Naro Bible
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Naro /ˈnɑːroʊ/, also Nharo, is a Khoe language spoken in the Ghanzi District of Botswana and in eastern Namibia. There are about 14,000 speakers: 10,000 in Botswana (2004 Cook) and 4,000 in Namibia (1998 Maho). This makes it probably the most-spoken of the Tshu–Khwe languages. Naro is a trade language among speakers of different Khoe languages in the Ghanzi District. There is currently a dictionary.
Phonology
Naro has the following consonant inventory, in the IPA of Miller (2011) and the orthography of Visser (2001):[1]
| Labial | Dental click |
Alveolar | Lateral click |
Palatal click |
Velar | Glottal | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| stop | affricate | click | |||||||
| Aspirate | ph /pʰ/ | ch /ǀʰ/ | th /tʰ/ | tsh /tsʰ/ | qh /ǃʰ/ | xh /ǁʰ/ | tch /ǂʰ/ | kh /kʰ/ | |
| Tenuis | p /p/ | c /ǀ/ | t /t/ | ts /ts/ | q /ǃ/ | x /ǁ/ | tc /ǂ/ | k /k/ | |
| Voiced | b /b/ | dc /ᶢǀ/ | d /d/ | z /dz/ | dq /ᶢǃ/ | dx /ᶢǁ/ | dtc /ᶢǂ/ | gh /ɡ/ | |
| Nasal | m /m/ | nc /ᵑǀ/ | n /n/ | nq /ᵑǃ/ | nx /ᵑǁ/ | ntc /ᵑǂ/ | |||
| Glottalized | c’ /ᵑǀˀ/ | q’ /ᵑǃˀ/ | x’ /ᵑǁˀ/ | tc’ /ᵑǂˀ/ | |||||
| Fricated | cg /ǀχ/ | tg /tχ/ | tsg /tsχ/ | qg /ǃχ/ | xg /ǁχ/ | tcg /ǂχ/ | (kg /kχ/) | ||
| Fricated ejective | cg’ /ǀχ’/ | ts’ /ts’/ | qg’ /ǃχ’/ | xg’ /ǁχ’/ | tcg’ /ǂχ’/ | kg’ /kχ’/ | |||
| Fricative | f /f/ | s /s/ | g /x/ | h /h/ | |||||
| Flap | r /ɾ/ | ||||||||
Kg and kg’ only contrast for some speakers: kx’ám "mouth" vs. k’áù "male". The flap r is only found medially except in loan words. An l is only found in loans, and is generally substituted by /ɾ/ medially and /n/ initially. Medial [j] and [w] may be /i/ and /u/; they occur initially only in wèé "all, both" and in yèè (an interjection).
Naro has five vowel qualities, a e i o u, which may occur long (aa ee ii oo uu), nasalized (ã ẽ ĩ õ ũ), pressed (a, e, i, o, u), or combinations of these (ã etc.). There are three tones, written á, a, à. Syllables are of the maximal form CVV, where VV is a long vowel, diphthong, or combination of vowel and m, and may take two tones: hḿm̀ "to see"; hm̀m̀ a xám̀ "to smell". The only consonant that can occur finally is m, except that long nasal vowels such as ãã may surface as [aŋ] ([ŋ] does not otherwise occur). Syllabic /n/ also occurs, as in nna.
GNR in these Language
GRN is a non profit organization, and does not pay for translators or language helpers. All assistance is given voluntarily.GRN also has opportunities for Christians to contribute meaningfully to evangelizing unreached people groups through audio Bible stories, Bible lessons, Bible study tools, evangelistic messages, songs and music. You can assist missions or churches involved in evangelism or church planting through sponsoring or distributing materials. We also have exciting opportunities to be involved in missions remotely from wherever you are in the world. If you regularly attend a Christian church, and believe the Bible, you can play a part in mission, and see unreached people groups hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.[2]
The Naro Language Project
The roots of the Naro Language Project lie in the efforts of the congregation of the Reformed Church in D’Kar in the 1980s to try and write their very own language. People like Aron Johannes and Dcatshau Qhomatcã spent many hours writing songs and other materials in an orthography chosen by them. Because there was felt to be a need to have a Bible translation in their language, the help of an organisation from overseas was requested. In 1991 Hessel and Coby Visser came from the Netherlands, supported by the Mission of the Christian Reformed Churches in the Netherlands.[3]
The work of the Naro Language project, affiliated to D'kar Trust, can be divided into three major sections:
- Describe the Naro language.
- Teach people to read and write the Naro language.
- Translate the Bible in the Naro language.
Launch of the Naro Bible
The translation of New Testament into Naro has been launched as a big development to the Naro community and its language.Officially launching Naro language New Testament in Dkar on Saturday, Minister of Infrastructure, Science and Technology Mr Johnnie Swartz said the Bible has always been a source of comfort and inspiration for many, therefore crucial to have it written in ones own language.Swartz urged the Naro speaking community to embrace the gesture and use the Bible as well as the dictionary for better understanding of the word of God to change their lives.He said he is aware that the project of that magnitude could not have been without challenges, adding that the most obvious one is the transition that the San are making from their traditional lifestyle of hunting and gathering to a more modern lifestyle resulting in striking poverty.The secretary general of the Bible Society of Botswana, Reverend Gabriel Tsuaneng said the translation of the New Testament is to hearten the Naro people by having Gods word in their language. Rev. Tsuaneng said the project will assist other agencies in developing Naro materials aimed at increasing literacy among Naro people. The Naro language project started in 1991 at the initiation of the Reformed Church in Dkar with the help of Dutch Churches in the Netherlands.The project also produced a Naro dictionary.[4]
Source
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Naro_Bible.jpg
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Naro_speakers.jpg
References
- ^ Visser originally wrote the palatal clicks with a base of ⟨ç⟩, but switched to ⟨tc⟩ to make the language more accessible from English-language typewriters and keyboards.
- ^ http://globalrecordings.net/en/language/5129
- ^ http://www.kuru.co.bw/naro_language_Project.html
- ^ http://www.dailynews.gov.bw/cgi-bin/news.cgi?d=20121115&i=Swartz_launches_Naro_Bible