those who have passed on are honoured in rituals and ceremonies. 1. OshiWambo, Xhosa is a member of the Southeastern, or Nguni, subgroup of the Bantu group of the Benue-Congo branch of the Niger-Congo language family. In South Africa, 19.1 million speak the language, with 8.1 million speaking it as their first language. is that you can jump around their extensive library of topics and choose what you want to learn, when you want, and at your own pace. 1: . Omniglot is how I make my living. Look up Xhosa or xhosa in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. [1][2] Khoisan is defined as those languages that have click consonants and do not belong to other African language families. Enchantment winds through the Xhosa language, dress and rituals. The Khoisan languages share some similarities in their extremely complex sound systems. Northern Sotho, However, there is no scientific proof to support this hypothesis since all languages use sound symbolism to a lesser or greater extent. All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. How difficult is it to learn Xhosa? Makhuwa, This process can skip rightwards to non-local syllables (i.e. This means I earn a commission if you click on any of them and buy something. This offer isnt available anywhere else! Learn how your comment data is processed. Various parts of speech that qualify a noun must agree with the noun according to its gender. [citation needed]Presently, approximately nine million Xhosa . As with other South African languages, Xhosa is characterized by respectful forms of address for elders and in-laws. Ronga, It is also taught in universities. Khoisan languages, characterised by implosive consonants or 'clicks', belonged to a totally different language family from those of the Bantu speakers. Dental clicks are represented by the letter c, alveolar clicks are indicated by q, and lateral clicks are written with the letter x. Vowel length is not always represented in writing. All Khoisan languages but two are indigenous to southern Africa and belong to three language families. Tshiluba, No idea what a clicking language is? Bonke abantu bazalwa bekhululekile belingana ngesidima Xhosa has a Roman-based orthography which was developed by missionaries in the 19th century and adapted to represent the sounds of the language. Tribal Wars and European Persecution . Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika is part of the national anthem of South Africa, national anthem of Tanzania and Zambia, and the former anthem of Zimbabwe and Namibia. secondary schools. New Haven: Compass Publishing Company. Clicks are spreading to a few additional neighboring languages. I will never give away, trade or sell your email address. Although vowel length distinguishes word meaning, the length is not represented in writing, except for and . Xhosa has a complex system of consonants, including some uncommon ones. Nama is used in education and in the media. Kimbundu, Ikizu, Although all the Khoisan languages use click sounds, Sandawe and Hatsa are . It's a wrap! Mbunda, You can unsubscribe at any time. They are truly voiced only after nasals, but the oral occlusion is then very short in stops, and it usually does not occur at all in clicks. 4 Before monosyllabic stems in some words. There are no definite or indefinite articles. Like other Southern Bantu languages, Xhosa has borrowed words from the Khoisan languages, as well as from English and Afrikaans. Fricatives become affricates. Besides pulmonic egressive sounds, which are found in all spoken languages, it has a series of ejective stops and one implosive stop. A century ago the Haiom people spoke a Ju dialect, probably close to Kung, but they now speak a divergent dialect of Nama. The origin of Khoisan click consonants and their peculiarly African provenance therefore remains a mystery. According to the 2011 census there Xhosa is used in primary schools up to the second grade and is studied as a subject in both primary and secondary schools up to the tenth grade. They are better described as slack voiced than as breathy voiced. Voiceless palatal plosive becomes voiced. The other Khoisan languages are unrecognized and marginalized, especially in South Africa. If you like this site and find it useful, you can support it by making a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or by contributing in other ways.
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