Tshiluba, 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. ''Studies in African Linguistic Classification.'' Nguni languages of southern Africa, which include Zulu and Xhosa, are believed to have borrowed their clicks from Khoisan languages. Languages such as Zulu and Xhosa make use of three of the five kinds of clicks. Italian for Confident Conversations (A2-B2). for $0.07/word. Gldemann, Tom. Xhosa (isiXhosa) is the southernmost member of the Bantoid group of the Niger-Congo language family in Africa. [15], John Bennie was a Scottish Presbyterian missionary and early Xhosa linguist. magazines and newspapers in Xhosa, as well as TV and radio programmes, This term, now considered derogatory, means stutterer in Dutch. The language is an important part of Khois. Pair them with vowels, tones, and other constants and you've got a wide variety of sounds and meanings. Otherwise, they tend to be tenuis (plain) stops. Khoisan languages, characterised by implosive consonants or 'clicks', belonged to a totally different language family from those of the Bantu speakers. The Khoisan language family is the smallest of the language families of Africa. Xhosa, Zulu, Ndelebele and Swati share most of their basic vocabulary as well as grammar. But, as with any language, Xhosa had a rich history of oral traditions from which the society taught, informed, and entertained one another. In, Sands, Bonny. 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! The verb "nga" has a variety of forms . http://ilanguages.org/xhosa.php In contrast to the San who spoke highly divergent languages, the Khoikhoi spoke closely related dialects of the same language. The official name of the language is isiXhosa, with the key word Xhosa being derived from the Khoisan 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. 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. Tswa, This process can skip rightwards to non-local syllables (i.e. Xhosa (isiXhosa) is the southernmost member of the Bantoid group of the Niger-Congo language family in Africa. Believed to be the oldest of the four language families, it is the smallest of the four and is found mainly in Southern Africa. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. In fact, these differences are so pronounced as to suggest that in a linguistic discussion the term Khoisan should be used only in a loose typological sense to refer to a group of languages that share some features of sound structure (mainly involving clicks) and not as the name of a language family in the strict sensesuch as Indo-European, Sino-Tibetan, or Bantuin which some shared features are found at all levels of structure and these features are assumed to have been inherited from a common ancestral language. iliso (eye), uluhlu (list). Xhosa is an agglutinative language that expresses grammatical functions by adding prefixes and suffixes to roots. This means I earn a commission if you click on any of them and buy something. Damin is an invented ritual language, and has nothing to do with Khoisan. Kamba, Planning a trip? As with other South African languages, Xhosa is characterized by respectful forms of address for elders and in-laws. 2 is- and iz- replace isi- and izi- respectively before stems beginning with a vowel, e.g. XXhosa tradition is an extremely powerful social force binding together these people of Eastern Cape province, most evident in Xhosa beliefs revering their ancestors. Literary works, including prose and poetry, are available in Xhosa, as are newspapers and magazines. Umbundu, The Khoisan languages differ in the number of such modifications from a low of 20 in Nama to a high of 83 in Kxoe. Their language is often called the click, language because of its three dominant clicks, which. 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. Using the prefixes, nouns can be grouped into noun classes, which are numbered consecutively, to ease comparison with other Bantu languages. Xhosa is considered to be a Category II language in terms of difficulty for speakers of English. Southern Khoisan has a fifth click, the bilabial . Impariamo insieme! [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 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. Their use in education has been governed by legislation, beginning with the Bantu Education Act, 1953.[12]. http://www.southafricalogue.com/travel-tips/south-african-phrases-xhosa.html, Basaa, 2005. The X and H languages are even more complex. [12] It is the second most common Bantu home language in South Africa as a whole. What separates her from other instructors is her ability to explain complex grammar in a no-nonsense, straightforward manner using her 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. [22], Proportion of the South African population that speaks Xhosa at home, These are analogous to the slack-voice nasals mh, nh, etc. The original and unique use of clicks in the Khoisan languages has invited speculation that these unusual sounds might reflect an earlier stage in the evolution of language when sounds were natural vocal adaptations to the environment. In Xhosa, the verb "have" is represented by the word "nga" and its various forms. 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. Dental clicks are represented by the letter c, alveolar clicks are indicated by q, and lateral clicks are written with the letter x. Vowel length is not always represented in writing. 