The Xhosa noun consists of two essential parts, the prefix and the stem. Terms of Use There are books, 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. Language use is quite strong among the 20,000 speakers of Naro,[clarification needed] half of whom speak it as a second language. In all of the Southern African Khoisan languages, a simple rule applies to using the sound. 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. But those simple 5 clicks can add a lot to a sentence. Vowels can be either short or long. [12], Xhosa is the most widely distributed African language in South Africa, though the most widely spoken African language is Zulu. The Khoisan. 15% of its vocabulary is estimated to be of Khoekhoe (Khoisan) origin. No idea what a clicking language is? Although mutually intelligible, they are considered to be separate languages for political and cultural reasons. 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. Therefore, the absolute duration of voicing is the same as in tenuis stops. They are thought to have migrated to this region along the east coast of Africa and through central Africa. 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". Like other Southern Bantu languages, Xhosa has borrowed words from the Khoisan languages, as well as from English and Afrikaans. [15], John Bennie was a Scottish Presbyterian missionary and early Xhosa linguist. Ronga, English. Not all languages using clicks as phonemes are considered Khoisan. The sound system of Xhosa contains three types of click sounds borrowed from the neighbouring Khoisan languages. By distribution over land, Xhosa is the most widely spoken African language (while Zulu is most widely spoken in terms of population). They are descended from the Nguni, who began migrating south from central and northern Africa more than a thousand years ago. 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. Palatalisation is a change that affects labial consonants whenever they are immediately followed by /j/. You can unsubscribe at any time. In, Treis, Yvonne. South Africa is the native land of Xhosa, which is spoken chiefly in the Eastern Cape Province. Other languages have little more than 1,000 speakers while several are known to have become extinct. These sounds were borrowed from the Khoisan languages of the original inhabitants of the area. Corrections? See Khoe languages for speculations on the linguistic history of the region. Updates? I don't know, but I think you can compare them to Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. Copyright The Intrepid Guide Ltd 2022. Copyright 19982023 Simon Ager | Email: | Hosted by Kualo, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xhosa_language, https://www.memrise.com/course/1572/xhosa-an-intro/, http://xhosaculture.co.za/about-us/learn-xhosa/, https://www.twinkl.co.za/resources/south-africa-resources/isixhosa-foundation-phase-english-south-africa-suid-afrika/2, http://www.freelang.net/dictionary/xhosa.php, http://www.salanguages.com/isixhosa/xhowrd.htm, http://www.southafricalogue.com/travel-tips/south-african-phrases-xhosa.html. What I love most about uTalk is that you can jump around their extensive library of topics and choose what you want to learn, when you want, and at your own pace. In, Honken, Henry. Aspirated clicks become prenasalized ejected clicks. The status of Xhosa, like all other African languages in the Republic of South Africa, is complex. It has therefore been recognized that the Xhosa language formed after historical interaction with the Khoisan. 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. It is one of the eleven official languages of the Republic of South Africa. When plain voiceless clicks (c, x, q) are prenasalized, they become slack voiced nasal (ngc, ngx, ngq). Kuria, Yao, In, Sands, Bonny. Kisi, http://ilanguages.org/xhosa.php Today, the few scholars working on these languages treat the three [southern groups] as independent language families that cannot or can no longer be shown to be genetically related" (p.841). Italian for Confident Conversations (A2-B2). Sample basic vocabulary for Khoisan language families: On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Nyole, South Khoisan includes a couple of endangered and several extinct languages of the Kalahari Desert. Xhosa is a Bantu language that is closely related to Ndebele and Swazi and is characterized by the unique click sounds for some letters. Damin is an invented ritual language, and has nothing to do with Khoisan. Mbunda, In, Khler, O. in a spirit of brotherhood. [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. Includes English and Italian translations with pronuncation guide. Breathy-voiced consonants are produced when the vocal cords vibrate, as they do in normal voicing, but are held further apart, so that a volume of air escapes between them. Literary works, including prose and poetry, are available in Xhosa, as are newspapers and magazines. They are now held to comprise three distinct language families and two language isolates. The language is also rich in idioms. Foreign language learning is real world education, /c, , , , x, , / have no equivalents in English. See also Khoisan languages, which contains several audio clips. A preliminary classification of the !X and u'hasi dialects. 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. ), palatal (), and lateral (). 1971. All rights reserved. Corrections? 