is xhosa a khoisan language

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. [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]. The San were formerly called Bushmen, (from . Voiceless palatal plosive becomes voiced. , "A Lexicostatistical Approach towards Reconstructing Proto-Khoisan", "From modern Khoisan languages to Proto-Khoisan: The Value of Intermediate Reconstructions. Before the Bantu expansion, Khoisan languages, or languages like them, were likely spread throughout southern and eastern Africa. They are better described as slack voiced than as breathy voiced. Ejective consonants Vowels can be either short or long. . Xhosa is, to a large extent, mutually intelligible with Zulu and with other Nguni languages to a lesser extent. The word "Xhosa" is derived from the Khoisan language and means "angry men". Implosive consonants Xhosa Tribe, Xhosa Language and Xhosa Culture in South Africa A palatal click is a sharp pop made by drawing the tongue down quickly from the roof of the mouth. 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". Other figures are the huge lightning bird (. 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. The ceremonial slaughtering of animals is one of the many ways by which ancestors are invoked. The first Bible translation was in 1859, produced in part by Henry Hare Dugmore. It is one of the eleven official languages of the Republic of South Africa. Xhosa has several dialects, including Mpondo (Pondo), Xesibe, Bomwana, Gaika, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise, Ndlambe (Ethnologue). Xhosa Language - Dialects & Structure - MustGo The language is also rich in idioms. 0 characters. It is a national of Namibia, along with English and a number of other regional languages. used as a language of instruction in primary schools, and in some The Xhosa language (Isixhosa), of which there are variations, is part of the Nguni language group. The Juhoan language has 48 click consonants among nearly as many non-click consonants, strident and pharyngealized vowels, and four tones. http://www.gononda.com/xhosa/, Xhosa phrases Group of African language families with click consonants, "San language" redirects here. Bemba, Konjo, It has therefore been recognized that the Xhosa language formed after historical interaction with the Khoisan. Total number of users in all countries is 19.2 million (Ethnologue). The Khoisan languages differ in the number of such modifications from a low of 20 in Nama to a high of 83 in Kxoe. Makonde, for $0.07/word. Mpondo (Pondo), Xesibe, Bomwana, Gaika, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise, Ndlambe (Ethnologue). Eton, The chart below (taken from Some elements of the structure of the Xhosa verb) shows some of the possible slots for prefixes and suffixes. At the secondary level, instruction in schools serving Xhosa-speaking students is in English. Most of the languages are endangered, and several are moribund or extinct. [1][2] Khoisan is defined as those languages that have click consonants and do not belong to other African language families. Linguistics 112 lecture, Department of Linguistics. 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. 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. Xhosa language | African language | Britannica For instance, they can be aspirated, nasalised and glottalised. These famous click sounds are found in Khoisan languages (alternative names include Khoesaan or Khoesan). Tentative distribution of the Khoisan languages, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Khoisan-languages, Fu Jen Catholic University - Graduate School of Linguistics - The Khoisan Language Family. Planning a trip? 1991). [14] Also, a small community of Xhosa speakers (18,000) live in Quthing District, Lesotho.[15]. Ngqika is considered to be the standard variety. Bonke abantu banesiphiwo sesazela nesizathu The first two columns include words from the two Khoisan language isolates, Sandawe and Hadza. https://t.co/qATXK8AEqg, A room filled with great minds, sharing a valuable outlook on living the legacy of the @NelsonMandela Foundation. Clicks are stops produced with two points of contact in the mouth: one forward and one in the back. In Xhosa culture, women are easily recognised by their heavy dress, matching turban and coloured dots decorating their faces. It is also They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. women are easily recognised by their heavy dress, matching turban and coloured dots decorating their faces. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Xhosa-language. The language is also studied as a subject. This site is not affiliated with any government entity associated with a name similar to the site domain name. They are thought to have migrated to this region along the east coast of Africa and through central Africa. So by clicking on these links you can help to support this site. 