Clicks are ingressive consonantal stops produced by an intake of air followed by a sudden withdrawal of the tongue from the soft palate, front teeth, or back teeth and hard palate. The word lives on, however, in the names of several African animal and plant species, such as the Hottentot Fig or Carpobrotus. Let me know using thecomments section below or join me on social media to start a conversation. However, some of the letters have a different pronunciation from English. #VisitSouthAfrica https://t.co/A4fSLf2jvP, Hello Cape Town However, the Dutch used the word stotteraarto more specifically describe the clicking sounds used in the Khoisan languages. It is a national of Namibia, along with English and a number of other regional languages. [12] However, this classification is not widely accepted. Learn more about the Khoisan language family on Ethnologue. Luchazi, The murmured clicks, plosives and affricates are only partially voiced, with the following vowel murmured for some speakers. Kongo, Jita, in parts of Lesotho and Zimbabwe. Xhosa has several dialects, including Mpondo (Pondo), Xesibe, Bomwana, Gaika, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise, Ndlambe (Ethnologue). (Click here for an audio sample of the extinct !Ora language.) Corrections? Learn the local language with her 80/20 method for less than the cost of eating at a tourist trap restaurant Start learning today! Gldemann, Tom. For example. Get her free guide 9 reasons youre not fluentYET & how to fix it! 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. In all of the Southern African Khoisan languages, a simple rule applies to using the sound. The status of Xhosa, like all other African languages in the Republic of South Africa, is complex. Nguni languages are, in turn, classified under the much larger abstraction of Bantu languages. Xhosa may refer to: Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa. English. Learn the local language with my unique 80/20 method. Mushungulu, / Therefore, the absolute duration of voicing is the same as in tenuis stops. Choose your English to Xhosa translation service. Bukusu, Privacy Policy http://www.youtube.com/user/XhosaKhaya This creates a sound somewhat resembling a cork being pulled out of a bottle. They refer to themselves as the amaXhosa and their language as isiXhosa. Note: all links on this site to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.fr are affiliate links. In, Honken, Henry. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. Consequently, the languages with the greatest numbers of consonants in the world are Khoisan. If a woman has children, whom she has raised to be adults, then it is usual to find her seated among her peers smoking a long-handled pipe. Even though the sound structure of the Khoisan languages is unique, their resemblance to each other in this respect has not provided the evidence needed to unravel all their internal genetic affiliations, let alone their relationships to other African languages. So by clicking on these links you can help to support this site. Other languages have little more than 1,000 speakers while several are known to have become extinct. Languages Gulper/Khoisan Peoples/About World Languages/Wikipedia/The Week. Emeritus Professor of African Studies; former Director, Institute for African Studies, University of Cologne. Khoisan languages are best known for their use of click consonants as phonemes. languages as a result of long and extensive interaction between the 2. women are easily recognised by their heavy dress, matching turban and coloured dots decorating their faces. In, This page was last edited on 10 January 2023, at 12:02. High tone is represented in writing by an acute accent over the vowel, i.g., , low tone is indicated by by a grave accent, i.g., . 2003. (Reprints, with minor corrections, a series of eight articles published in the ''Southwestern Journal of Anthropology'' from 1949 to 1954. Aspirated clicks become prenasalized ejected clicks. Xhosa has three basic clicks . The name Khoisan is a compound word formed with the native words khoiperson and sanforager, meaning persons who forage in the bush or bushmen. 9 reasons youre not fluentYET & how to fix it! The Khoisan languages were once spoken across all of southern Africa from southern Angola in the west to Swaziland in the east and the Cape of Good Hope in the south (see the map). There are books, magazines and newspapers in Xhosa, as well as TV and radio programmes, films, plays and songs. Otherwise, they tend to be tenuis (plain) stops. The 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, however, have witnessed the death of many of the recorded languages and dialects, and their distribution is now largely confined to Botswana and Namibia. http://xhosaculture.co.za/about-us/learn-xhosa/ This offer isnt available anywhere else! Grazie! OshiWambo, Besides pulmonic egressive sounds, which are found in all spoken languages, it has a series of ejective stops and one implosive stop. 2000. One of the main reasons for the decline is that bilingual Khoisan speakers shift to the dominant language of the area and stop teaching the language to their children. Tribal Wars and European Persecution . Read More; development. The branches that were once considered part of so-called Khoisan are now considered independent families, since it has not been demonstrated that they are related according to the standard comparative method. Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people. Traduzioni in contesto per "Xhosa" in inglese-ucraino da Reverso Context: Ubuntu is a concept and a term from several South African languages, including Zulu and Xhosa. In Nguni. Forms of "Nga" ##. Xhosa is an official language in South Africa and Zimbabe, and is (Free PDF Download). 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. Photography and infographics cannot be used without permission.Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Terms and Conditions, Language Learning for Travellers & Heritage Learners, Italian Travel Phrases Cheat-Sheet! Xhosa is closely related to Zulu, Tswana, The name Khoisan derives from the name of the Khoikhoi (people people or real people) group of South Africa and the San (Bushmen) group of Namibia. Sandawe is not related to Hadza, despite their proximity. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Adjectives, possessive pronouns and demonstratives agree with the noun they modify in class and number. Thus their language is variously said to be extinct or to have 18,000 speakers, to be Ju or to be Khoe. 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. ), Khoisan Linguistic Studies . The first is dental clicks with the tongue pressing against the back of the teeth. Gwere, Anthony Traill at first accepted Khoisan (Traill 1986), but by 1998 concluded that it could not be demonstrated with current data and methods, rejecting it as based on a single typological criterion: the presence of clicks. 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. Xhosa has the following clicks consonants which can be modified in a variety of ways, such as aspirated, breathy-voiced or nasalized. Their use in education has been governed by legislation, beginning with the Bantu Education Act, 1953.[12]. 0 characters. In, Treis, Yvonne. We use the verb "have" to denote possession, ownership, and other related meanings. The next are the alveolar clicks with the tongue tip and palate. Their language is often called the click language because of its three dominant clicks, which entered the isiXhosa language when the Nguni arrivals mixed with the Khoisan. . All languages use sound symbolism to some extent, and, while there are indeed examples of clicks functioning in this way (for example, !, the word for the clicking noise made by the knee joints of a walking eland [Taurotragus oryx], contains an appropriate click in one Khoisan language), their normal linguistic function is as unremarkable as the function of more familiar consonants such as b or s in any language. 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. Nguni - a group of southern Bantu languages . The 'X' in Xhosa, for example, represents a type of . Terms of Use Like other Bantu languages, Xhosa is rich in expressions, idioms, and proverbs. http://ilanguages.org/xhosa.php It is spoken by the Xhosa people in South Africa, and has around 8 million speakers. The original ancestor is Tshawe, but it is direct family members that Xhosa people call upon for guidance, support and to turn the tide of favour. [15], The role of indigenous languages in South Africa is complex and ambiguous. Kamba, That is, da may be pronounced [da] (or, equivalently, [da]). Here's 10 things you didn't know about this incredib, We're proud of you @KelvinvdLinde Those who speak this language typically form part of the ethnic group called the amaXhosa and refer to their language as isiXhosa. Start learning here! http://glosbe.com/en/xh/ Unfortunately, many of these languages have left behind no written records, so their loss is permanent. South African Culture and Tradition Explored. Herero, 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. The pocket of air produced by the resulting enclosure is rarefied by the sucking action of the tongue. The sound system of Xhosa contains three types of click sounds borrowed from the neighbouring Khoisan languages. The basic clicks are four: dental (|), alveolar (! Ronga, (Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights), Some corrections to this page by Michael Peter Fstumum, Information about Xhosa | Nyungwe, Gogo, Marking of the plural number depends on the noun class. In Haacke, Wilfrid and Elderkin, Edward Derek (eds. 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! Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. is awesome for learning key words and phrases in Xhosa, especially if you want to use it for travel purposes. [14] Also, a small community of Xhosa speakers (18,000) live in Quthing District, Lesotho.