Xhosa Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster The numerous click consonants have been borrowed from Khoi or San words. Beadwork similar to the Ndebele is an integral aspect of Xhosa tradition. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Grammatically, the southern Khoisan languages are generally analytic, having several inflectional morphemes, but not as many as the click languages of Tanzania. Tswa, But this line of thinking has proved fruitless. In, Honken, Henry. 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. Updates? 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. Tone, stress and vowel length are not indicated. The Khoisan. Translate files. A certain amount of intermarriage with the Khoisan people they found here also gave rise to clans like the Gqunkhwebe. The Khoisan languages (/ksn/; also Khoesan or Khoesaan) are a number of African languages once classified together, originally by Joseph Greenberg. 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! The more notable characteristic is their depressor effect on the tone of the syllable.[19]. Linguistics 112 lecture, Department of Linguistics. It forms part of the ornamentation that reflects the different stages of a womans life. (Their numbers have been included under Nama above.) They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Colours | Learning Xhosa is a challenging, but rewarding experience. Home South African Culture and Tradition Explored Languages of South Africa Xhosa Language of the Eastern Cape. In southern Africa, they came into contact with Khoisan-speaking people. Language use is quite strong among the 20,000 speakers of Naro,[clarification needed] half of whom speak it as a second language. Copyright The Intrepid Guide Ltd 2022. Indeed, the use of the term 'Khoikhoi' meaning . 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. http://learn101.org/xhosa.php Shona, The Nguni languages are unique among Bantu languages in that they have imploded "clicking" phonemes. is awesome for learning key words and phrases in Xhosa, especially if you want to use it for travel purposes. Xhosa - Wikipedia The language is marked by the large number of click consonant sounds used. Xhosa, Zulu, Ndelebele and Swati share most of their basic vocabulary as well as grammar. Chichewa, In South Africa, 19.1 million speak the language, with 8.1 million speaking it as their first language. The language is also rich in idioms. 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. 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). 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. 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. Mwani, Xhosa nouns belong to 17 different classes, roughly based on semantic categories, e.g., there are classes for human beings, animals, plants, objects of various shapes, etc. second language speakers. 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. The spirits of those who have passed on are honoured in rituals and ceremonies. We use the verb "have" to denote possession, ownership, and other related meanings. Learning materials, Information about the Xhosa language Archaeological evidence suggests that the Khoisan people appeared in southern Africa some 60,000 years ago. #CapeTownEPrix Xhosa language, Xhosa formerly spelled Xosa, a Bantu language spoken by seven million people in South Africa, especially in Eastern province. Nama, the largest Khoisan language, is officially recognized in Namibia and is taught at universities. If a woman has children, whom she has raised to be adults, then it is usual to find her seated among her peers smoking a long-handled pipe. The 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Here are a few of these words. Xhosa has the following clicks consonants which can be modified in a variety of ways, such as aspirated, breathy-voiced or nasalized. Unfortunately, many of these languages have left behind no written records, so their loss is permanent. Nguni languages are, in turn, classified under the much larger abstraction of Bantu languages. Gwere, [14] Also, a small community of Xhosa speakers (18,000) live in Quthing District, Lesotho.[15]. The palatalization process only applies once, as evidenced by ukuphuphumisa+wa -> ukuphuphunyiswa "to be made to overflow", instead of the illicit alternative, *ukuphutshunyiswa. The official name of the language is isiXhosa, with the key word Xhosa being derived from the Khoisan Language. Snyman, Jan Winston. Mbunda, The status of Xhosa, like all other African languages in the Republic of South Africa, is complex. Its speakers and people belonging to the group are called isiXhosa. Watch this video of Miriam Makebas singQongqothwane in Xhosa, also known as The Click Song. This produces an audible noise. https://www.twinkl.co.za/resources/south-africa-resources/isixhosa-foundation-phase-english-south-africa-suid-afrika/2, Online Xhosa dictionaries Making the Khoisan languages amongst the most ancient of all human tongues. At the secondary level, instruction in schools serving Xhosa-speaking students is in English. 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. 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. 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. De Aar is the commercial center for the wool production and livestock farming industry in this semi-arid region of South Africa. ), Gldemann, Tom and Edward D. Elderkin (forthcoming) '. Nyemba, Want my "9 Steps to Reach Fluency Faster" playbook? However, the Dutch used the word stotteraarto more specifically describe the clicking sounds used in the Khoisan languages. Planning a trip? Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. In this lesson, we will be focusing on the different uses of "nga" and how to use it correctly in different contexts. and is made by putting the tongue just behind the front teeth. 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. Sukuma, Their use in education has been governed by legislation, beginning with the Bantu Education Act, 1953.[12]. 2003. 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). All rights reserved. In Haacke, Wilfrid and Elderkin, Edward Derek (eds. Most of the languages are endangered, and several are moribund or extinct. [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]. [15], The role of indigenous languages in South Africa is complex and ambiguous. #CapeTownEPrix Introduction to African Languages | The African Language Program at Harvard 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. (They may also be voiced between vowels in some speaking styles.) The word lives on, however, in the names of several African animal and plant species, such as the Hottentot Fig or Carpobrotus. https://t.co/qATXK8AEqg, A room filled with great minds, sharing a valuable outlook on living the legacy of the @NelsonMandela Foundation. Ngqika is considered to be the standard variety. The first is dental clicks with the tongue pressing against the back of the teeth. 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. Xhosa Language in South Africa | SouthAfrica.com 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. Thus, the word for people is abantu in all these languages. See Khoe languages for speculations on the linguistic history of the region. They are truly voiced only after nasals, but the oral occlusion is then very short in stops, and it usually does not occur at all in clicks. They are descended from the Nguni, who began migrating south from central and northern Africa more than a thousand years ago. I don't know, but I think you can compare them to Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. It is also spoken in Botswana and Lesotho. 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 is- and iz- replace isi- and izi- respectively before stems beginning with a vowel, e.g. Xhosa (isiXhosa) is the southernmost member of the Bantoid group of the Niger-Congo language family in Africa. Xhosa is an unusual and attractive sounding language, though difficult to master. 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. After migrating to southern Africa, the Xhosa and Zulu adopted the click consonants unique to the Khoisan and loaned some words. Ngqika is considered to be the standard variety. In this view Khoisan hunters might have developed clicks to camouflage their presence as they stalked their prey in an environment of insect and other noises or might have responded to various situations with onomatopoetic vocalizations containing clicks. "Toward reconstructing Proto-South Khoisan." For instance, they can be aspirated, nasalised and glottalised. 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. Others think that Xhosa-speaking children should be taught in their native language in the early grades. Languages such as Zulu and Xhosa make use of three of the five kinds of clicks. "Comparison and Classification of Khoisan languages." Thus, a more correct spelling is Khoesaan. These famous click sounds are found in Khoisan languages (alternative names include Khoesaan or Khoesan). Similarly, the tenuis (plain) clicks are often glottalised, with a long voice onset time, but that is uncommon. 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]. [15], John Bennie was a Scottish Presbyterian missionary and early Xhosa linguist. Aspiration is lost on obstruents; ejection is added on voiceless consonant. Only phonemic, and thus reflected orthographically, for. Khoisan languages, a unique group of African languages spoken mainly in southern Africa, with two outlying languages found in eastern Africa. Northern Ndebele (Zimbabwe), [1][2] Khoisan is defined as those languages that have click consonants and do not belong to other African language families. This site is not affiliated with any government entity associated with a name similar to the site domain name. The next are the alveolar clicks with the tongue tip and palate. Khoisan languages are best known for their use of click consonants as phonemes. The Khoe family appears to have migrated to southern Africa not long before the Bantu expansion. Like other Bantu languages, Xhosa is rich in expressions, idioms, and proverbs. The sound system of Xhosa contains three types of click sounds borrowed from the neighbouring Khoisan languages. Most have no written record. This distinctive linguistic characteristic was adopted by a number of neighbouring Bantu languages, such as Xhosa and Zulu in South Africa. The inventory is taken from Wikipedia. Mushungulu, Ernst Oswald Johannes Westphal is known for his early rejection of the Khoisan language family (Starostin 2003). The Xhosa language employs 26 letters from the Latin alphabet. The various parts of the sentence must agree in both class and number.[12]. Xhosa language, Xhosa formerly spelled Xosa, a Bantu language spoken by seven million people in South Africa, especially in Eastern province. Corrections? Xhosa may refer to: Xhosa people, a nation, and ethnic group, who live in south-central and southeasterly region of South Africa. Xhosa verbs are highly inflected. Their language is often called the click language because of its three dominant clicks, which entered the isiXhosa language when the Nguni arrivals mixed with the Khoisan. Clicks are spreading to a few additional neighboring languages. It's a wrap! 