[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]. Xhosa's click consonants were most likely borrowed from the Khoisan Xhosa (/ks, kos/,[5][6][7] Xhosa pronunciation:[ksa]), formerly spelled Xosa and also known by its local name isiXhosa, is a Nguni language and one of the official languages of South Africa and Zimbabwe. While palatalisation occurred historically, it is still productive, as is shown by palatalization before the passive suffix /-w/ and before diminutive suffix /-ana/. Nande, South African Culture and Tradition Explored. Mende, 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. Isewell [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons. Ever since Xhosa and Zulu were reduced to a written form in the early 19th century, Xhosa and Zulu writers have produced various works of fiction, ranging from poetry to novels. 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). Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The Xhosa comprise a number of clans such as Gcaleka, Ngika, Ndlambe, Dushane and the Qayi. Thus their language is variously said to be extinct or to have 18,000 speakers, to be Ju or to be Khoe. According to the 2011 census there In, Honken, Henry. Xhosa language, Xhosa formerly spelled Xosa, a Bantu language spoken by seven million people in South Africa, especially in Eastern province. tsk! Amongs https://t.co/Un48auA2t0, South African Tourism's initiatives and projects within the "growing green economy" are highlighted through partner https://t.co/BlBqEBi0pj, Were proud and excited to be associated with @CapeTownEprix in hosting the first ABB FIA Formula E World champions https://t.co/0prwWK7DrC, It is great to hear you are feeling our vibe Mpho! http://www.southafricalogue.com/travel-tips/south-african-phrases-xhosa.html, Basaa, "Names of Khoisan languages and Their Variants." Start learning here! They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. #CapeTownEPrix 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. Bennie, along with John Ross (another missionary), set up a printing press in the Tyhume Valley and the first printed works in Xhosa came out in 1823 from the Lovedale Press in the Alice region of the Eastern Cape. 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. Planning a trip? Makhuwa, Nyemba, 4. In Xhosa, the verb "have" is represented by the word "nga" and its various forms. In, Honken, Henry. http://www.youtube.com/user/XhosaKhaya Although all the Khoisan languages use click sounds, Sandawe and Hatsa are . See also Khoisan languages, which contains several audio clips. A certain amount of intermarriage with the Khoisan people they found here also gave rise to clans like the Gqunkhwebe. They are not prenasalized, as can be seen in words such as , Incorrectly described as glottal clicks by, Last edited on 25 February 2023, at 23:55, "Xhosa alphabet, pronunciation and language", "South Africa Population grows to 44.8 Million", "Wakanda Is a Fake Country, but the African Language in 'Black Panther' is Real", Xhosa basic lexicon at the Global Lexicostatistical Database, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Xhosa_language&oldid=1141620598, [mp], [nt], [nt], [k], [n], [n], [n]. languages as a result of long and extensive interaction between the used as a language of instruction in primary schools, and in some The origin of clicks remains a mystery. The Xhosa language employs 26 letters from the Latin alphabet. The Xhosa number approximately 7.1-million, the majority of whom live in Eastern Cape, and ancient traditions remain strong in this proud people. Songe, It is a national of Namibia, along with English and a number of other regional languages. The Khoisan, or Click, linguistic family is made up of three branches: the Khoisan languages of the San (Bushmen) and Khoikhoi, spoken in various parts of sub-Saharan Africa; Sandawe, a language found in E Africa; and Hatsa (Hadzane or Hadzapi), also spoken in E Africa. The first printed Nama, in particular, has a long tradition of literacy. 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). On external genealogical relationships of the Khoe family. Because Xhosa and Zulu are both classed as Bantu languages, they are quite similar. Although mutually intelligible, they are considered to be separate languages for political and cultural reasons. 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. Here's 10 things you didn't know about this incredib, We're proud of you @KelvinvdLinde http://www.freelang.net/dictionary/xhosa.php Other Southeastern Bantu languages are Zulu, Swati (Swazi), Sotho, Tswana, Venda, and Ndebele. Xhosa may refer to: Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa. Michele creates language learning guides and courses for travel. 