Skip to content
Khoekhoe

File:Nama-Damara_taalkaartje_NL.png · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ13301· pop 51· linked from 469 articles

Also known as Khoekhoegowab language, Nàmá language, Nama language, Khoekhoe language, Damara, Hottentot, Nama

Khoe language spoken in southern Africa

Key facts

Pronunciation
[k͡xʰo̜͡ek͡xʰo̜͡ekowap]
Native to
Namibia , Botswana and South Africa
Region
Orange River , Great Namaland , Damaraland
Ethnicity
Khoikhoi , Nama , Damara , Haiǁom , ǂKhomani
Native speakers
200,000 ± 10,000 (2011)
Language family
Khoe–Kwadi Khoe Khoekhoe Khoekhoe
Dialects
Nama–Damara Haiǁom–ǂĀkhoe Eini †
Writing system
Latin augmented with click letters
Recognised minority language in
Namibia , South Africa
Iso 639 3
Either:, naq – Khoekhoe, Nama, hgm – Haiǁom
Glottolog
nort3245 Subfamily: North Khoekhoe, nama1264 Language: Nama, haio1238 Language: Haiǁom-Akhoe
Elp
Khoekhoe

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Image
Nama man giving us a lesson in the click language (3694165852).jpg
Show 4 more facts
Commons category
Khoekhoe language
number of speakers, writers, or signers
250000
native label
Khoekhoegowab
Sources (8)

via Wikidata · CC0

~12 min read

Article

Khoekhoe or Khoikhoi (/ˈkɔɪ.kɔɪ/ KOY-koy; Khoekhoegowab, Khoekhoe pronunciation: [k͡xʰo̜͡ek͡xʰo̜͡egowab]), also known by the ethnic terms Nama (/ˈnɑː.mə/ NAH-mə; Namagowab), Damara (ǂNūkhoegowab), or Nama/Damara and formerly the pejorative term Hottentot, is the most widespread of the non-Bantu languages of Southern Africa that make heavy use of click consonants and therefore were formerly classified as Khoisan, a grouping now recognized as obsolete. It belongs to the Khoe language family, and is spoken in Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa primarily by three ethnic groups: Namakhoen, ǂNūkhoen, and Haiǁomkhoen.

History

Gallery (2)

Connections

Categories