The struggle to save a South African language with 45 click sounds
Only two fluent speakers of N|uu survive. Both are in their 80s
TWO AND a half millennia ago the San had southern Africa to themselves, living lightly on the land as hunter-gatherers. Then came the Khoekhoen from the north-east to wrest some of the San’s hunting grounds for their cattle. The 17th-century Dutch incomers called the hunter-gatherers “Boesmans” (“Bushmen”) after their habitat, while the Khoekhoen were “Hottentots”.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Saving a language with 45 clicks”
Middle East & Africa May 22nd 2021
- Eritrea’s President Issaias Afwerki bids for regional greatness
- The struggle to save a South African language with 45 click sounds
- A Nigerian plan to reconcile farmers and herders is not working
- Why vessels passing near Iran may have trouble staying on course
- King Muhammad of Morocco weaponises migration
From the May 22nd 2021 edition
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