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. Gwere, 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. You can unsubscribe at any time. Implosive consonants are produced by inhaling rather than exhaling the air. Who are the Khoisan People? - WorldAtlas F https://t.co/s7IkqA9Utl, It feels good to have @KevinHart4real also known as Mpho here in Johannesburg, South Africa. It is closely related to Zulu, Swati, and Ndebele. Central Khoisan, the largest group, includes Nama (Khoekhoe, Khoekhoegowab) and Haiom (Saan) spoken in Namibia, and smaller languages spoken in the Kalahari desert of Botswana. The Khoisan languages (/ksn/; also Khoesan or Khoesaan) are a number of African languages once classified together, originally by Joseph Greenberg. / 2003. Kinyarwanda, 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. https://www.memrise.com/course/1572/xhosa-an-intro/ The 15 clicks (which learners tend to battle with the most) are divided into three categories. In southern Africa, they came into contact with Khoisan-speaking people. These are typically written with characters such as and . Clicks are quite versatile as consonants, as they involve two articulations of the tongue which can operate partially independently. This produces something like the English tut-tut. 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! It is also spoken in Botswana and Lesotho. African Click Languages: The Khoisan's Secret Tales - Africa Freak Updates? Tswana, Sukuma, As with other South African languages, Xhosa is characterized by respectful forms of address for elders and in-laws. For much of the 20th century, they were thought to be genealogically related to each other, but this is no longer accepted. Herero, 2014 - 2023. 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. Their most distinctive linguistic characteristic is the original and extensive use of click consonants, a feature which has spread through cultural and linguistic contact into a number of Bantu (Niger-Congo) languagessuch as Xhosa, Zulu, and Sotho in South Africa and Gciriku (Diriku), Yei (Yeye), and Mbukushu in Botswana and Namibiaand into Dahalo, a Cushitic (Afro-Asiatic) language of Kenya. Release of the forward closure results in a pop-like sound. "Types of sound correspondence patterns in Khoisan languages." Bulu, [12], Xhosa is the most widely distributed African language in South Africa, though the most widely spoken African language is Zulu. Literary works, including prose and poetry, are available in Xhosa, as are newspapers and magazines. Hidden Languages of the World: Xhosa Language - Day Translations Blog 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. 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. 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. uku-sebenz-is-el + wa -> ukusetyenziselwa "be used for"), but does not affect morpheme-initial consonants (i.e. Learn the local language with my unique 80/20 method. Ejective consonants are pronounced with simultaneous closure of the glottis, raising air pressure in the mouth, so when the sound is released, there is a noticeable burst of air accompanying the release. I promise not to spam you. Kongo, Digo, Christian missionaries during the early 19th century. Its great for beginners getting started in a language and invaluable for intermediates looking to fill in gaps in their vocabulary and pronunciation. Omissions? Therefore, the absolute duration of voicing is the same as in tenuis stops. The spirits of those who have passed on are honoured in rituals and ceremonies. It is spoken by the Xhosa people in South Africa, and has around 8 million speakers. [15], The role of indigenous languages in South Africa is complex and ambiguous. 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. 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 language is marked by the large number of click consonant sounds used. [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. Bonke abantu bazalwa bekhululekile belingana ngesidima Look up Xhosa or xhosa in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Agreements usually reflect part of the original class with which the word agrees. Nyakyusa, The Xhosa language employs 26 letters from the Latin alphabet. You can unsubscribe at any time. Marking of the plural number depends on the noun class. Baucom, Kenneth L. 1974. 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. Archaeological evidence suggests that the Khoisan people appeared in southern Africa some 60,000 years ago. Clicks are stops produced with two points of contact in the mouth: one forward and one in the back. Ikizu, Copyright 1995-2023 Southafrica.com. What Languages are Used in the Black Panther Movie? - Day Translations Blog Ganda/Luganda, Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). 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. Xhosa is closely related to Zulu, The pocket of air produced by the resulting enclosure is rarefied by the sucking action of the tongue. Additional phonemes use sequences of multiple letters. But, as with any language, Xhosa had a rich history of oral traditions from which the society taught, informed, and entertained one another. Impariamo insieme! 