All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Xhosa. work in Xhosa was published in 1823. In South Africa, 19.1 million speak the language, with 8.1 million speaking it as their first language. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Mwani, Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [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. National Treasures Comorian, #VisitSouthAfrica https://t.co/ncCaKrq4Fa, The Summit includes a Sustainability Village that aims to boost the local economy and power positive economic activ https://t.co/OEOnUXyWdU, Clareb accessories is your one stop shop for all things, unique earrings, necklaces, bracelets. Khoisan languages, characterised by implosive consonants or 'clicks', belonged to a totally different language family from those of the Bantu speakers. XXhosa tradition is an extremely powerful social force binding together these people of Eastern Cape province, most evident in Xhosa beliefs revering their ancestors. 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. Christian missionaries during the early 19th century. The origin of Khoisan click consonants and their peculiarly African provenance therefore remains a mystery. 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. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. women are easily recognised by their heavy dress, matching turban and coloured dots decorating their faces. The majority of languages which contain clicks originate with the Khoisan languages. A member of a Bantu people inhabiting the eastern part of Cape Province, South Africa. We have loved having you in our country ! Venda, In this lesson, we will be focusing on the different uses of "nga" and how to use it correctly in different contexts. Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Free State and Northern Cape. Start learning here! The 'X' in Xhosa, for example, represents a type of . 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. However, not all noun classes can be so easily defined. Planning a trip? Xhosa is rich in uncommon consonants. However, tones are usually not indicated in writing. It is also taught in universities. While palatalisation occurred historically, it is still productive, as is shown by palatalization before the passive suffix /-w/ and before diminutive suffix /-ana/. Emeritus Professor of African Studies; former Director, Institute for African Studies, University of Cologne. As in other Bantu languages, nouns in Xhosa are classified into morphological classes, or genders (15 in Xhosa), with different prefixes for both singular and plural. A Xhosa initiate, undergoing a . For much of the 20th century, they were thought to be genealogically related to each other, but this is no longer accepted. 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 word "Xhosa" is derived from the Khoisan language and means "angry men". A Beginners Guide Khoisan: Africas Clicking Languages. used as a language of instruction in primary schools, and in some The Khoisan (Khoesan) language family is the smallest of the language families of Africa. Tsonga, 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). Xhosa is a Bantu language spoken in South Africa, mainly in the Jita, In A. Traill (ed. A Niger-Congo language and a member of the Bantu family (Nguni group), spoken by more than 5 million people in the south-eastern part of South Africa, most notably in Cape Province and Transkei; also known as isiXhosa. for $0.07/word. Release of the forward closure results in a pop-like sound. It has therefore been recognized that the Xhosa language formed after historical interaction with the Khoisan. 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. "Khoisan." While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. #VisitSouthAfrica https://t.co/A4fSLf2jvP, Hello Cape Town Xhosa, They are called upon for guidance, support, or to turn the tide of fortune. 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. The X and H languages are even more complex. Accent I'm fluent in Xhosa. . Although mutually intelligible, they are considered to be separate languages for political and cultural reasons. Verbs use the following prefixes for the subject and object: The following is a list of phrases that can be used when one visits a region whose primary language is Xhosa: Xhosa-speaking people have inhabited coastal regions of southeastern Africa since before the 16th century. Colours | Xhosa has three basic clicks . If you like this site and find it useful, you can support it by making a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or by contributing in other ways. Sources The name Khoisan is a compound word formed with the native words khoiperson and sanforager, meaning persons who forage in the bush or bushmen. 'The adaptation of non-click consonants in Xhosa'. A system for writing Xhosa using the Latin alphabet was devised by Thus, a more correct spelling is Khoesaan. Interestingly, the word Xhosa is from the Khoisan language and means The angry men. Zinza, They are called upon for guidance, support. The language is marked by the large number of click consonant sounds used. 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. [citation needed], Khoisan was proposed as one of the four families of African languages in Joseph Greenberg's classification (19491954, revised in 1963). [11] Zunda languages effectively form a dialect continuum of variously mutually intelligible varieties. Eton, 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. The Tuu family consists of two language clusters, which are related to each other at about the distance of Khoekhoe and Tshukhwe within Khoe. It is a Methodist hymn written in Xhosa by Enoch Sontonga in 1897. Nguni - a group of southern Bantu 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. Xhosa is a Bantu language that is closely related to Ndebele and Swazi and is characterized by the unique click sounds for some letters. ''Studies in African Linguistic Classification.'' I'm the 'guide' behind The Intrepid Guide, an Award-Winning site for travellers and language learners with thousands of readers, 1,000+ students, and a popular newsletter. 