is xhosa a khoisan language is xhosa a khoisan language

This produces an audible noise. The onset cluster /kl/ from phonologized loanwords such as, The unwritten glottal stop is present in words like, In informal writing, this murmured consonant can sometimes be seen spelled as, sebenz + -is + -el +wa -> setyenziselwa [setenziselwa] (used for), This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 23:55. Language use is quite strong among the 20,000 speakers of Naro,[clarification needed] half of whom speak it as a second language. Kirundi, At the secondary level, instruction in schools serving Xhosa-speaking students is in English. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Omniglot is how I make my living. Using the prefixes, nouns can be grouped into noun classes, which are numbered consecutively, to ease comparison with other Bantu languages. Tribal Wars and European Persecution . In, Khler, O. Sena, "Comparison and Classification of Khoisan languages." According to this hypothesis, clicks might have originally served as onomatopoetic imitations of naturally occurring sounds. Haya, Learn more about the Nilo-Saharan language family on Ethnologue. in parts of Lesotho and Zimbabwe. "Types of sound correspondence patterns in Khoisan languages." 1991). Venda, However, some of the letters have a different pronunciation from English. The Bantu languages adopted the use of clicks from neighboring, displaced, or absorbed Khoisan populations (or from other Bantu languages), often through intermarriage, while the Dahalo are thought to have retained clicks from an earlier language when they shifted to speaking a Cushitic language; if so, the pre-Dahalo language may have been something like Hadza or Sandawe. This site is not affiliated with any government entity associated with a name similar to the site domain name. Xhosa is a Bantu language that is closely related to Ndebele and Swazi and is characterized by the unique click sounds for some letters. Starostin (2013) accepts a relationship between Sandawe and Khoi is plausible, as is one between Tuu and Kxa, but sees no indication of a relationship between Sandawe and Khoi on the one hand and Tuu and Kxa on the other, or between any of them and Hadza. Nguni languages of southern Africa, which include Zulu and Xhosa, are believed to have borrowed their clicks from Khoisan languages. Nama, the largest Khoisan language, is officially recognized in Namibia and is taught at universities. The linguistic use of clicks, whether original or borrowed, is restricted to these few African languages, with one exception: Damin. in a spirit of brotherhood. What I love most about uTalk 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. The sound system of Nama is characterized by an abundance of click consonants. Corrections? uku-sebenz-is-el + wa -> ukusetyenziselwa "be used for"), but does not affect morpheme-initial consonants (i.e. 4 Before monosyllabic stems in some words. Their language is often called the click, language because of its three dominant clicks, which. A Beginners Guide Khoisan: Africas Clicking Languages. The normal word order in Xhosa is Verb-Object (the subject is part of the verb compound). (They may also be voiced between vowels in some speaking styles.) Bonke abantu banesiphiwo sesazela nesizathu Besides pulmonic egressive sounds, which are found in all spoken languages, it has a series of ejective stops and one implosive stop. 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). Tuu: A New Name for the Southern Khoisan Family, in Tom Gldemann (ed.). Their use in education has been governed by legislation, beginning with the Bantu Education Act, 1953.[12]. South Khoisan includes a couple of endangered and several extinct languages of the Kalahari Desert. Xhosa and Khoisan peoples. The palatalization process only applies once, as evidenced by ukuphuphumisa+wa -> ukuphuphunyiswa "to be made to overflow", instead of the illicit alternative, *ukuphutshunyiswa. [12] However, this classification is not widely accepted. Gusii, Kimbundu, Emeritus Professor of African Studies; former Director, Institute for African Studies, University of Cologne. Zigula, Group of African language families with click consonants, "San language" redirects here. Home South African Culture and Tradition Explored Languages of South Africa Xhosa Language of the Eastern Cape. The spirits of those who have passed on are honoured in rituals and ceremonies. It is believed that the Xhosa language "click" sounds originated from the Khoisan language and that they were assimilated into the Xhosa Language over a long period of amalgamation between Xhosa and Khoisan peoples. Nama is used in education and in the media. While palatalisation occurred historically, it is still productive, as is shown by palatalization before the passive suffix /-w/ and before diminutive suffix /-ana/. Tower of Babel | #CapeTownEPrix ), Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. Of all the Khoisan languages, only Nama enjoys official recognition. (Click here for an audio sample of the extinct !Ora language.) In, Treis, Yvonne. The more notable characteristic is their depressor effect on the tone of the syllable.[19]. Thus, a more correct spelling isKhoesaan. 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". However, the Dutch used the word stotteraarto more specifically describe the clicking sounds used in the Khoisan languages. Xhosa has three basic clicks . 1998. It forms part of the ornamentation that reflects the different stages of a woman, s life. Tone, stress and vowel length are not indicated. Kisi, Xhosa (isiXhosa) is the southernmost member of the Bantoid group of the Niger-Congo language family in Africa. Kamba, Interestingly, the word Xhosa is from the Khoisan language and means The angry men. There are several places of articulation at which click consonants occur, as shown in the table below. A century ago the Haiom people spoke a Ju dialect, probably close to Kung, but they now speak a divergent dialect of Nama. Although Xhosa and Zulu are similar enough to be considered dialects of one language, Xhosa and Zulu speakers consider them to be separate languages. (Free PDF Download). 