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. 2014 - 2023. 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. The basic clicks are four: dental (|), alveolar (! (Let's learn together!). 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! Lingala, [13] There is a small but significant Xhosa community of about 200,000 in Zimbabwe. Therefore, Xhosa and Zulu people frequently understand one another, even if they are each speaking their mother tongue. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this post. Bushman languages | Britannica Xhosa is one of four sister languages called Nguni Languages (Ndebele, Swati, Xhosa and Zulu) which are all mutually intelligible. Songe, Like what you see? Kisi, 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. Therefore, the absolute duration of voicing is the same as in tenuis stops. 1 Before monosyllabic stems, e.g. Masaaba, Subscribe using the form below to have all of my posts delivered directly to your email. Similarly, the tenuis (plain) clicks are often glottalised, with a long voice onset time, but that is uncommon. For instance, they can be aspirated, nasalised and glottalised. Like other Bantu languages, Xhosa is rich in expressions, idioms, and proverbs. 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). Sena, Copyright 1995-2023 Southafrica.com. Punu, It is closely related to Zulu, Swati, and Ndebele. isandla/izandla (hand/hands). The term Bushman as it is used to describe certain southern African hunter-gatherers is somewhat controversial because it is perceived as racist. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Xhosa alphabet, pronunciation and language - Omniglot (Reprints, with minor corrections, a series of eight articles published in the ''Southwestern Journal of Anthropology'' from 1949 to 1954. [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. 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. In, This page was last edited on 10 January 2023, at 12:02. In Voeltz, Erhard Friedrich Karl (ed.). 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. 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. F https://t.co/s7IkqA9Utl, It feels good to have @KevinHart4real also known as Mpho here in Johannesburg, South Africa. Let me know using thecomments section below or join me on social media to start a conversation. Xhosa language, Xhosa formerly spelled Xosa, a Bantu language spoken by seven million people in South Africa, especially in Eastern province. 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 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. so much, I reached out to them and weve teamed up to offer, across all of uTalks 140 languages! The numerous click consonants have been borrowed from Khoi or San words. The language is marked by the large number of click consonant sounds used. Southern Ndebele, Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), Xhosa: [noun] a member of a Bantu-speaking people of Eastern Cape province. Total number of users in all countries is 19.2 million (Ethnologue). 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. 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. http://learn101.org/xhosa.php Maore, No idea what a clicking language is? . in a spirit of brotherhood. Language/Xhosa/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have - polyglotclub.com 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. Voiceless palatal plosive becomes voiced. Can you reproduce these click types? Xhosa (formerly spelled Xosa) is an official language of South Africa, natively spoken by around 7.9 million people which is about around 16% of the population of South Africa. It is a national of Namibia, along with English and a number of other regional languages. Those who speak this language typically form part of the ethnic group called the amaXhosa and refer to their language as isiXhosa. The Xhosa people, or Xhosa-speaking people (/ k s , k o s /; Xhosa pronunciation: [ksa] ()) are a Nguni ethnic group whose traditional homeland is primarily the Cape Provinces of South Africa.They are the second largest ethnic group in Southern Africa and are native speakers of the IsiXhosa language. Lambya, 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. In, Winter, J.C. 1981. All rights reserved. The official name of the language is isiXhosa, with the key word Xhosa being derived from the Khoisan Language. The next are the alveolar clicks with the tongue tip and palate. 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. Southern Sotho, Gwere, The normal word order in Xhosa is Verb-Object (the subject is part of the verb compound). "Toward reconstructing Proto-South Khoisan." Do you think English would be more interesting with similar click sounds? The word "Xhosa" is derived from the Khoisan language and means "angry men". [1] [2] Khoisan is defined as those languages that have click consonants and do not belong to other African language families. Xhosa language - Wikipedia They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Ejective consonants There are several places of articulation at which click consonants occur, as shown in the table below. 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's click consonants were most likely borrowed from the Khoisan Xhosa Language - Dialects & Structure - MustGo Omissions? Ernst Oswald Johannes Westphal is known for his early rejection of the Khoisan language family (Starostin 2003). Consequently, the languages with the greatest numbers of consonants in the world are Khoisan. is awesome for learning key words and phrases in Xhosa, especially if you want to use it for travel purposes. Total number of users in all countries is 19.2 million (. In, Sands, Bonny. The Xhosa comprise a number of clans such as Gcaleka, Ngika, Ndlambe, Dushane and the Qayi. In southern Africa, they came into contact with Khoisan-speaking people. By creating an account, I agree to theTerms of service and Privacy policy. 