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. In Nguni. Those who speak this language typically form part of the ethnic group called the amaXhosa and refer to their language as isiXhosa. Literary works, including prose and poetry, are available in Xhosa, as are newspapers and magazines. 2003. 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! Ngqika is considered to be the standard variety. Although Xhosa and Zulu are similar enough to be considered dialects of one language, Xhosa and Zulu speakers consider them to be separate languages. But those simple 5 clicks can add a lot to a sentence. Mandekan, [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]. http://glosbe.com/en/xh/ 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. This click is like the sound people make to call horses. 4 Before monosyllabic stems in some words. 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). Xhosa is one of four sister languages called Nguni Languages (Ndebele, Swati, Xhosa and Zulu) which are all mutually intelligible. http://www.freelang.net/dictionary/xhosa.php Bemba, [12] However, this classification is not widely accepted. 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. For instance, they can be aspirated, nasalised and glottalised. They are better described as slack voiced than as breathy voiced. [1] [2] Khoisan is defined as those languages that have click consonants and do not belong to other African language families. The Khoe family appears to have migrated to southern Africa not long before the Bantu expansion. Numbers | 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! The sound system of Nama is characterized by an abundance of click consonants. #CapeTownEPrix The other Khoisan languages are unrecognized and marginalized, especially in South 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". 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. The spirits of those who have passed on are honoured in rituals and ceremonies. 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. Proto-Central-Khoisan. Archaeological evidence suggests that the Khoisan people appeared in southern Africa some 60,000 years ago. Home South African Culture and Tradition Explored Languages of South Africa Xhosa Language of the Eastern Cape. Translate files. Below are some common words and sentences in Xhosa. The various parts of the sentence must agree in both class and number.[12]. 2 is- and iz- replace isi- and izi- respectively before stems beginning with a vowel, e.g. Rafiki, the sagely mandrill chants Xhosa on The Lion King and its reboot. 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. "Die Khoisan-Familie." Khoisan Last but not least is the Khoisan family with between 40 - 70 members. [12] It is the second most common Bantu home language in South Africa as a whole. The number of Khoisan speakers has declined drastically in the last three centuries due to European colonisation, demographic pressures and changing lifestyles. Tswa, 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. Several radio stations and one TV station broadcast in Xhosa. Here's 10 things you didn't know about this incredib, We're proud of you @KelvinvdLinde Xhosa is the most widely distributed African language in South Africa, though the most widely spoken African language is Zulu. Xhosa - a Bantu language closely related to Zulu. Southern Sotho, The Xhosa language is properly referred to as isiXhosa. In, Gldemann, Tom and Rainer Vossen. Each click can combine with a number of accompanying articulations such as voicing, nasality, aspiration, and ejection producing a potentially large number of consonantal sounds: Nama has 20, Gwi 52, Juhoan 55 and Xo 83. Additional phonemes use sequences of multiple letters. 2014 - 2023. Xhosa, Zulu, Ndelebele and Swati share most of their basic vocabulary as well as grammar. In, Winter, J.C. 1981. Enchantment winds through the Xhosa language, dress and rituals. [1][2] Khoisan is defined as those languages that have click consonants and do not belong to other African language families. . 1998. Tshiluba, There is also the South Cushitic language Dahalo in Kenya, which has dental clicks in a few score words, and an extinct and presumably artificial Australian ritual language called Damin, which had only nasal clicks. Mende, Updates? These are the only languages known to have clicks in normal vocabulary. [14] Also, a small community of Xhosa speakers (18,000) live in Quthing District, Lesotho.[15]. The following table gives an overview of Xhosa noun classes, arranged according to singular-plural pairs. The chart below (taken from Some elements of the structure of the Xhosa verb) shows some of the possible slots for prefixes and suffixes. They are marked with a raised //. There are five places of articulation at which click consonants occur. Herero, [22], Proportion of the South African population that speaks Xhosa at home, These are analogous to the slack-voice nasals mh, nh, etc. All Rights Reserved. , "A Lexicostatistical Approach towards Reconstructing Proto-Khoisan", "From modern Khoisan languages to Proto-Khoisan: The Value of Intermediate Reconstructions. Grazie! 1998. In 1996[update], the literacy rate for first-language Xhosa speakers was estimated at 50%.[15]. and is made by putting the tongue just behind the front teeth. Its great for beginners getting started in a language and invaluable for intermediates looking to fill in gaps in their vocabulary and pronunciation. South Khoisan includes a couple of endangered and several extinct languages of the Kalahari Desert. However, there is no scientific proof to support this hypothesis since all languages use sound symbolism to a lesser or greater extent. The Khoisan language groups are different in structure and vocabulary although the groups are closely related, unlike the Bantu languages such as the Xhosa and Zulu which are similar to one another. All Khoisan languages but two are indigenous to southern Africa and belong to three language families. Xhosa is used in primary schools up to the second grade and is studied as a subject in both primary and secondary schools up to the tenth grade. The Xhosa language is a member of the Bantu family and is closely related to Zulu. Haya, #VisitSouthAfrica https://t.co/xwXs0dxd2l, We've got you covered! Nyamwezi, Tower of Babel | The release of the forward closure results in a pop-like sound. No idea what a clicking language is? They are known as the Saa by the Nama, and this is the source of the word San. The ceremonial slaughtering of animals is one of the many ways by which ancestors are invoked. 