1 Before monosyllabic stems, e.g. They are now held to comprise three distinct language families and two language isolates. Implosive consonants The San were formerly called Bushmen, (from . As a balance to consonant complexity, strict rules restrict clicks and most of the non-clicks to the beginning of a word being followed always by a vowel. This ritual vocabulary of the Lardil of Australia contains some words with clicks together with other peculiar sounds, but the use of clicks is limited, and they have a symbolic value in addition to their linguistic function. The click consonant sounds are a typical and unique feature of the San and Khoikhoi languages. Click consonants can be modified in a variety of ways. South African Culture and Tradition Explored. Xhosa is an official language in South Africa and Zimbabe, and is used as a language of instruction in primary schools, and in some secondary schools. Xhosa, In contrast to the San who spoke highly divergent languages, the Khoikhoi spoke closely related dialects of the same language. [12] It is the second most common Bantu home language in South Africa as a whole. The Khoisan languages (/ksn/; also Khoesan or Khoesaan) are a number of African languages once classified together, originally by Joseph Greenberg. Because I believe in uTalk so much, I reached out to them and weve teamed up to offer you an exclusive 30% OFF reader discount across all of uTalks 140 languages! 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. (Their numbers have been included under Nama above.) In, Honken, Henry. Xhosa is categorized as a Bantu language and is representative of the south-western Nguni subfamily group. The Khoisan languages ( / ksn /; also Khoesan or Khoesaan) are a number of African languages once classified together, originally by Joseph Greenberg. Northern Ndebele (South Africa), Nyamwezi, Mwani, Sandawe is not related to Hadza, despite their proximity. Archaeological evidence suggests that the Khoisan people appeared in southern Africa some 60,000 years ago. They are known as the Saa by the Nama, and this is the source of the word San. With about 800 speakers in Tanzania, Hadza is no longer seen as a Khoisan language and appears to be unrelated to any other language. 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. The Khoisan languages differ in the number of such modifications from a low of 20 in Nama to a high of 83 in Kxoe. 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. A palatal click is a sharp pop made by drawing the tongue down quickly from the roof of the mouth. It is one of the eleven official languages of the Republic of South Africa. MustGo.com. This click is like the sound people make to call horses. In, Honken, Henry. Xhosa - a Bantu language closely related to Zulu. Maore, 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. The red letters are orthographic representations of the sounds. The Khoe family is both the most numerous and diverse family of Khoisan languages, with seven living languages and over a quarter million speakers. Tshiluba, Damin is an invented ritual language, and has nothing to do with Khoisan. Below is a table of Xhosa consonants. Do you think English would be more interesting with similar click sounds? Xhosa beliefs recognise the presence of ancestral spirits and a supreme authority. Shona, 2014 - 2023. "Phonetic Correspondences among Khoisan Affricates." #VisitSouthAfrica https://t.co/A4fSLf2jvP, Hello Cape Town It is also Kiga, The /i/ vowel is long in the penultimate syllable and short in the last syllable.[16]. second language speakers. Although little Kwadi data is available, proto-KhoeKwadi reconstructions have been made for pronouns and some basic vocabulary. Xhosa uses a system of tones to distinguish words that would otherwise sound the same. Interestingly, the word Xhosa is from the Khoisan language and means "The angry men". Beadwork similar to the Ndebele is an integral aspect of Xhosa tradition. Bukusu, So by clicking on these links you can help to support this site. Breathy-voiced consonants Ernst Oswald Johannes Westphal is known for his early rejection of the Khoisan language family (Starostin 2003). In this lesson, we will be focusing on the different uses of "nga" and how to use it correctly in different contexts. We use the verb "have" to denote possession, ownership, and other related meanings. They are descended from the Nguni, who began migrating south from central and northern Africa more than a thousand years ago. However, tones are usually not indicated in writing. Xhosa may refer to: Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa. 9 reasons youre not fluentYET & how to fix it! Colours | ''Studies in African Linguistic Classification.'' The term Bushman as it is used to describe certain southern African hunter-gatherers is somewhat controversial because it is perceived as racist. On commence, ce tour d'horizon des onze langues officielles en Afrique du Sud par le xhosa. for $0.07/word. The language is also studied as a subject. 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. These are divided into North, Central and South Khoisan groups belonging to southern Africa, plus two Tanzanian isolates, Sandawe and Hadza (Hatsa), which possess a few words, affixes, and particles that justify the assumption of a distant relationship with Khoisan. They are currently restricted to the Kalahari Desert, primarily in Namibia and Botswana, and to the Rift Valley in central Tanzania.