[15]. Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Free State and Northern Cape. 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. A Beginners Guide Khoisan: Africas Clicking Languages. Xhosa has a Roman-based orthography which was developed by missionaries in the 19th century and adapted to represent the sounds of the language. Learn how your comment data is processed. They are called upon for guidance, support, or to turn the tide of fortune. I promise not to spam you. Most have no written record. On external genealogical relationships of the Khoe family. While palatalisation occurred historically, it is still productive, as is shown by palatalization before the passive suffix /-w/ and before diminutive suffix /-ana/. Updates? This produces something like the English tut-tut. Luvale, It is closely related to Zulu, Swati, and Ndebele. Xhosa is one of four sister languages called Nguni Languages (Ndebele, Swati, Xhosa and Zulu) which are all mutually intelligible. Soga, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xhosa_language However, not all noun classes can be so easily defined. All click and most non-click consonants appear at the beginning of words and are followed by a vowel. It is closely related to Zulu, Swati, and Ndebele. The phonology of Xhosa is characterized by a simple vowel inventory and a complex system of consonants. Mpondo (Pondo), Xesibe, Bomwana, Gaika, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise, Ndlambe (Ethnologue). Language use is quite strong among the 20,000 speakers of Naro,[clarification needed] half of whom speak it as a second language. Therefore, Xhosa and Zulu people frequently understand one another, even if they are each speaking their mother tongue. 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. Xhosa. A Xhosa initiate, undergoing a . In this case, Xhosa means 'angry men'. They are known as the Saa by the Nama, and this is the source of the word San. [citation needed], Khoisan was proposed as one of the four families of African languages in Joseph Greenberg's classification (19491954, revised in 1963). Family words | 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. iliso (eye), uluhlu (list). Adjectives, possessive pronouns and demonstratives come after the noun they modify. 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. Two languages of east Africa, those of the Sandawe and Hadza, originally were also classified as Khoisan, although their speakers are ethnically neither Khoikhoi nor San. These are the only languages known to have clicks in normal vocabulary. are about 8.2 million native speakers of Xhosa, and another 11 million Most others are neighboring Bantu languages in southern Africa: the Nguni languages (Xhosa, Zulu, Swazi, Phuthi, and Northern Ndebele); Sotho; Yeyi in Botswana; and Mbukushu, Kwangali, and Gciriku in the Caprivi Strip. Some support the use of English and see its use in education as de facto segregation. 4 Before monosyllabic stems in some words. Sukuma, Xhosa, derived from the Khoisan language, refers to "angry men." The majority of the South African languages that use tongue-clicking have roots in the indigenous Khoisan . [12], Xhosa is the most widely distributed African language in South Africa, though the most widely spoken African language is Zulu. [9] It has perhaps the heaviest functional load of click consonants in a Bantu language (approximately tied with Yeyi), with one count finding that 10% of basic vocabulary items contained a click.[10]. All rights reserved. Lingala, 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. secondary schools. Southern Khoisan has a fifth click, the bilabial . They are now held to comprise three distinct language families and two language isolates. A bilabial click is a pop made by bringing the lips together and releasing them, just like the sound of a kiss. 1971. The more notable characteristic is their depressor effect on the tone of the syllable.[19]. 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. Nyamwezi, Punu, Verbs use the following prefixes for the subject and object: The following is a list of phrases that can be used when one visits a region whose primary language is Xhosa: Xhosa-speaking people have inhabited coastal regions of southeastern Africa since before the 16th century. Interestingly, the word Xhosa is from the Khoisan language and means "The angry men". The term Bushman as it is used to describe certain southern African hunter-gatherers is somewhat controversial because it is perceived as racist. 