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. sokwenza isenzo ongathanda ukuba senziwe kumzalwane wakho. Xhosa has a Roman-based orthography which was developed by missionaries in the 19th century and adapted to represent the sounds of the language. Most of the languages are endangered, and several are moribund or extinct. Nguni languages are, in turn, classified under the much larger abstraction of Bantu languages. This distinctive linguistic characteristic was adopted by a number of neighbouring Bantu languages, such as Xhosa and Zulu in South Africa. Tradues em contexto de "Khoisan" en portugus-ingls da Reverso Context : Palavras-chave: Khoisan; reconciliation; identity; narrative; communication. Nyole, Xhosa is also heard in Johannesburg and the Western Cape. It is spoken by the Xhosa people in South Africa, and has around 8 million speakers. Ejective consonants 3. Other languages have little more than 1,000 speakers while several are known to have become extinct. Thus their language is variously said to be extinct or to have 18,000 speakers, to be Ju or to be Khoe. I will never give away, trade or sell your email address. Implosive consonants Khoisan languages, a unique group of African languages spoken mainly in southern Africa, with two outlying languages found in eastern Africa. There are books, This offer isnt available anywhere else! No part of this site shall be reproduced, copied, or otherwise distributed without the express, written consent of SouthAfrica.com. Adjectives, possessive pronouns and demonstratives agree with the noun they modify in class and number. so much, I reached out to them and weve teamed up to offer, across all of uTalks 140 languages! 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. A palatal click is a sharp pop made by drawing the tongue down quickly from the roof of the mouth. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Nama, the largest Khoisan language, is officially recognized in Namibia and is taught at universities. magazines and newspapers in Xhosa, as well as TV and radio programmes, Subscribe to my newsletter to receive detailed travel guides, exclusive travel and language learning tips, priority access to giveaways and more! 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. It is also spoken in Botswana and Lesotho. The Origins of the Xhosa Language The Xhosa Language has its roots in South Africa from an ethnic group known as the amaXhosa. Two languages of east Africa, those of the Sandawe and Hadza, originally were also classified as Khoisan, although their speakers are ethnically neither Khoikhoi nor San. languages as a result of long and extensive interaction between the It is one of the eleven official languages of the Republic of South Africa. The Khoisan people have a unique language that is characterized by clicking sounds made with the tongue and mouth. Nama, in particular, has a long tradition of literacy. These famous click sounds are found in Khoisan languages (alternative names include Khoesaan or Khoesan). Fricatives become affricated and, if voiceless, they become ejectives as well: mf is pronounced [pf], ndl is pronounced [nd], n+hl becomes ntl [nt], n+z becomes ndz [ndz], n+q becomes [n] etc. Traduzioni in contesto per "Xhosa" in inglese-ucraino da Reverso Context: Ubuntu is a concept and a term from several South African languages, including Zulu and Xhosa. Xhosa language, Xhosa formerly spelled Xosa, a Bantu language spoken by seven million people in South Africa, especially in Eastern province. . [12], Xhosa is the most widely distributed African language in South Africa, though the most widely spoken African language is Zulu. Hadza (Hatsa), one of the East African Khoisan languages, is a remarkable exception to this, having retained its vitality through a pattern of stable bilingualism with Swahili, the dominant Bantu language in the area. ), Africa: Journal of the International African Institute. http://xhosaculture.co.za/about-us/learn-xhosa/ Kisi, 2005. #VisitSouthAfrica https://t.co/EHxIRKzU37, RT @FIAFormulaE: The Rainbow Nation Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Umbundu, The Xhosa language (Isixhosa), of which there are variations, is part of the Nguni language group. uku-sebenz-is-el + wa -> ukusetyenziselwa "be used for"), but does not affect morpheme-initial consonants (i.e. secondary schools. This creates a sound somewhat resembling a cork being pulled out of a bottle. Therefore, the absolute duration of voicing is the same as in tenuis stops. Author of. Learning materials, Information about the Xhosa language Snyman, Jan Winston. Kimbundu, 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. Marking of the plural number depends on the noun class. 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., . Mbunda, The Xhosa comprise a number of clans such as Gcaleka, Ngika, Ndlambe, Dushane and the Qayi. Isewell [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons. Most have no written record. In, Khler, O. uku-bhal+wa -> ukubhalwa "to be written", instead of illicit *ukujalwa). 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. The /i/ vowel is long in the penultimate syllable and short in the last syllable.[16]. 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). The KhoisanThe Khoisan are a group of indigenous people who inhabit Southern Africa, mainly in the regions of Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Angola, Zambia. There are a number of print publications in Xhosa, or in Xhosa and English. The verb is modified by affixes to mark subject, object, tense, aspect and mood. Includes English and Italian translations with pronuncation guide. When consonants are prenasalised, their pronunciation and spelling may change. Kinyarwanda, Southern Khoisan languages have a very high ratio of words containing clicks as compared to those that do not contain them.
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