Juǀ'hoansi
Juǀ'hoan
Kx'a (Ju)
Juǀ'hoan is a Kx'a language of the San (Bushman) people of the Kalahari, famous for one of the world's largest phoneme inventories — 4 click types (dental ǀ, alveolar ǃ, lateral ǁ, palatal ǂ) combined with 17 accompaniments yielding nearly 50 click consonants. Vowels carry tone, nasalization, breathiness, and pharyngealization.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Juǀ'hoan
Water
gǃú
/ᶢǃú/
Fire
dahm
/dã̀m/
Sun
ǃhúí
/ᵑǃʰúí/
Moon
nǁháí
/ᵑǁʰáí/
Star
ǀqhùbi
/ǀqʰùbí/
Mother
taqe
/tàʔè/
Father
ba
/bà/
I
mi
/mí/
You
a
/à/
Name
ǀ'hòà
/ǀʼhòà/
Eye
ǃʼàqè
/ᶢǃʼàʔè/
Hand
ǃʼau
/ǃʼau/
Heart
ǂʼàn
/ǂʼàn/
Love
ǀʼán
/ǀʼán/
Tree
ǃaìh
/ǃaìh/
House
tjù
/tʃù/
Dog
ǂhòã
/ᵑǂʰòã/
Cat
ǃhòè
/ᵑǃʰòè/
Eat
ǃʼám
/ǃʼám/
Drink
kxʼáí
/kxʼái/
One
nǀèʼè
/ᵑǀèʼè/
Two
tsàn
/tsã̀/
Hello
mí kúrùwà
/mí kúrùwà/
Thank you
mí ǁʼàmà
/mí ǁʼàmà/
Good
ǀʼàn
/ǀʼàn/
Sources
- Dickens, Patrick J. (1994) English-Juǀ'hoan Juǀ'hoan-English Dictionary. Rüdiger Köppe Verlag, Köln.
- Snyman, Jan W. (1970) An Introduction to the !Xũ (!Kung) Language. A. A. Balkema, Cape Town.
- Miller, Amanda (2011) The Representation of Clicks. In The Blackwell Companion to Phonology.
- Glottolog: Juǀ'hoan
Words compared
Compared with related Kx'a (Ju) languages
| Meaning | Juǀ'hoan | Taa (!Xóõ) | Lakota | Korana | Pirahã | Dakota | Kiowa |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | gǃú /ᶢǃú/ | ǃqhàa /ǃqʰaː/ | mní /mní/ | ǁammi /ǁamːi/ | piigi /piiɡi/ | mní /mní/ | tóñ /tʰṍ/ |
| Fire | dahm /dã̀m/ | ǀʼàã /ǀʼãː/ | pȟéta /pˣéta/ | ǀaeb /ǀʔaeb/ | hoa /hoa/ | phéta /pʰéta/ | phi̱ /pʰĩ/ |
| Sun | ǃhúí /ᵑǃʰúí/ | ǁʼân /ǁʼã/ | wí /wí/ | sores /sores/ | hisi /hisi/ | aŋpétuwí /aŋpétuwí/ | phî: /pʰîː/ |
| Moon | nǁháí /ᵑǁʰáí/ | ǃqhàn /ǃqʰã/ | haŋhépi wí /haŋhépi wí/ | ǁkhab /ǁkʰab/ | kapiigaísao /kapiiɡaísao/ | haŋyétuwí /haŋjétuwí/ | phé: /pʰéː/ |
| Star | ǀqhùbi /ǀqʰùbí/ | ǃqʰái /ǃqʰái/ | wičháȟpi /witʃʰaχpi/ | ǀgami /ǀʔami/ | apapaí /àpàpàí/ | wičaȟpi /witʃaχpi/ | t'ǫ́ǫ̀y /tʼṍːj/ |
| Mother | taqe /tàʔè/ | qáe /qae/ | iná /iná/ | ʔẽs /ʔẽs/ | ʔaaí /ʔaaí/ | iná /iná/ | tsitda /tsitda/ |