1988. Please check your inbox to confirm your email. Other figures are the huge lightning bird (impundudu), and the gentleabantubomlambo aquatic human-like beings who accept into their family those who drown. For much of the 20th century, they were thought to be genealogically related to each other, but this is no longer accepted. The following three are languages from the Khoe family, the Kxa family, and the Tuu family, respectively. Omissions? Interestingly, the word Xhosa is from the Khoisan language and means The angry men. Comorian, The Khoisan languages (/ksn/; also Khoesan or Khoesaan) are a number of African languages once classified together, originally by Joseph Greenberg. . As with other South African languages, Xhosa is characterized by respectful forms of address for elders and in-laws. Agreements usually reflect part of the original class with which the word agrees. The red letters are orthographic representations of the sounds. Copyright 1995-2023 Southafrica.com. Masaaba, Though these are still under debate, one frequently accepted dialect grouping is as follows: Xhosa (original), Bhaca, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise, Ngqika, Mpondo, Mfengu and Bomvana. The normal word order in Xhosa is Verb-Object (the subject is part of the verb compound). work in Xhosa was published in 1823. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the language spoken in the fictional African nation of Wakanda is Xhosa. The Origins of the Xhosa Language The Xhosa Language has its roots in South Africa from an ethnic group known as the amaXhosa. Kirundi, 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. 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. 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, ward off evil from unnatural forces such as the, a potentially malevolent goblin who attacks at night. Xhosa is a Bantu language spoken in South Africa, mainly in the 1: . The language is also rich in idioms. are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another The chart below (taken from Some elements of the structure of the Xhosa verb) shows some of the possible slots for prefixes and suffixes. Is Xhosa a Khoisan language? 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. [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. Using the prefixes, nouns can be grouped into noun classes, which are numbered consecutively, to ease comparison with other Bantu languages. In A. Traill (ed. But this line of thinking has proved fruitless. Views on views on views Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). "Phonetic Correspondences among Khoisan Affricates." Swati and Ndebele, and mutually intelligible with them to some extent. Tuu: A New Name for the Southern Khoisan Family, in Tom Gldemann (ed.). https://www.ethnologue.com/language/xho, Online Xhosa lessons In, Winter, J.C. 1981. The Xhosa number approximately 7.1-million, the majority of whom live in Eastern Cape, and ancient traditions remain strong in this proud people. 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). 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. #CapeTownEPrix In 1996[update], the literacy rate for first-language Xhosa speakers was estimated at 50%.[15]. Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), It's a wrap! Day 1 and 2 highlights of the Africa Green Economic Summit Chokwe, The Tanzanian languages, Sandawe and Hadza, use only three basic clicks: |, , and !. Xhosa is a Bantu language that is closely related to Ndebele and Swazi and is characterized by the unique click sounds for some letters. Xhosa is a tonal language with two inherent phonemic tones: low and high. The orthographic b in mb is the voiced plosive [mb]. The name Khoisan derives from the name of the Khoe-Khoe (also known as the Hottentot) group of South Africa and the San (Bushmen) group of Namibia. The Khoisan (Khoesan) language family is the smallest of the language families of Africa. Most of the languages in South Africa that involve tongue-clicking originate from the indigenous Khoisan people, who included plenty of different clicks in their speech and language. Its speakers and people belonging to the group are called isiXhosa. Duala, 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. Xhosa is part of the branch of Nguni languages, which also include Zulu, Southern Ndebele and Northern Ndebele, called the Zunda languages. sokwenza isenzo ongathanda ukuba senziwe kumzalwane wakho. Umbundu, Aspiration is lost on obstruents; ejection is added on voiceless consonant. Ngqika is considered to be the standard variety. Implosive consonants https://www.memrise.com/course/1572/xhosa-an-intro/ Nyole, http://www.gononda.com/xhosa/, Xhosa phrases Although little Kwadi data is available, proto-KhoeKwadi reconstructions have been made for pronouns and some basic vocabulary. for $0.07/word. 15% of its vocabulary is estimated to be of Khoekhoe (Khoisan) origin. In Xhosa culture, women are easily recognised by their heavy dress, matching turban and coloured dots . At present, Xhosa is used as the main language of instruction in many primary schools and some secondary schools, but is largely replaced by English after the early primary grades, even in schools mainly serving Xhosa-speaking communities.