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. The number of Khoisan speakers has declined drastically in the last three centuries due to European colonisation, demographic pressures and changing lifestyles. Pair them with vowels, tones, and other constants and you've got a wide variety of sounds and meanings. Swahili, . In South Africa, 19.1 million speak the language, with 8.1 million speaking it as their first language. Densely populated with uncommon consonants, Xhosa consists of the usual pulmonic egressive sounds (used in English), ejectives, 15 clicks and an implosive. 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 share some similarities in their extremely complex sound systems. Various parts of speech that qualify a noun must agree with the noun according to its gender. English. Click here to claim your exclusive 30% discount. Mende, "Phonetic Correspondences among Khoisan Affricates." University of Cambridge Language Centre Resources - Xhosa It is a Bantu language closely related to Zulu, Swazi, and Ndebele. Let us know where you'll be watching this weekend. But, as with any language, Xhosa had a rich history of oral traditions from which the society taught, informed, and entertained one another. See Khoe languages for speculations on the linguistic history of the region. In 1996[update], the literacy rate for first-language Xhosa speakers was estimated at 50%.[15]. Thus, a more correct spelling is Khoesaan. 1998. 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. 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. Kongo, Nguni languages | Britannica Khoisan Language Family - Structure & Writing - MustGo Marking of the plural number depends on the noun class. Author of, Professor Emeritus, Department of Linguistics, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. When consonants are prenasalised, their pronunciation and spelling may change. Nyemba, Adjectives, possessive pronouns and demonstratives come after the noun they modify. . 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. https://www.twinkl.co.za/resources/south-africa-resources/isixhosa-foundation-phase-english-south-africa-suid-afrika/2, Online Xhosa dictionaries 1: . This distinctive linguistic characteristic was adopted by a number of neighbouring Bantu languages, such as Xhosa and Zulu in South Africa. 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. Privacy Policy Umbundu, I will never give away, trade or sell your email address. 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 differently styled headdress. This term, now considered derogatory, means stutterer in Dutch. women are easily recognised by their heavy dress, matching turban and coloured dots decorating their faces. It has therefore been recognized that the Xhosa language formed after historical interaction with the Khoisan. The Khoisan I Meeting the Khoisan I Khoisan Click Language Kiga, Xhosa is considered to be a Category II language in terms of difficulty for speakers of English. are about 8.2 million native speakers of Xhosa, and another 11 million Northern Sotho, [15], The role of indigenous languages in South Africa is complex and ambiguous. The verb root occupies the 0 position. 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. Xhosa is one of the 11 official languages recognized by the South African Constitution, and in 2006 it was determined that just over 7 million South Africans speak Xhosa as a home language. Beadwork similar to the Ndebele is an integral aspect of Xhosa tradition. Before the Bantu expansion, Khoisan languages, or languages like them, were likely spread throughout southern and eastern Africa. Other figures are the huge lightning bird (. 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. Ronga, http://xhosaculture.co.za/about-us/learn-xhosa/ https://www.memrise.com/course/1572/xhosa-an-intro/ The first Bible translation was in 1859, produced in part by Henry Hare Dugmore. The prenasalized versions have a very short voicing at the onset which then releases in an ejective, like the prenasalized affricates, while the phonemically nasal clicks have a very long voicing through the consonant. XXhosa tradition is an extremely powerful social force binding together these people of Eastern Cape province, most evident in Xhosa beliefs revering their ancestors. Learn the local language with her 80/20 method for less than the cost of eating at a tourist trap restaurant Start learning today! 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. Literary works, including prose and poetry, are available in Xhosa, as are newspapers and magazines. [14] Also, a small community of Xhosa speakers (18,000) live in Quthing District, Lesotho.[15]. South Khoisan includes a couple of endangered and several extinct languages of the Kalahari Desert. Breathy-voiced consonants The small town of De Aar is located in the central Groot Karoo along the railway line between Cape Town and Kimberley, which was established in the late 1800s. Bonke abantu banesiphiwo sesazela nesizathu There are books, magazines and newspapers in Xhosa, as well as TV and radio programmes, films, plays and songs. The breathy voiced glottal fricative [] is sometimes spelled h. The ejectives tend to be ejective only in careful pronunciation or in salient positions and, even then, only for some speakers. [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. Terms of Use Phrases | [15], John Bennie was a Scottish Presbyterian missionary and early Xhosa linguist. #VisitSouthAfrica https://t.co/A4fSLf2jvP, Hello Cape Town 2005. This offer isnt available anywhere else! Xhosa is rich in uncommon consonants. aquatic human-like beings who accept into their family those who drown. Updates? http://www.freelang.net/dictionary/xhosa.php Xhosa - definition of Xhosa by The Free Dictionary Mandekan, Although mutually intelligible, they are considered to be separate languages for political and cultural reasons. Luvale, 'The adaptation of non-click consonants in Xhosa'. However, tones are usually not indicated in writing. Anthony Traill noted the Khoisan languages' extreme variation. North Khoisan is spoken by hunter-gatherers mainly in Namibia. sokwenza isenzo ongathanda ukuba senziwe kumzalwane wakho. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Translate English to Xhosa online | Translate.com Ngqika is considered to be the standard variety. Christian missionaries during the early 19th century. 