0 characters. A Xhosa initiate, undergoing a . Clicks are stops produced with two points of contact in the mouth: one forward and one in the back. This offer isnt available anywhere else! Breathy-voiced consonants 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. Nkore, Lozi, The ceremonial slaughtering of animals is one of the many ways by which ancestors are invoked. Tonga, We use the verb "have" to denote possession, ownership, and other related meanings. By creating an account, I agree to theTerms of service and Privacy policy. Featuring handcraft https://t.co/GiM3yZdgvg, Situated in Cape Town Hope street studios, lies the excellent & craftmanship of David Dindi Leather collection, a s https://t.co/zlW7cX54f8, Self-taught designer Nondwe Nyathi of Indwe Designs, draws inspiration from the elegant Blue crane, its stately pre https://t.co/Srk6KNK2lM, Cool Tabs A sustainable & profitable business owned by Aretha Doyle, re-purposes soda can tabs and transforms them https://t.co/qCZyAieYy7, SA Tourisms sustainability village at AGES showcases proudly S.A eco and environmentally friendly products. When consonants are prenasalised, their pronunciation and spelling may change. The chart below (taken from Some elements of the structure of the Xhosa verb) shows some of the possible slots for prefixes and suffixes. The Khoisan language family is the smallest of the language families of Africa. A bilabial click is a pop made by bringing the lips together and releasing them, just like the sound of a kiss. #VisitSouthAfrica https://t.co/ncCaKrq4Fa, The Summit includes a Sustainability Village that aims to boost the local economy and power positive economic activ https://t.co/OEOnUXyWdU, Clareb accessories is your one stop shop for all things, unique earrings, necklaces, bracelets. Palatalisation is a change that affects labial consonants whenever they are immediately followed by /j/. 1971. Not all languages using clicks as phonemes are considered Khoisan. 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. Planning a trip? [12] It is the second most common Bantu home language in South Africa as a whole. Indeed, the use of the term 'Khoikhoi' meaning . 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. Bonke abantu banesiphiwo sesazela nesizathu Chichewa, Aspiration is lost on obstruents; ejection is added on voiceless consonant. Soga, 'The adaptation of non-click consonants in Xhosa'. Interestingly, the word Xhosa is from the Khoisan language and means "The angry men". ), Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. Gusii, It is closely related to Zulu, Swati, and Ndebele. Grammatically, the southern Khoisan languages are generally analytic, having several inflectional morphemes, but not as many as the click languages of Tanzania. The term Bushman as it is used to describe certain southern African hunter-gatherers is somewhat controversial because it is perceived as racist. In this lesson, we will be focusing on the different uses of "nga" and how to use it correctly in different contexts. In 1996[update], the literacy rate for first-language Xhosa speakers was estimated at 50%.[15]. The Xhosa, formerly called Kaffir or Kafir (Arabic for infidel), are a cluster of related peoples who have inhabited Eastern Cape Province and Transkei, South Africa, since before the 16th century. Don't let the learning stop here. are about 8.2 million native speakers of Xhosa, and another 11 million This site is not affiliated with any government entity associated with a name similar to the site domain name. National Treasures She hypothesizes that this took place within efforts to prevent the spread of English during European colonization and prevent the entrance of the majority into the middle class.[7]. As an example, the composition of the verb In the sentence Un-ntwana u-ya-wa-sel-a ama-nzi One child drinks water is shown below. The numerous click consonants have been borrowed from Khoi or San words. . Therefore, Xhosa and Zulu people frequently understand one another, even if they are each speaking their mother tongue. 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. The Xhosa noun consists of two essential parts, the prefix and the stem. 4 Before monosyllabic stems in some words. [13] There is a small but significant Xhosa community of about 200,000 in Zimbabwe. Learn how your comment data is processed. The sound system of Xhosa contains three types of click sounds borrowed from the neighbouring Khoisan languages. [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. This term, now considered derogatory, means stutterer in Dutch. The next are the alveolar clicks with the tongue tip and palate. The term is a compound adapted from the words khoekhoe person and saan bush dweller in Nama, one of the Khoisan languages, and scholars have applied the wordseither separately or conjoinedto refer to economic, social, physical, and linguistic features of certain aboriginal groups of southern and eastern Africa. Swati, 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. The pocket of air produced by the resulting enclosure is rarefied by the sucking action of the tongue. Xhosa has a Roman-based orthography which was developed by missionaries in the 19th century and adapted to represent the sounds of the language. Some languages have become extinct and others are endangered. In all of the Southern African Khoisan languages, a simple rule applies to using the sound. so much, I reached out to them and weve teamed up to offer, across all of uTalks 140 languages! [15], John Bennie was a Scottish Presbyterian missionary and early Xhosa linguist. Xhosa language, one of the 11 official languages of South Africa, principally spoken by the Xhosa people. 