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Khoe Languages




They were the first Khoisan languages known to European colonists. The most numerous and only well known Khoe language is Nama , also known as Khoekhoegowab or Hottentot of Namibia . Most of the rest of the family is found in the Kalahari Desert of Botswana .

The Khoe dialects are famous for their Clicks , though these are not as extensive as in other Khoisan language families. There are two primary branches of the family, ''Khoekhoe'' of Namibia and South Africa , and ''Tshu-Khwe'' of Botswana and Zimbabwe . Except for Nama, they are under pressure from national or regional languages such as Tswana .


CLASSIFICATION

Language classifications may list one or two dozen Khoe languages. However, many of these are members of Dialect Cluster s, so there is a level of subjectivity involved in counting them. Counting each cluster as a unit results in eight languages:

;Khoekhoe
North Khoekhoe
  • Nama (250 000 speakers. Ethnonyms Khoekhoegowab, Damara . A dialect cluster including ‡Aakhoe and Hai‖’om )

  • South Khoekhoe

  • Korana (Extinct. Ethnonym !Goragowap.)

  • Xiri (90 speakers. Moribund. A dialect cluster also known as Griqua or Cape Hottentot.)


;Tshu-Khwe (Kalahari)
East Tshu-Khwe (East Kalahari)
  • Shua (6000 speakers. A dialect cluster including Deti, Ts’ixa, /Xaise, and Ganádi)

  • Tsoa (9300 speakers. A dialect cluster including Cire Cire and Kua)

  • West Tshu-Khwe (West Kalahari)

  • Kxoe (11 000 speakers. A dialect cluster including ‖Ani and Buga)

  • Naro (14 000 speakers. A dialect cluster.)

  • G‖ana-G/wi (4500 speakers. A dialect cluster including G‖ana , G/wi , and ‡Haba)


The nearest relative of the Khoe languages appears to be the extinct and poorly attested Kwadi Language of Angola . This larger group is sometimes called Khoe-Kwadi.