ǁXegwi language
ǁXegwi | |
---|---|
Region | South Africa |
Ethnicity | Tlou-tle |
Extinct | 1988, with the death of Jopi Mabinda[1] |
Tuu
| |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | xeg |
Glottolog | xegw1238 |
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 [k͡ʟ̝̊ouk͡ʟ̝̊e]. 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 click|ǂ]] and [[alveolar click|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 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
central | lateral | central | lateral | ||||||
Nasal | m | n | ɲ | ŋ | |||||
Plosive | voiced | b | d | ɟ | ɡ | ɢ | |||
tenuis | t | k | q | ʔ | |||||
aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | cʰ | kʰ | k͡ʟ̝̊ʰ | qʰ | |||
Affricate | voiceless | ts tx |
tɬ | tʃ | kx | k͡ʟ̝̊ | |||
voiced | dz | dʒ | |||||||
Fricative | voiceless | s | ɬ | ʃ | x | h | |||
voiced | β | z | ɮ | ɦ | |||||
Sonorant | r | l | j | w |
Glottalic consonants | Bilabial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
central | lateral | |||||
Plosive | tʼ | cʼ | kʷʼ | qʼ | ||
Affricate | tsʼ | tʃʼ | kxʼ | k͡ʟ̝̊ʼ |
Lingual consonants | Labial | Dental | Alveolar | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
central | lateral | ||||
Nasal | modal | ᵑʘ | ᵑǀ | ᵑǃ | ᵑǁ |
glottalized | ᵑǀˀ | ᵑǁˀ | |||
murmured | ᵑǀʱ | ᵑǁʱ | |||
Plosive | voiced | ᶢǀ | ᶢǃ | ᶢǁ | |
tenuis | ᵏʘ | ᵏǀ | ᵏǃ | ᵏǁ | |
Affricate | ᵏʘx | ᵏǀx | ᵏǃx | ᵏǁx |
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
- ^ Davie, Kevin. "The secret pool of surviving Bushmen at Chrissiesmeer". The M&G Online. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
- ^ Yvonne Treis, 1998, "Names of Khoisan Languages and their Variants"
- ^ Anthony Traill, 1999. Extinct South African Khoisan Languages.
External links