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. Xhosa is rich in uncommon consonants. In Xhosa, the verb "have" is represented by the word "nga" and its various forms. The Khoisan language family is the smallest of the language families of Africa. The language is an important part of Khois. XHOSA - South African Language Xhosa - SA-Venues.com 1998. 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. When plain voiceless clicks (c, x, q) are prenasalized, they become slack voiced nasal (ngc, ngx, ngq). Fricatives become affricates. The Origins of the Xhosa Language The Xhosa Language has its roots in South Africa from an ethnic group known as the amaXhosa. The number of Khoisan speakers has declined drastically in the last three centuries due to European colonisation, demographic pressures and changing lifestyles. Tsonga, According to the 2011 census there Note: all links on this site to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.fr are affiliate links. 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. 2. Implosive consonants The Khoisan | South African History Online They are currently restricted to the Kalahari Desert, primarily in Namibia and Botswana, and to the Rift Valley in central Tanzania.[2]. I will never give away, trade or sell your email address. Bulu, A dental click sounds like tsk, tsk! The red letters are orthographic representations of the sounds. Impariamo insieme! The spirits of those who have passed on are honoured in rituals and ceremonies. No part of this site shall be reproduced, copied, or otherwise distributed without the express, written consent of SouthAfrica.com. 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. The following table gives an overview of Xhosa noun classes, arranged according to singular-plural pairs. 1 Before monosyllabic stems, e.g. C'est la deuxime langue la plus parle du pays. Mpondo (Pondo), Xesibe, Bomwana, Gaika, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise, Ndlambe (Ethnologue). 1. Below are some common words and sentences in Xhosa. Learn the local language with my unique 80/20 method. Northern Ndebele (South Africa), 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. For much of the 20th century, they were thought to be genealogically related to each other, but this is no longer accepted. In this case, Xhosa means 'angry men'. The 15 clicks (which learners tend to battle with the most) are divided into three categories. 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. [citation needed], Khoisan was proposed as one of the four families of African languages in Joseph Greenberg's classification (19491954, revised in 1963). Numbers | Xhosa alphabet, pronunciation and language - Omniglot Xhosa has several dialects, including Mpondo (Pondo), Xesibe, Bomwana, Gaika, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise, Ndlambe (Ethnologue). Tonga, Updates? Xhosa, which is also known as Xosa or Koosa, is a clicking language. Planning a trip? Interestingly, the word Xhosa is from the Khoisan language and means The angry men. The Languages of Africa | Infoplease Ethnologue lists 27 Khoisan languages which are spoken by half a million people or less. (Let's learn together!). Click here to claim your exclusive 30% discount. However, there is no scientific proof to support this hypothesis since all languages use sound symbolism to a lesser or greater extent. http://glosbe.com/en/xh/ Tshiluba, I promise not to spam you. Sandawe is not related to Hadza, despite their proximity. Some languages have become extinct and others are endangered. Gusii, http://www.youtube.com/user/XhosaKhaya The sound system of Nama is characterized by an abundance of click consonants. Corrections? Damin is an invented ritual language, and has nothing to do with Khoisan. "Types of sound correspondence patterns in Khoisan languages." While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. As with other South African languages, Xhosa is characterized by respectful forms of address for elders and in-laws. Accent I'm fluent in Xhosa. According to this hypothesis, clicks might have originally served as onomatopoetic imitations of naturally occurring sounds. The murmur no longer shifts to the following vowel. Digo, That is, da may be pronounced [da] (or, equivalently, [da]). The Khoisan languages ( / ksn /; also Khoesan or Khoesaan) are a number of African languages once classified together, originally by Joseph Greenberg. Terms of Use 3. It is a national of Namibia, along with English and a number of other regional languages. 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. The Khoisan people, who at various points have been referred to using the derogatory terms 'Bushmen' and 'Hottentots', as well as Kung, Kxoe, Khoi Khoi, Ovahimba, San, Vatua and !Xu, are an ethno-linguistic group that has traditionally been marginalised throughout South African history. All Khoisan languages but two are indigenous to southern Africa and belong to three language families. ", 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. Breathy-voiced consonants Kamba, 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. ), Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. Author of. Omniglot is how I make my living. 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. The following table lists the consonant phonemes of the language, with the pronunciation in IPA on the left and the orthography on the right: In addition to the ejective affricate [t], the spelling tsh may also be used for either of the aspirated affricates [ts] and [t].