ǁXegwi language

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]

ǁXegwi
RegionSouth Africa
EthnicityTlou-tle
Extinct1988, with the death of Jopi Mabinda[1]
Tuu
  • ǃKwi
    • ǁXegwi
Language codes
ISO 639-3xeg
Glottologxegw1238

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 ǂ and 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
centrallateral centrallateral
Nasal mnɲŋ
Plosive voiced bdɟɡɢ
tenuis tkqʔ
aspirated pʰtʰcʰkʰk͡ʟ̝̊ʰqʰ
Affricate voiceless ts
tx		tɬtʃkxk͡ʟ̝̊
voiced dzdʒ
Fricative voiceless sɬʃxh
voiced βzɮɦ
Sonorant rljw
Glottalic consonants Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular
centrallateral
Plosive tʼcʼkʷʼqʼ
Affricate tsʼtʃʼkxʼk͡ʟ̝̊ʼ
Lingual consonantsLabialDentalAlveolar
centrallateral
Nasalmodal ᵑʘᵑǀᵑǃᵑǁ
glottalized ᵑǀˀᵑǁˀ
murmured ᵑǀʱᵑǁʱ
Plosivevoiced ᶢǀᶢǃᶢǁ
tenuis ᵏʘᵏǀᵏǃᵏǁ
Affricate ᵏʘxᵏǀxᵏǃxᵏǁx

References
  1. ǁXegwi at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. Traill, A. "The Khoesan languages", in Mesthrie, Rajend Language in South Africa, Cambridge U.P., 2004
  3. Davie, Kevin. "The secret pool of surviving Bushmen at Chrissiesmeer". The M&G Online. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
  4. Yvonne Treis, 1998, "Names of Khoisan Languages and their Variants"
  5. Anthony Traill, 1999. Extinct South African Khoisan Languages.


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