Nama language
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| Nama (Khoekhoegowab) | |
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| Spoken in: | Namibia, Botswana, South Africa |
| Region: | Orange River, Great Namaland |
| Total speakers: | 233,000 Namibia: approx. 176,000 |
| Ranking: | Not in top 100 |
| Genetic classification: | Khoisan Southern Africa |
| Official status | |
| Official language of: | - |
| Regulated by: | - |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-1 | - |
| ISO 639-2 | khi |
| SIL | NAQ |
| See also: Language – List of languages | |
Nama is a Khoisan language spoken in Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. It has 3 tones and 5 vowels. There are 20 click consonants in Nama. The name of the Nama speakers, Khoikhoin or Khoekhoen, is from the Nama word kxòi, which apparently means person or man, reduplicated and with the suffix -n to indicate plural. According to Ethnologue, there are 233,000 speakers as of 1998.
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Classification
Nama is a Khoisan language, of the Central South African languages subphylum.
Geographic distribution
Nama has 233,000 speakers in Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.
Dialects
Sounds
Phonemes
There are a total of 42 phonemes. Nama has the vowels /a e i o u/ and their nasal forms. There are three tones, so <à> is in the low tone and <á> is in the high tone.
Consonental Phonemes
| bilabial | alveolar | velar | glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| stop | p | t | k | ' |
| fricative | s | x | h | |
| africate | ts | kx | ||
| nasal | m | n | ||
| tap | r |
Clicks
| dental | alveolar | palatal | lateral | |
| velar stop | / | ! | = | // |
| aspirated | /h | !h | =h | //h |
| with glottal stop | /' | !' | =' | //' |
| nasal | /n | !n | =n | //n |
| velar africate | /x | !x | =x | //x |
Grammar
Nama has a Subject-Object-Verb word order.
Example
Xam-i ke 'a /úrún hòán tì kàó'ao káísep 'a /aísa, /óm //xáí, xápú kxáó, tsií !háése ra !xóés !'áróma.
Tsií maátsekám //óakas hòásàp ke =xam xam-à !árop !naa ='oá tsií //'iip tì /aísìpà síí kèrè /noóku náú /úrún /xáa. Tsií maá tsèes hòásàp ke //'iipà kèrè 'óa-/xií tàn'aose. Tsií nee =hòas ke /úrún !húùp hòárákap !naa kè //nàúhè tsií ='ánhè 'ií xam-i 'a /úrún tì kàó'ao !xáisà. Tsií maá tsèes híí'ap kèrè 'óa-/xií tàn tsiís kxáó!áa 'oos ke //'iip tì //uusà kèrè koápi "tíí 'óátse! /óm !nórótse! xápú kxáótse! /óm //xáítse! 'áore kxòetse!" tí.
Xapes ke /úí tsekám //óaka kxàí-máá tsiíp ke =xam xam-à kàrósn 'oo !xóó/xáapi "/óm //xáítse! /óm !nórótse! xam //'oatse! xápú kxáótse!" tí, !xóó/xáapi tóá tsií kè míí "am'aseta ke ra =óm saáts maá /úrún hòán xaa 'a /aísa !xáisà. Maá tsèes hòásàts ke saátsà ='oá !árop !naa tsií 'óa-/xií tsií ra //aute 'am'asets saátsà 'a /úrún tì kàó'ao !xáisà. Xape, tíí 'óátse! /úí tsèets ke nìí ='oá !árop !naa. Tsií ='oá tsiíts !árop !naa ra !uumaa híí'ats ke =xarí xuuróp =hanúse ra !úu !xoótì !naa =nùa tànásepà nìí mùu. Tsií, tíí 'óátse! /óm //xáítse! /óm !nórótse! xápú kxáótse! //naá =xarí xuuróp /xáats kàrà /haó'ú tsèes //naás 'áís ke sóresà nìí =aa 'óa-/xií tamats hàa híí'a. //naá xuuróp tì /'òns ke "kxòep" tí ra =aíhè.
English Translation
The lion is king of all the beasts because he is very strong, thick of chest, slim of waist, and runs fast.
Every morning, the young lion would go out into the forest and compare his strength with the other beasts. And every day he would return the victor. This news was heard and known throughout the animal world: that the lion was king of the beasts. Every day that he would return victorious, his mother would praise him, "Son of mine! Thick of neck! Thick of chest! He-man!"
But one morning, when having got up the young lion was stretching, she praised him, "Thick of chest! Thick of neck! Lion-armed! Slim of waist!," finished praising him and said, "I truly believe that you are strongest of all the beasts. Every day you go out into the forest and return, and show me that you are truly king of the beasts. But, my son, one day you will go out into the forest. And while you are out walking around in the forest, you will see a little thing which walks straight, its head sitting on its shoulders. And, Son of mine! Thick of chest! Thick of neck! Slim of waist!, the day you meet that little thing, on that day the sun will set while you have not returned. The name of that little thing is called 'man'.
Trivia
- Nama is a national language in Namibia, and doctorates in the study of the language can be earned at the University of Namibia.
- In Namibia and South Africa, radio programs can be broadcast in Nama.
- There is a dictionary of the Nama language available.
See also
- Namaqua - people in south Africa.
External links
- Nama pronouns (http://www.san.org.za/san/09_lang_orth/lang_nama.htm=NAQ)
- Nama Swadesh Word List from Rosetta Project (http://www.rosettaproject.org/live/search/contribute/swadesh/view?ethnocode=NAQ)
- The Ethnologue Report for Nama (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=NAQ)
- Nama syntax (http://ling.uni-konstanz.de/pages/proj/Sprachbau/pronouns/Abstracts/h&h.html=NAQ)