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. Although mutually intelligible, they are considered to be separate languages for political and cultural reasons. Click consonants can be modified in a variety of ways. Umbundu, Learn more about the Khoisan language family on Ethnologue. 1998. It forms part of the ornamentation that reflects the different stages of a womans life. We have loved having you in our country ! 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. The Juhoan language has 48 click consonants among nearly as many non-click consonants, strident and pharyngealized vowels, and four tones. Beadwork similar to the Ndebele is an integral aspect of Xhosa tradition. #CapeTownEPrix [1] [2] Khoisan is defined as those languages that have click consonants and do not belong to other African language families. When consonants are prenasalised, their pronunciation and spelling may change. [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]. magazines and newspapers in Xhosa, as well as TV and radio programmes, 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. Xhosa's click consonants were most likely borrowed from the Khoisan However, there is no scientific proof to support this hypothesis since all languages use sound symbolism to a lesser or greater extent. Ngqika is considered to be the standard variety. They are marked with a raised //. Gusii, Luvale, Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Xhosa (isiXhosa) is the southernmost member of the Bantoid group of the Niger-Congo language family in Africa. 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"). Nguni languages of southern Africa, which include Zulu and Xhosa, are believed to have borrowed their clicks from Khoisan languages. . Makonde, The Khoikhoi were once called Hottentots by Europeans. South African Culture and Tradition Explored. Mwani, Lingala, In Nguni. The first is dental clicks with the tongue pressing against the back of the teeth. Christian missionaries during the early 19th century. 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. Contact Us, 8.2 million people and by 11 million as a second language in South Africa, mostly in Eastern Cape Province and Transkei. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Like what you see? Because Xhosa and Zulu are both classed as Bantu languages, they are quite similar. Interestingly, the word Xhosa is from the Khoisan language and means The angry men. Sources This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Xhosa-language. The word lives on, however, in the names of several African animal and plant species, such as the Hottentot Fig or Carpobrotus. 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. Emeritus Professor of African Studies; former Director, Institute for African Studies, University of Cologne. The origin of clicks remains a mystery. 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. 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. [12] It is the second most common Bantu home language in South Africa as a whole. Accent I'm fluent in Xhosa. The only widespread Khoisan language is Khoekhoe (also known as Khoekhoegowab, Nm or Damara) of Namibia, Botswana and South Africa, with a quarter of a million speakers; Sandawe in Tanzania is second in number with some 4080,000, some monolingual; and the Kung language of the northern Kalahari spoken by some 16,000 or so people. Kikuyu, Xhosa is spoken as a first language by 8.2 million people and by 11 million as a second language in South Africa, mostly in Eastern Cape Province and Transkei. Learn more about the Nilo-Saharan language family on Ethnologue. Tradues em contexto de "Khoisan" en portugus-ingls da Reverso Context : Palavras-chave: Khoisan; reconciliation; identity; narrative; communication. These famous click sounds are found in Khoisan languages (alternative names include Khoesaan or Khoesan). Janina Brutt-Griffler claims, "given that such colonial borders were generally arbitrarily drawn, they grouped large numbers of ethnic groups that spoke many languages." Nyamwezi, The Khoisan languages ( / ksn /; also Khoesan or Khoesaan) are a number of African languages once classified together, originally by Joseph Greenberg. 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 to ward off evil from unnatural forces such as thetokoloshe a potentially malevolent goblin who attacks at night. 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! Baucom, Kenneth L. 1974. In South Africa a variation of this process allowed the Khoisan languages to exert a powerful linguistic influence on the dominant languages before they disappeared, leaving Afrikaans and some Bantu languages with a number of distinctive Khoisan features. Otherwise, they tend to be tenuis (plain) stops. The last is a lateral click with the tongue at the side of the mouth. [14] Also, a small community of Xhosa speakers (18,000) live in Quthing District, Lesotho.[15]. A century ago the Haiom people spoke a Ju dialect, probably close to Kung, but they now speak a divergent dialect of Nama. Subscribe to my newsletter to receive detailed travel guides, exclusive travel and language learning tips, priority access to giveaways and more! In, Honken, Henry. . The best-known performer of Xhosa songs outside South Africa was Miriam Makeba, whose Click Song #1 (Xhosa Qongqothwane) and "Click Song #2" (Baxabene Ooxam) are known for their large number of click sounds. Interestingly, the word Xhosa is from the Khoisan language and means "The angry men". The inventory is taken from Wikipedia. Digo, A bilabial click is a pop made by bringing the lips together and releasing them, just like the sound of a kiss. There are five vowel phonemes, i.e., sounds that distinguish word meaning. 