| Father | ba /bà/ | a̰a /a̰a/ | até /até/ | ǁnaob /ǁnaob/ | baíxi /baíʃi/ | até /até/ | gò: /ɡòː/ |
| I | mi /mí/ | ń /ŋ̩/ | miyé /mijé/ | tita /titá/ | ti /tì/ | miyé /mijé/ | nɔ́ɔ /nɔ́ː/ |
| You | a /à/ | a /aː/ | niyé /nijé/ | sats /sats/ | gíxai /ɡíʔàì/ | niyé /nijé/ | ám /ám/ |
| Name | ǀ'hòà /ǀʼhòà/ | ǀqʼûle /ǀʛûle/ | čhažé /tʃʰaʒé/ | ǀons /ǀons/ | íga /ígà/ | čažé /tʃaʒé/ | k'ɔ́gyà /kʼɔ̃́ɡjà/ |
| Eye | ǃʼàqè /ᶢǃʼàʔè/ | ǃʼûĩ /ǃʼũĩ/ | ištá /iʃtá/ | mũb /mũb/ | ʔai /ʔai/ | ištá /iʃtá/ | tô: /tôː/ |
| Hand | ǃʼau /ǃʼau/ | ǀkxʼàa /ǀkxʼaː/ | napé /napé/ | ǃumma /ǃumːa/ | piíʔai /piíʔai/ | napé /naˈpe/ | mò:tʼɔ̄ /mòːtʼɔ̄/ |
| Heart | ǂʼàn /ǂʼàn/ | ǀqʼàn /ǀqʼã/ | čhaŋté /tʃʰaŋté/ | ǂaob /ǂaob/ | aoʔaago /aoʔaaɡo/ | čhaŋté /tʃʰaŋté/ | á:de /áːde/ |
| Love | ǀʼán /ǀʼán/ | — /—/ | thečhíȟila /tʰetʃʰíxila/ | ǀnam /ǀnam/ | gí /ɡí/ | thečhíȟida /tʰetʃʰíχida/ | gàum /ɡàum/ |
| Tree | ǃaìh /ǃaìh/ | ʼʘnàje /ʔʘnaje/ | čháŋ /tʃʰáŋ/ | hais /haìs/ | hoí /hoí/ | čháŋ /tʃʰáŋ/ | á:du /áːdu/ |
| House | tjù /tʃù/ | — /—/ | thípi /tʰípi/ | oms /oms/ | kaiʔii /kaiʔii/ | thípi /tʰípi/ | tóu: /tóuː/ |
| Dog | ǂhòã /ᵑǂʰòã/ | ǂqhài /ǂqʰai/ | šúŋka /ʃúŋka/ | arib /arib/ | kobaí /kobaí/ | šúŋka /ʃúŋka/ | tsê: /tsêː/ |
| Cat | ǃhòè /ᵑǃʰòè/ | — /—/ | igmúŋke /iɡmúŋke/ | — /—/ | xowí /ʃowí/ | igmúŋ /iɡmúŋ/ | mò:sò /mòːsò/ |
| Eat | ǃʼám /ǃʼám/ | ʼâã /ʔãː/ | yúta /júta/ | ǂʼũ /ǂʼũ/ | ʔaʔaí /ʔaʔaí/ | yúta /júta/ | gè: /ɡèː/ |
| Drink | kxʼáí /kxʼái/ | kxʼāhã /kxʼaːhã/ | yatkáŋ /jatkáŋ/ | xʼā /xʼaː/ | gao /ɡao/ | yatkáŋ /jatkáŋ/ | kʰò: /kʰòː/ |
| One | nǀèʼè /ᵑǀèʼè/ | ǂʼûã /ǂʼũã/ | waŋží /waŋʒí/ | ǀui /ǀui/ | hói /hói/ | waŋžidaŋ /waŋʒidaŋ/ | páun /páun/ |
| Two | tsàn /tsã̀/ | ǂnûm /ǂûm/ | núŋpa /nṹpa/ | ǀgam /ǀʔam/ | hoí /hòí/ | nųpa /nũpa/ | yíí /jíː/ |
| Hello | mí kúrùwà /mí kúrùwà/ | — /—/ | háu /háu/ | — /—/ | gaíhií /ɡaíhií/ | háu /háu/ | hâ:tô: /hâːtôː/ |
| Thank you | mí ǁʼàmà /mí ǁʼàmà/ | — /—/ | philámayaye /pʰilámajaje/ | — /—/ | kapiíhií /kapiíhií/ | pidámayaye /pidámajaje/ | gàu /ɡàu/ |
| Good | ǀʼàn /ǀʼàn/ | — /—/ | wašté /waʃté/ | ǃãĩ /ǃãĩ/ | aoʔaago /aoʔaaɡo/ | wašté /waʃté/ | hôn /hôn/ |
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