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. Language use is quite strong among the 20,000 speakers of Naro,[clarification needed] half of whom speak it as a second language. The number of Khoisan speakers has declined drastically in the last three centuries due to European colonisation, demographic pressures and changing lifestyles. Most of the languages are endangered, and several are moribund or extinct. Xhosa is an official language in South Africa and Zimbabe, and is They refer to themselves as the amaXhosa and their language as isiXhosa. Makonde, Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post. Choose your English to Xhosa translation service. The Tanzanian languages, Sandawe and Hadza, use only three basic clicks: |, , and !. Khoisan languages, a unique group of African languages spoken mainly in southern Africa, with two outlying languages found in eastern Africa. 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. Ejective consonants Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Consequently, the languages with the greatest numbers of consonants in the world are Khoisan. Xhosa is categorized as a Bantu language and is representative of the south-western Nguni subfamily group. Read More; development. 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. aquatic human-like beings who accept into their family those who drown. [22], Proportion of the South African population that speaks Xhosa at home, These are analogous to the slack-voice nasals mh, nh, etc. Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), The Xhosa language is a member of the Bantu family and is closely related to Zulu. The verb is modified by affixes to mark subject, object, tense, aspect and mood. However, some of the letters have a different pronunciation from English. It forms part of the ornamentation that reflects the different stages of a womans life. Northern Ndebele (South Africa), The spirits of those who have passed on are honoured in rituals and ceremonies. Mandekan, The San were formerly called Bushmen, (from . Although Xhosa and Zulu are similar enough to be considered dialects of one language, Xhosa and Zulu speakers consider them to be separate languages. http://www.gononda.com/xhosa/, Xhosa phrases Christian missionaries during the early 19th century. Like what you see? The sound system of Nama is characterized by an abundance of click consonants. [1] [2] Khoisan is defined as those languages that have click consonants and do not belong to other African language families. All Khoisan languages but two are indigenous to southern Africa and belong to three language families. 2. According to this hypothesis, clicks might have originally served as onomatopoetic imitations of naturally occurring sounds. Tone, stress and vowel length are not indicated. 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. 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. The /i/ vowel is long in the penultimate syllable and short in the last syllable.[16]. Colours | Every single click in Miriam Makebas Click Song, which is in Xhosa, is a sound that was borrowed from a neighbouring language and swapped into existing words and not all that long ago, either. The word order is subjectverbobject, like in English. Zulu: 22.7%, Xhosa: 16%, Afrikaans . In Haacke, Wilfrid and Elderkin, Edward Derek (eds. (They may also be voiced between vowels in some speaking styles.) ), Khoisan Linguistic Studies . However, tones are usually not indicated in writing. 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. [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. Bonny Sands (1998) concluded that the family is not demonstrable with current evidence. Learn more about the Khoisan language family on Ethnologue. People who speak Xhosa as their second language number about 11 million. The verb root occupies the 0 position. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Maore, Pair them with vowels, tones, and other constants and you've got a wide variety of sounds and meanings. The palatalization process only applies once, as evidenced by ukuphuphumisa+wa -> ukuphuphunyiswa "to be made to overflow", instead of the illicit alternative, *ukuphutshunyiswa. Click consonants can be modified in a variety of ways. Sukuma, Xhosa beliefs recognise the presence of ancestral spirits and a supreme authority. [3] Ethnically, their speakers are the Khoikhoi and the San (Bushmen). The click consonant sounds are a typical and unique feature of the San and Khoikhoi languages. . Nyungwe, A dental click sounds like tsk, tsk! A Beginners Guide Khoisan: Africas Clicking Languages. It is also taught in universities. This means I earn a commission if you click on any of them and buy something. Mushungulu, Their use in education has been governed by legislation, beginning with the Bantu Education Act, 1953.