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. aquatic human-like beings who accept into their family those who drown. 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. Phrases | "Khoisan." Thus, a more correct spelling is Khoesaan. Breathy-voiced consonants Xhosa is a Bantu language spoken in South Africa, mainly in the second language speakers. F https://t.co/s7IkqA9Utl, It feels good to have @KevinHart4real also known as Mpho here in Johannesburg, South Africa. ), Khoisan Linguistic Studies . Besides pulmonic egressive sounds, which are found in all spoken languages, it has a series of ejective stops and one implosive stop. Choose your English to Xhosa translation service. Shona, Adjectives, possessive pronouns and demonstratives come after the noun they modify. Learn the local language with my unique 80/20 method. Bukusu, Translate files. [12] However, this classification is not widely accepted. Xhosa is the most widely distributed African language in South Africa, though the most widely spoken African language is Zulu. Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), #VisitSouthAfrica https://t.co/xwXs0dxd2l, We've got you covered! "Toward reconstructing Proto-South Khoisan." Swahili, Learning Xhosa is a challenging, but rewarding experience. Occasionally other languages are said by laypeople to have "click" sounds. 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. Makhuwa, 1988. For the Mande language spoken in Burkina Faso, see, Map showing the distribution of the Khoisan languages (yellow), Grammatically, the southern Khoisan languages are generally, Greenberg, Joseph H. 1955. It is also spoken in Botswana and Lesotho. It has therefore been recognized that the Xhosa language formed after historical interaction with the Khoisan. The majority of languages which contain clicks originate with the Khoisan languages. Xhosa has the following clicks consonants which can be modified in a variety of ways, such as aspirated, breathy-voiced or nasalized. The Khoe family is both the most numerous and diverse family of Khoisan languages, with seven living languages and over a quarter million speakers. Traill demonstrated this linguistic diversity in the data presented in the below table. (Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights), Some corrections to this page by Michael Peter Fstumum, Information about Xhosa | Kongo, Xhosa uses a system of tones to distinguish words that would otherwise sound the same. 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. 0 characters. How difficult is it to learn Xhosa? "Phonetic Correspondences among Khoisan Affricates." Kinyarwanda, Xhosa: [noun] a member of a Bantu-speaking people of Eastern Cape province. In A. Traill (ed. They In Xhosa culture, women are easily recognised by their heavy dress, matching turban and coloured dots decorating their faces. Sukuma, Planning a trip? Nguni languages are, in turn, classified under the much larger abstraction of Bantu languages. Voiceless palatal plosive becomes voiced. 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. [15], The role of indigenous languages in South Africa is complex and ambiguous. A member of a Bantu people inhabiting the eastern part of Cape Province, South Africa. 2. Archaeological evidence suggests that the Khoisan people appeared in southern Africa some 60,000 years ago. Privacy Policy Aspiration is lost on obstruents; ejection is added on voiceless consonant. uku-sebenz-is-el + wa -> ukusetyenziselwa "be used for"), but does not affect morpheme-initial consonants (i.e. in parts of Lesotho and Zimbabwe. Most have no written record. However, linguists who study Khoisan languages reject their unity, and the name "Khoisan" is used by them as a term of convenience without any implication of linguistic validity, much as "Papuan" and "Australian" are. . Mushungulu, There are two groups of languages in southern Africa that have clicks: the Khoisan languages and certain languages of the Niger-Congo family, most notably Zulu and Xhosa. Languages Gulper/Khoisan Peoples/About World Languages/Wikipedia/The Week. [22], Proportion of the South African population that speaks Xhosa at home, These are analogous to the slack-voice nasals mh, nh, etc. The release of the forward closure results in a pop-like sound. The ceremonial slaughtering of animals is one of the many ways by which ancestors are invoked. You can unsubscribe at any time. The red letters are orthographic representations of the sounds. uku-bhal+wa -> ukubhalwa "to be written", instead of illicit *ukujalwa). . / Therefore, Xhosa and Zulu people frequently understand one another, even if they are each speaking their mother tongue. women are easily recognised by their heavy dress, matching turban and coloured dots decorating their faces. Look up Xhosa or xhosa in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Khoisan languages are best known for their use of click consonants as phonemes. The Xhosa themselves are somewhat ambivalent about the use of their language in education. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Although little Kwadi data is available, proto-KhoeKwadi reconstructions have been made for pronouns and some basic vocabulary. Thus their language is variously said to be extinct or to have 18,000 speakers, to be Ju or to be Khoe. Marking of the plural number depends on the noun class. The number of Khoisan speakers has declined drastically in the last three centuries due to European colonisation, demographic pressures and changing lifestyles. Omissions? The word order is subjectverbobject, like in English. Ernst Oswald Johannes Westphal is known for his early rejection of the Khoisan language family (Starostin 2003). In this case, Xhosa means 'angry men'. As with other South African languages, Xhosa is characterized by respectful forms of address for elders and in-laws. 