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 Nguni languages are unique among Bantu languages in that they have imploded "clicking" phonemes. [citation needed], Khoisan was proposed as one of the four families of African languages in Joseph Greenberg's classification (19491954, revised in 1963). All Rights Reserved. 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! They are marked with a raised //. Watch this video of Miriam Makebas singQongqothwane in Xhosa, also known as The Click Song. Baucom, Kenneth L. 1974. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Nkore, Nama, in particular, has a long tradition of literacy. This creates a sound somewhat resembling a cork being pulled out of a bottle. Languages such as Zulu and Xhosa make use of three of the five kinds of clicks. Chichewa, Below are some common words and sentences in Xhosa. Eton, #CapeTownEPrix They are marked with an apostrophe //. 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. Nama is used in education and in the media. They refer to themselves as the amaXhosa and their language as isiXhosa. The verb is modified by affixes to mark subject, object, tense, aspect and mood. The Kxa family is a relatively distant relationship formally demonstrated in 2010.[11]. films, plays and songs. We have loved having you in our country ! Aspiration is lost on obstruents; ejection is added on voiceless consonant. Xhosa is, to a large extent, mutually intelligible with Zulu and with other Nguni languages to a lesser extent. The Tanzanian languages, Sandawe and Hadza, use only three basic clicks: |, , and !. Kuria, Herero, / 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., . Thus their language is variously said to be extinct or to have 18,000 speakers, to be Ju or to be Khoe. "History of Click-Speaking Populations of Africa Inferred from mtDNA and Y Chromosome Genetic Variation", "The Kxa Family: A New Khoisan Genealogy", . 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. But this line of thinking has proved fruitless. 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". While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Ethnologue lists 27 Khoisan languages which are spoken by half a million people or less. The first is dental clicks with the tongue pressing against the back of the teeth. Xhosa - Traduzione in ucraino - esempi inglese | Reverso Context Xhosa and Khoisan peoples. "Die Khoisan-Familie." The sustainability village focused on boo https://t.co/BDeRnlGHot, Experience the most exciting electric street racing here in Cape Town as the world's best street racers battle. https://t.co/ZihxkpWwe7, Undoubtedly the best spots to experience unbridled views of the Mother City. Tones are rarely marked in the written language, but they can be indicated a [], [], [], []. 4. Linguistics 112 lecture, Department of Linguistics. (Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights), Some corrections to this page by Michael Peter Fstumum, Information about Xhosa | Xhosa has several dialects, including Mpondo (Pondo), Xesibe, Bomwana, Gaika, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise, Ndlambe (Ethnologue). Sources Xhosa is a tonal language with two inherent phonemic tones: low and high. Most of the languages are unwritten, but Nama and Naro have Latin-based orthographies. Xhosa. The 15 clicks (which learners tend to battle with the most) are divided into three categories. uku-sebenz-is-el + wa -> ukusetyenziselwa "be used for"), but does not affect morpheme-initial consonants (i.e. 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. OshiWambo, What animals did the Khoisan hunt? - TimesMojo #CapeTownEPrix Learning materials, Information about the Xhosa language Mbunda, 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. Learn the local language with my unique 80/20 method. 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 (isiXhosa) is the southernmost member of the Bantoid group of the Niger-Congo language family in Africa. Don't let the learning stop here. are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another All education at the university level is in English or Afrikaans. Note: all links on this site to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.fr are affiliate links. Learning Xhosa is a challenging, but rewarding experience. It is spoken by the Xhosa people in South Africa, and has around 8 million speakers. Nyamwezi, A Beginner's Guide Khoisan: Africa's Clicking Languages Clicks are spreading to a few additional neighboring languages. 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 X and H languages are even more complex. Their language is often called the click, language because of its three dominant clicks, which. With about 800 speakers in Tanzania, Hadza is no longer seen as a Khoisan language and appears to be unrelated to any other language. However, not all noun classes can be so easily defined. Tone, stress and vowel length are not indicated. They Tswa, Digo, These are the only languages known to have clicks in normal vocabulary. [1][2] Khoisan is defined as those languages that have click consonants and do not belong to other African language families. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. These sounds were borrowed from the Khoisan languages of the original inhabitants of the area. Thus, a more correct spelling isKhoesaan. uku-bhal+wa -> ukubhalwa "to be written", instead of illicit *ukujalwa). These famous click sounds are found in Khoisan languages (alternative names include Khoesaan or Khoesan). 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. It has 18 click consonants (in comparison, Ju'hoan, spoken in Botswana and Namibia, has 48, and Taa, with roughly 4,000 speakers in Botswana, has 83). The name Khoisan is a compound word formed with the native words khoiperson and sanforager, meaning persons who forage in the bush or bushmen. Snyman, Jan Winston. Khoisan Last but not least is the Khoisan family with between 40 - 70 members. Read More; development. The Xhosas started facing serious trouble during the 18th and 19th Centuries when they engaged in frequent conflicts with the European settlers attempting to annex their native lands.