ǁXegwi language

ǁXegwi
ǁXegwi
Region	South Africa
Ethnicity	Tlou-tle
Extinct	1988, with the death of Jopi Mabinda
Language family	Tuu ǃKwi ǁXegwi; ;
Language codes
ISO 639-3	xeg
Glottolog	xegw1238
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ǁXegwi, also known as Batwa, is an extinct ǃKwi language spoken at Lake Chrissie in South Africa, near the Swazi border. The last known speaker, Jopi Mabinda, was murdered in 1988.^[2] However, a reporter for the South African newspaper Mail & Guardian reports that ǁXegwi may still be spoken in the Chrissiesmeer district.^[3]

The ǁXegwi name for their language has been spelled giǁkwi:gwi or kiǁkwi:gwi. Their name for themselves has been transcribed tlou tle or kxlou-kxle, presumably [kouke]. The Nguni (Zulu and Swazi) called them (a)batwa, amaNkqeshe, amaNgqwigqwi; the Sotho called them Baroa/Barwa.^[4]

Phonology

ǁXegwi lost the abrupt clicks (the various manners of [[palatal clicks|ǂ]] and [[alveolar clicks|ǃ]]) found in its relatives. It reacquired ǃ from Nguni Bantu languages, but clicks remained relatively infrequent, compared to other Tuu languages. It also had a series of uvular plosives not found in other Tuu languages.^[5]

Pulmonic consonants		Bilabial	Alveolar		Palatal	Velar		Uvular	Glottal
Pulmonic consonants		Bilabial	central	lateral	Palatal	central	lateral	Uvular	Glottal
Nasal		m	n		ɲ	ŋ
Plosive	voiced	b	d		ɟ	ɡ		ɢ
	tenuis		t			k		q	ʔ
	aspirated	pʰ	tʰ		cʰ	kʰ	kʰ	qʰ
Affricate	voiceless		ts tx	tɬ	tʃ	kx	k
Affricate	voiced		dz		dʒ
Fricative	voiceless		s	ɬ	ʃ	x			h
Fricative	voiced	β	z	ɮ					ɦ
Sonorant			r	l	j	w

Glottalic consonants	Bilabial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar		Uvular
Glottalic consonants	Bilabial	Alveolar	Palatal	central	lateral	Uvular
Plosive		tʼ	cʼ	kʷʼ		qʼ
Affricate		tsʼ	tʃʼ	kxʼ	kʼ

Lingual consonants		Labial	Dental	Alveolar
Lingual consonants		Labial	Dental	central	lateral
Nasal	modal	ᵑʘ	ᵑǀ	ᵑǃ	ᵑǁ
	glottalized		ǀˀ		ǁˀ
	murmured		ᵑǀʱ		ᵑǁʱ
Plosive	voiced		ᶢǀ	ᶢǃ	ᶢǁ
Plosive	tenuis	ʘ	ǀ	ǃ	ǁ
Affricate		ʘx	ǀx	ǃx	ǁx

References

^ ǁXegwi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
^ Traill, A. "The Khoesan languages", in Mesthrie, Rajend Language in South Africa, Cambridge U.P., 2004
^ http://mg.co.za/article/2011-06-24-the-secret-pool-of-surviving-bushmen-at-chrissiesmeer
^ Yvonne Treis, 1998, "Names of Khoisan Languages and their Variants"
^ Anthony Traill, 1999. Extinct South African Khoisan Languages.

External links

ǁXegwi basic lexicon at the Global Lexicostatistical Database

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[e18-1] ǁXegwi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)

[2] Traill, A. "The Khoesan languages", in Mesthrie, Rajend Language in South Africa, Cambridge U.P., 2004

[3] ttp://mg.co.za/article/2011-06-24-the-secret-pool-of-surviving-bushmen-at-chrissiesmeer

[4] Yvonne Treis, 1998, "Names of Khoisan Languages and their Variants"

[5] Anthony Traill, 1999. Extinct South African Khoisan Languages.

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