[2]. [4][5] It has been suggested that the similarities of the Tuu and Kxa families are due to a southern African Sprachbund rather than a genealogical relationship, whereas the Khoe (or perhaps KwadiKhoe) family is a more recent migrant to the area, and may be related to Sandawe in East Africa.[3]. However, not all noun classes can be so easily defined. Xhosa is considered to be a Category II language in terms of difficulty for speakers of English. #CapeTownEPrix However, there is no scientific proof to support this hypothesis since all languages use sound symbolism to a lesser or greater extent. [20] The Bantu ancestor of Xhosa did not have clicks, which attests to a strong historical contact with a Khoisan language that did. Khoisan languages, a unique group of African languages spoken mainly in southern Africa, with two outlying languages found in eastern Africa. 0 characters. Genetically, the Hadza people are unrelated to the Khoisan peoples of Southern Africa, and their closest relatives may be among the Pygmies of Central Africa. [12] It is the second most common Bantu home language in South Africa as a whole. Omissions? Xhosa is the most widely distributed African language in South Africa, though the most widely spoken African language is Zulu. The X and H languages are even more complex. The Khoikhoi were once called Hottentots by Europeans. Numbers | 3. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post. Although mutually intelligible, they are considered to be separate languages for political and cultural reasons. The majority of languages which contain clicks originate with the Khoisan languages. Anthony Traill noted the Khoisan languages' extreme variation. Southern Ndebele, The first two columns include words from the two Khoisan language isolates, Sandawe and Hadza. . A certain headdress will be a worn by a newly married girl, while a woman who has just given birth to her first child will wear a different, Xhosa beliefs recognise the presence of ancestral spirits and a supreme authority. How difficult is it to learn Xhosa? The following table gives an overview of Xhosa noun classes, arranged according to singular-plural pairs. Phrases | It is a Bantu language closely related to Zulu, Swazi, and Ndebele. Isewell [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons. Most of the languages are unwritten, but Nama and Naro have Latin-based orthographies. 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. ", Commission for Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Community Rights, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Khoisan_languages&oldid=1132757639, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from July 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Ehret, Christopher. Before the Bantu expansion, Khoisan languages, or languages like them, were likely spread throughout southern and eastern Africa. A Xhosa initiate, undergoing a . Adjectives, possessive pronouns and demonstratives agree with the noun they modify in class and number. Other Bantu Languages include the Xhosa and Zulu languages, two languages famous for their large number of click consonants developed through their extended interaction with the Khoisan languages of Southern Africa. Linguistics 112 lecture, Department of Linguistics. 3 The placeholder N in the prefixes iN- and iiN- is a nasal consonant which assimilates in place to the following consonant (producing an im- before vowels), but is typically absent in loanwords. The following three are languages from the Khoe family, the Kxa family, and the Tuu family, respectively. In, Winter, J.C. 1981. Nama, in particular, has a long tradition of literacy. Its great for beginners getting started in a language and invaluable for intermediates looking to fill in gaps in their vocabulary and pronunciation. In all of the Southern African Khoisan languages, a simple rule applies to using the sound. 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. Xhosa. In Xhosa, the verb "have" is represented by the word "nga" and its various forms. Is Xhosa a Khoisan language? sokwenza isenzo ongathanda ukuba senziwe kumzalwane wakho. [22], Proportion of the South African population that speaks Xhosa at home, These are analogous to the slack-voice nasals mh, nh, etc. Thus, the word for people is abantu in all these languages. The Khoisan. Most of the languages are endangered, and several are moribund or extinct. Lambya, Bonke abantu bazalwa bekhululekile belingana ngesidima We look forward to https://t.co/QcOGOzgax0, In collaboration with Advertising Week and Hartbeat, the Nelson Mandela foundation presents the Healing Power of La https://t.co/ati9CUOaa0, upon for guidance, support and to turn the tide of favour, , the majority of whom live in Eastern Cape, , and ancient traditions remain strong in this proud people, A certain amount of intermarriage with the Khoisan people they found here, Enchantment winds through the Xhosa language, dress and rituals. Those who speak this language typically form part of the ethnic group called the amaXhosa and refer to their language as isiXhosa. Xhosa has an inventory of ten vowels: [a], [~e], [i], [~o] and [u] written a, e, i, o and u in order, all occurring in both long and short. [citation needed]Presently, approximately nine million Xhosa . 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. 