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". Breathy-voiced consonants https://www.twinkl.co.za/resources/south-africa-resources/isixhosa-foundation-phase-english-south-africa-suid-afrika/2, Online Xhosa dictionaries There are several places of articulation at which click consonants occur, as shown in the table below. Khoisan languages, a unique group of African languages spoken mainly in southern Africa, with two outlying languages found in eastern Africa. The KhoisanThe Khoisan are a group of indigenous people who inhabit Southern Africa, mainly in the regions of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Angola, Zambia. 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. Xhosa language, Xhosa formerly spelled Xosa, a Bantu language spoken by seven million people in South Africa, especially in Eastern province. Can you reproduce these click types? Phrases | Chichewa, The Nguni languages are unique among Bantu languages in that they have imploded "clicking" phonemes. 1998. http://learn101.org/xhosa.php [citation needed], Khoisan was proposed as one of the four families of African languages in Joseph Greenberg's classification (19491954, revised in 1963). Let us know where you'll be watching this weekend. Xhosa beliefs recognise the presence of ancestral spirits and a supreme authority. Khoisan Identity | South African History Online The Xhosa language is properly referred to as isiXhosa. Their language is often called the 'click ' language because of its three dominant clicks, which entered the isi Xhosa language when the Nguni arrivals mixed with the Khoisan. Xhosa is part of the branch of Nguni languages, which also include Zulu, Southern Ndebele and Northern Ndebele, called the Zunda languages. In, Sands, Bonny. 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. 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 - South African Language Xhosa - SA-Venues.com In this lesson, we will be focusing on the different uses of "nga" and how to use it correctly in different contexts. The origin of Khoisan click consonants and their peculiarly African provenance therefore remains a mystery. Nguni languages of southern Africa, which include Zulu and Xhosa, are believed to have borrowed their clicks from Khoisan languages. The Khoe family is both the most numerous and diverse family of Khoisan languages, with seven living languages and over a quarter million speakers. Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), In, Khler, O. 2 is- and iz- replace isi- and izi- respectively before stems beginning with a vowel, e.g. This offer. 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. Interestingly, the word Xhosa is from the Khoisan language and means The angry men. The 'X' in Xhosa, for example, represents a type of . Like other Southern Bantu languages, Xhosa has borrowed words from the Khoisan languages, as well as from English and Afrikaans. In Voeltz, Erhard Friedrich Karl (ed.). The majority of languages which contain clicks originate with the Khoisan languages. North Khoisan is spoken by hunter-gatherers mainly in Namibia. All education at the university level is in English or Afrikaans. 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. 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. 2. No part of this site shall be reproduced, copied, or otherwise distributed without the express, written consent of SouthAfrica.com. Southern Sotho, Tshiluba, 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. This distinctive linguistic characteristic was adopted by a number of neighbouring Bantu languages, such as Xhosa and Zulu in South Africa. Northern Sotho, In contrast to the San who spoke highly divergent languages, the Khoikhoi spoke closely related dialects of the same language. the Ndebele is an integral aspect of Xhosa tradition. http://www.youtube.com/user/XhosaKhaya This process can skip rightwards to non-local syllables (i.e. Xhosa Translation Services: Xhosa to English and - Language Scientific Some support the use of English and see its use in education as de facto segregation. 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. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. In South Africa, 19.1 million speak the language, with 8.1 million speaking it as their first language. A century ago the Haiom people spoke a Ju dialect, probably close to Kung, but they now speak a divergent dialect of Nama. Thus, the word for people is abantu in all these languages. (Click here for an audio sample of the extinct !Ora language.) #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. Author of. Gogo, The Xhosa number approximately 7.1-million, the majority of whom live in Eastern Cape, and ancient traditions remain strong in this proud people. 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). Southern Ndebele, Today, the Khoisan languages are spoken only in southwestern Africa, in the region around the Kalahari Desert extending from Angola to South Africa, and in one small area of Tanzania. 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. Nyemba, Xhosa - definition of Xhosa by The Free Dictionary Because Xhosa and Zulu are both classed as Bantu languages, they are quite similar. This distinctive linguistic characteristic was adopted by a number of neighbouring Bantu languages, such as Xhosa and Zulu in South Africa. In, Honken, Henry. Khoisan languages | Britannica