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Ethnologue: Languages of the World
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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Africa > Botswana > !Xóõ

!Xóõ

A language of Botswana

ISO 639-3: nmn

Population  4,000 in Botswana (2002). Population total all countries: 4,200.
Region  South Gantsi District, north Kgalagadi District, west Southern and Kweneng districts. Also in Namibia.
Language map  Botswana
Alternate names   Ng|amani, Tsasi
Dialects  Auni (|Auni, |Auo), Kakia (Masarwa), Ki|hazi, Ng|u||en (Nu||en, |U||en, Ng|u|ei, |Nu||en, ||U||en), Nusan (Ng|usan, Nu-San, Noosan), Xatia (Katia, Kattea, Khatia, Vaalpens, |Kusi, |Eikusi), !Kwi.
Classification  Khoisan, Southern Africa, Southern, Hua
Language use  People older than 10 who have been to school or have lived with speakers of other languages also use Tswana [tsn], Kgalagadi [xkv], Herero [her], Naro [nhr], or |Gwi [gwj].
Language development  Dictionary. Grammar.
Comments  Nusan are in Botswana. Nu||en dialect is extinct. SVO; prepositions; genitives, adjectives, numerals, relatives after noun heads; question word initial; 2 prefixes, 3 suffixes; word order distinguishes subjects, objects, indirect objects; verb affixes mark number, gender of subject and object, and is obligatory; passives; reduplication on periphrastics for causatives; periphrastic comparatives; CV, CVV, CVCV; tonal. Hunter-gatherers. Nusan: Traditional religion, Christian.

Also spoken in:

Namibia

Language name   !Xóõ
Population  200 in Namibia (Traill 1985).
Region  East central Botswana border, Aranos and Leonardville area.
Language map  Namibia, reference number 19
Dialects  Auni (|Auni, |Auo), Kakia (Masarwa), Ki|hazi, Ng|u|en (Nu||en, |U||en, Ng|u|ei, |Nu||en, ||U||en), Nusan (Ng|usan, Nu-San, Noosan), Xatia (Katia, Khatia, Kattea, Vaalpens, |Kusi, |Eikusi), !Kwi.
Language use  N|gamani, |Nu||en, |’Auni, and Ki|hazi dialects are extinct.
 

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

HASSELBRING, Sue, author. 2000. A sociolinguistic survey of the languages of Botswana.