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. Zulu, Languages written with the Latin alphabet, if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'omniglot_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_2',147,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-omniglot_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'omniglot_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_3',147,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-omniglot_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0_1'); .large-mobile-banner-1-multi-147{border:none !important;display:block !important;float:none !important;line-height:0px;margin-bottom:7px !important;margin-left:auto !important;margin-right:auto !important;margin-top:7px !important;max-width:100% !important;min-height:50px;padding:0;text-align:center !important;}. De Aar is the commercial center for the wool production and livestock farming industry in this semi-arid region of South Africa. An alveolar click sounds like the popping of a cork made by putting the tongue just behind the ridge in back of the front teeth. That is, da may be pronounced [da] (or, equivalently, [da]). Views on views on views Read More; development. Impariamo insieme! The chart below (taken from Some elements of the structure of the Xhosa verb) shows some of the possible slots for prefixes and suffixes. This process can skip rightwards to non-local syllables (i.e. [8] Xhosa is spoken as a first language by approximately 10 million people and as a second language by another 11 million, mostly in South Africa, particularly in Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Northern Cape and Gauteng, and also in parts of Zimbabwe and Lesotho. Mpondo (Pondo), Xesibe, Bomwana, Gaika, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise, Ndlambe (Ethnologue). 2005. These sounds were borrowed from the Khoisan languages of the original inhabitants of the area. Xhosa, Zulu, Ndelebele and Swati share most of their basic vocabulary as well as grammar. http://www.salanguages.com/isixhosa/xhowrd.htm Most syllables end in a vowel, and there are no consonant clusters. This offer. Occasionally other languages are said by laypeople to have "click" sounds. I will never give away, trade or sell your email address. In, Gldemann, Tom and Rainer Vossen. Today, the few scholars working on these languages treat the three [southern groups] as independent language families that cannot or can no longer be shown to be genetically related" (p.841). While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Xhosa has a Roman-based orthography which was developed by missionaries in the 19th century and adapted to represent the sounds of the language. uku-bhal+wa -> ukubhalwa "to be written", instead of illicit *ukujalwa). Can you reproduce these click types? Only a few consonants, such as /b/, /m/, /n/, /r/, and /l/ can appear between vowels, and even fewer can appear at the end of words. Languages such as Zulu and Xhosa make use of three of the five kinds of clicks. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Forms of "Nga" ##. Xhosa is an unusual and attractive sounding language, though difficult to master. Zulu: 22.7%, Xhosa: 16%, Afrikaans . When aspirated clicks (ch, xh, qh) are prenasalised, the silent letter k is added (nkc, nkx, nkq) to prevent confusion with the nasal clicks nc, nx, nq, and are actually distinct sounds. Bulu, For example. For Black Panther, director Ryan Coogler "wanted to make it a priority to use Xhosa as much as possible" in the script, and provided dialect coaches for the film's actors. Planning a trip? Xhosa language, Xhosa formerly spelled Xosa, a Bantu language spoken by seven million people in South Africa, especially in Eastern province. This offer isnt available anywhere else! "Toward reconstructing Proto-South Khoisan." For instance, they can be aspirated, nasalised and glottalised. For the Mande language spoken in Burkina Faso, see, Map showing the distribution of the Khoisan languages (yellow), Grammatically, the southern Khoisan languages are generally, Greenberg, Joseph H. 1955. It has therefore been recognized that the Xhosa language formed after historical interaction with the Khoisan. The fact that many of the surviving languages are endangered and some are even on the point of extinction bears testimony to inexorable social, economic, linguistic, and demographic forces that continue to marginalize and consume indigenous linguistic and cultural minorities. No idea what a clicking language is? Various parts of speech that qualify a noun must agree with the noun according to its gender. 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. [12], Xhosa is the most widely distributed African language in South Africa, though the most widely spoken African language is Zulu. Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Free State and Northern Cape. Sources A member of a Bantu people inhabiting the eastern part of Cape Province, South Africa. Tsonga, 2000. Let me know using thecomments section below or join me on social media to start a conversation. Contact Us, 8.2 million people and by 11 million as a second language in South Africa, mostly in Eastern Cape Province and Transkei. Other languages have little more than 1,000 speakers while several are known to have become extinct. What separates her from other instructors is her ability to explain complex grammar in a no-nonsense, straightforward manner using her unique 80/20 method. This produces something like the English tut-tut. used as a language of instruction in primary schools, and in some Like what you see? Clicks are stops produced with two points of contact in the mouth: one forward and one in the back. (Reprints, with minor corrections, a series of eight articles published in the ''Southwestern Journal of Anthropology'' from 1949 to 1954. The town itself receives an abundant supply of water from an underground source, which is referred to as All trademarks and web sites that appear throughout this site are the property of their respective owners. 2 is- and iz- replace isi- and izi- respectively before stems beginning with a vowel, e.g. The Khoisan language groups are different in structure and vocabulary although the groups are closely related, unlike the Bantu languages such as the Xhosa and Zulu which are similar to one another. 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").