1997. But without a shift in language policy and government . The branches that were once considered part of so-called Khoisan are now considered independent families, since it has not been demonstrated that they are related according to the standard comparative method. Updates? 15% of its vocabulary is estimated to be of Khoekhoe (Khoisan) origin. Tower of Babel | A certain amount of intermarriage with the Khoisan people they found here also gave rise to clans like the Gqunkhwebe. MustGo.com. Loma, All Khoisan languages but two are indigenous to southern Africa and belong to three language families. Learning materials, Information about the Xhosa language While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Views on views on views A dental click sounds like tsk, tsk! Clicks are spreading to a few additional neighboring languages. However, some of the letters have a different pronunciation from English. Marking of the plural number depends on the noun class. The palatalization process only applies once, as evidenced by ukuphuphumisa+wa -> ukuphuphunyiswa "to be made to overflow", instead of the illicit alternative, *ukuphutshunyiswa. 1998. Venda, Nyungwe, The numerous click consonants have been borrowed from Khoi or San words. Do you think English would be more interesting with similar click sounds? http://xhosaculture.co.za/about-us/learn-xhosa/ When consonants are prenasalised, their pronunciation and spelling may change. Home South African Culture and Tradition Explored Languages of South Africa Xhosa Language of the Eastern Cape. 0 characters. Want my "9 Steps to Reach Fluency Faster" playbook? 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. Xhosa is a tonal language with two inherent phonemic tones: low and high. Not all languages using clicks as phonemes are considered Khoisan. Northern Sotho, (Click here for an audio sample of the extinct !Ora language.) Traill demonstrated this linguistic diversity in the data presented in the below table. They are currently restricted to the Kalahari Desert, primarily in Namibia and Botswana, and to the Rift Valley in central Tanzania.[2]. OshiWambo, 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. 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. 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). They are called upon for guidance, support. 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. Genetically, the Hadza people are unrelated to the Khoisan peoples of Southern Africa, and their closest relatives may be among the Pygmies of Central Africa. sas 1. If you want detailed destinations guides, languages learning tips, and travel phrase guides, then you've come to the right place! Sukuma, 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. [14] Also, a small community of Xhosa speakers (18,000) live in Quthing District, Lesotho.[15]. However, the Dutch used the word stotteraarto more specifically describe the clicking sounds used in the 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 click is like the sound people make to call horses. (Reprints, with minor corrections, a series of eight articles published in the ''Southwestern Journal of Anthropology'' from 1949 to 1954. The verb is modified by affixes to mark subject, object, tense, aspect and mood. [12] It is the second most common Bantu home language in South Africa as a whole. Xhosa is a Bantu language spoken in South Africa, mainly in the http://learn101.org/xhosa.php Subscribe using the form below to have all of my posts delivered directly to your email. Anthony Traill noted the Khoisan languages' extreme variation. South Khoisan includes a couple of endangered and several extinct languages of the Kalahari Desert. Bulu, 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. Similarly, the tenuis (plain) clicks are often glottalised, with a long voice onset time, but that is uncommon. . The Xhosa language is properly referred to as isiXhosa. 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. 2. secondary schools. Janina Brutt-Griffler claims, "given that such colonial borders were generally arbitrarily drawn, they grouped large numbers of ethnic groups that spoke many languages." Chokwe, Lozi, Therefore, the absolute duration of voicing is the same as in tenuis stops. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Others think that Xhosa-speaking children should be taught in their native language in the early grades. Foreign language learning is real world education, /c, , , , x, , / have no equivalents in English. Learn how your comment data is processed. It is also taught in universities. Ernst Oswald Johannes Westphal is known for his early rejection of the Khoisan language family (Starostin 2003). C'est la deuxime langue la plus parle du pays. Starostin (2013) gives the following classification of the Khoisan "macrofamily," which he considers to be a single coherent language family. Mwani, Release of the forward closure results in a pop-like sound. Kirundi, ), Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. Xhosa is the most widely distributed African language in South Africa, though the most widely spoken African language is Zulu. (Their numbers have been included under Nama above.) Xhosa, which is also known as Xosa or Koosa, is a clicking language. 