[12]. Densely populated with uncommon consonants, Xhosa consists of the usual pulmonic egressive sounds (used in English), ejectives, 15 clicks and an implosive. The language is also rich in idioms. The word lives on, however, in the names of several African animal and plant species, such as the Hottentot Fig or Carpobrotus. Luchazi, Can you reproduce these click types? The murmur no longer shifts to the following vowel. . Marking of the plural number depends on the noun class. ), Gldemann, Tom and Edward D. Elderkin (forthcoming) '. The pocket of air produced by the resulting enclosure is rarefied by the sucking action of the tongue. In, Khler, O. 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! The word "Xhosa" is derived from the Khoisan language and means "angry men". Jita, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xhosa_language 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. Implosive consonants 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. 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. second language speakers. The language of instruction at universities in South Africa is English or Afrikaans (to a diminishing extent[21]), and Xhosa is taught as a subject, both for native and for non-native speakers. Sandawe is not related to Hadza, despite their proximity. Chokwe, 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. The Khoisan languages (/ksn/; also Khoesan or Khoesaan) are a number of African languages once classified together, originally by Joseph Greenberg. Implosive consonants are produced by inhaling rather than exhaling the air. Khoisan languages Bushman languages, also called San languages, loose grouping of languages that confusingly have been considered to be a separate group within the Khoisan languages. The various parts of the sentence must agree in both class and number.[12]. It forms part of the ornamentation that reflects the different stages of a woman, s life. [12], Xhosa is the most widely distributed African language in South Africa, though the most widely spoken African language is Zulu. The first Bible translation was in 1859, produced in part by Henry Hare Dugmore. They are better described as slack voiced than as breathy voiced. In Voeltz, Erhard Friedrich Karl (ed.). Learn the local language with my unique 80/20 method. 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. 15000 characters left today. Baucom, Kenneth L. 1974. The status of Xhosa, like all other African languages in the Republic of South Africa, is complex. 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. Southern Sotho, MustGo.com. As of 2003[update] approximately 5.3million Xhosa-speakers, the majority, live in the Eastern Cape, followed by the Western Cape (approximately 2million), Gauteng (671,045), the Free State (246,192), KwaZulu-Natal (219,826), North West (214,461), Mpumalanga (46,553), the Northern Cape (51,228), and Limpopo (14,225). 9 reasons youre not fluentYET & how to fix it! Gwere, 1988. Contact Us, 8.2 million people and by 11 million as a second language in South Africa, mostly in Eastern Cape Province and Transkei. Xhosa is a tonal language with two inherent phonemic tones: low and high. 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. The Xhosa language has been grouped into a number of dialects. Phrases | Omissions? 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. The following three are languages from the Khoe family, the Kxa family, and the Tuu family, respectively. (Reprints, with minor corrections, a series of eight articles published in the ''Southwestern Journal of Anthropology'' from 1949 to 1954. [1][2] Khoisan is defined as those languages that have click consonants and do not belong to other African language families. This click is like the sound people make to call horses. 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. That is, da may be pronounced [da] (or, equivalently, [da]). [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]. Zinza, Most have no written record. 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! Impariamo insieme! Xhosa has three basic clicks . Look up Xhosa or xhosa in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. But without a shift in language policy and government . Interestingly, the word Xhosa is from the Khoisan language and means The angry men. ''Studies in African Linguistic Classification.'' The Nguni languages are unique among Bantu languages in that they have imploded "clicking" phonemes. Southern Khoisan languages have a very high ratio of words containing clicks as compared to those that do not contain them. . 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;}. All rights reserved. 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"). Khoisan languages, a unique group of African languages spoken mainly in southern Africa, with two outlying languages found in eastern Africa. Do you think English would be more interesting with similar click sounds? The Origins of the Xhosa Language The Xhosa Language has its roots in South Africa from an ethnic group known as the amaXhosa. [11] Zunda languages effectively form a dialect continuum of variously mutually intelligible varieties. 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". The inventory is taken from Wikipedia. The murmured clicks, plosives and affricates are only partially voiced, with the following vowel murmured for some speakers.
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