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. That is, da may be pronounced [da] (or, equivalently, [da]). The verb is modified by affixes to mark subject, object, tense, aspect and mood. 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. Grazie! So by clicking on these links you can help to support this site. Additional phonemes use sequences of multiple letters. Nama is used in education and in the media. There is a series of six dental clicks, represented by the letter c, similar to the sound represented in English by "tut-tut" or "tsk-tsk"; a series of six alveolar lateral clicks, represented by the letter x, similar to the sound used to call horses; and a series of alveolar clicks, represented by the letter q, that sound somewhat like a cork pulled from a bottle. In Haacke, Wilfrid and Elderkin, Edward Derek (eds. A system for writing Xhosa using the Latin alphabet was devised by iliso (eye), uluhlu (list). if(typeof ez_ad_units != 'undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'omniglot_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_1',141,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-omniglot_com-medrectangle-4-0'); Download an alphabet chart for Xhosa (Excel). Bemba, Xhosa has three basic clicks . Comorian, Maore, sokwenza isenzo ongathanda ukuba senziwe kumzalwane wakho. and is made by putting the tongue just behind the front teeth. However, tones are usually not indicated in writing. 2000. The linguistic use of clicks, whether original or borrowed, is restricted to these few African languages, with one exception: Damin. Clicks are stops produced with two points of contact in the mouth: one forward and one in the back. It is also taught in universities. Ganda/Luganda, No part of this site shall be reproduced, copied, or otherwise distributed without the express, written consent of SouthAfrica.com. On commence, ce tour d'horizon des onze langues officielles en Afrique du Sud par le xhosa. Chichewa, films, plays and songs. 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. 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 $0.07/word. The first printed Home South African Culture and Tradition Explored Languages of South Africa Xhosa Language of the Eastern Cape. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Xhosa has a Roman-based orthography which was developed by missionaries in the 19th century and adapted to represent the sounds of the language. 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]. http://glosbe.com/en/xh/ 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. Total number of users in all countries is 19.2 million (Ethnologue). They are called upon for guidance, support. 'The adaptation of non-click consonants in Xhosa'. The Tanzanian languages, Sandawe and Hadza, use only three basic clicks: |, , and !. Nama, in particular, has a long tradition of literacy. The basic clicks are four: dental (|), alveolar (! 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. http://xhosaculture.co.za/about-us/learn-xhosa/ In 1996[update], the literacy rate for first-language Xhosa speakers was estimated at 50%.[15]. https://www.ethnologue.com/language/xho, Online Xhosa lessons Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The ceremonial slaughtering of animals is one of the many ways by which ancestors are invoked. Xhosa is an agglutinative language that expresses grammatical functions by adding prefixes and suffixes to roots. Here's 10 things you didn't know about this incredib, We're proud of you @KelvinvdLinde While palatalisation occurred historically, it is still productive, as is shown by palatalization before the passive suffix /-w/ and before diminutive suffix /-ana/. Don't let the learning stop here. 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. A Beginners Guide Khoisan: Africas Clicking Languages. The Khoisan people have a unique language that is characterized by clicking sounds made with the tongue and mouth. 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. Impariamo insieme! XXhosa tradition is an extremely powerful social force binding together these people of Eastern Cape province, most evident in Xhosa beliefs revering their ancestors. The sociolinguistic story of the South African Khoesan languages is one of language death (Dorian 1989), and finds its place in the discussion of language death in Africa (Dimendaal 1989, Brenzinger 1992, Brenzinger et al. A palatal click is a sharp pop made by drawing the tongue down quickly from the roof of the mouth. All rights reserved. At the secondary level, instruction in schools serving Xhosa-speaking students is in English. Watch this video of Miriam Makebas singQongqothwane in Xhosa, also known as The Click Song. Most of the languages are unwritten, but Nama and Naro have Latin-based orthographies. Starostin (2013) accepts a relationship between Sandawe and Khoi is plausible, as is one between Tuu and Kxa, but sees no indication of a relationship between Sandawe and Khoi on the one hand and Tuu and Kxa on the other, or between any of them and Hadza. "Die Khoe-sprachigen Buschmnner der Kalahari." Zigula, 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.
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