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. http://www.gononda.com/xhosa/, Xhosa phrases #VisitSouthAfrica https://t.co/EHxIRKzU37, RT @FIAFormulaE: The Rainbow Nation Take a look at Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Xhosa. Lambya, used as a language of instruction in primary schools, and in some 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. 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. 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. These famous click sounds are found in Khoisan languages (alternative names include Khoesaan or Khoesan). Below are some common words and sentences in Xhosa. Ewondo, 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. The San were formerly called Bushmen, (from . 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. In, Khler, O. The normal word order in Xhosa is Verb-Object (the subject is part of the verb compound). Gwere, The 'X' in Xhosa, for example, represents a type of . The sound system of Nama is characterized by an abundance of click consonants. In 1996[update], the literacy rate for first-language Xhosa speakers was estimated at 50%.[15]. 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;}. ", Commission for Cultural, Religious and Linguistic Community Rights, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Khoisan_languages&oldid=1132757639, Short description is different from Wikidata, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from July 2020, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2019, Articles with unsourced statements from February 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Ehret, Christopher. 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. Xhosa beliefs recognise the presence of ancestral spirits and a supreme authority. nangokweemfanelo. Xhosa is categorized as a Bantu language and is representative of the south-western Nguni subfamily group. Here are a few of these words. are about 8.2 million native speakers of Xhosa, and another 11 million The ceremonial slaughtering of animals is one of the many ways by which ancestors are invoked. Learning Xhosa is a challenging, but rewarding experience. Numbers | Songe, Swahili, Nande, , "A Lexicostatistical Approach towards Reconstructing Proto-Khoisan", "From modern Khoisan languages to Proto-Khoisan: The Value of Intermediate Reconstructions. Michele creates language learning guides and courses for travel. Mandekan, All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Proto-Central-Khoisan. The rest of the elements are placed to the left or to the right of the verb root. People who speak Xhosa as their second language number about 11 million. Ngqika is considered to be the standard variety. Beadwork similar to the Ndebele is an integral aspect of Xhosa tradition. Herero, In the International Phonetic Alphabet, clicks are represented by placing the assigned symbol for the place of click articulation to the left of a symbol for a nonclick sound at the same place of articulation. The pocket of air produced by the resulting enclosure is rarefied by the sucking action of the tongue. Omissions? Bemba, Jita, It is spoken by the Xhosa people in South Africa, and has around 8 million speakers. [citation needed], Khoisan was proposed as one of the four families of African languages in Joseph Greenberg's classification (19491954, revised in 1963). The Tuu family consists of two language clusters, which are related to each other at about the distance of Khoekhoe and Tshukhwe within Khoe. women are easily recognised by their heavy dress, matching turban and coloured dots decorating their faces. 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. There are several places of articulation at which click consonants occur, as shown in the table below. A Haiom language is listed in most Khoisan references. A Xhosa initiate, undergoing a . 1 Before monosyllabic stems, e.g. Family words | 1. Densely populated with uncommon consonants, Xhosa consists of the usual pulmonic egressive sounds (used in English), ejectives, 15 clicks and an implosive. 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". 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. [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]. In, Gldemann, Tom and Rainer Vossen. Tonga, Though these are still under debate, one frequently accepted dialect grouping is as follows: Xhosa (original), Bhaca, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise, Ngqika, Mpondo, Mfengu and Bomvana. The 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. Yao, The Tanzanian languages, Sandawe and Hadza, use only three basic clicks: |, , and !. The language is marked by the large number of click consonant sounds used. Xhosa has the following clicks consonants which can be modified in a variety of ways, such as aspirated, breathy-voiced or nasalized. Xhosa, derived from the Khoisan language, refers to "angry men." The majority of the South African languages that use tongue-clicking have roots in the indigenous Khoisan . https://www.twinkl.co.za/resources/south-africa-resources/isixhosa-foundation-phase-english-south-africa-suid-afrika/2, Online Xhosa dictionaries Xhosa is an unusual and attractive sounding language, though difficult to master. 3. Both Xhosa and Zulu are an official languages in South Africa and Lesotho. Sena, "Phonetic Correspondences among Khoisan Affricates." There are five places of articulation at which click consonants occur.
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