Gǀwi language
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Gǀwi or Gǀui (sometimes spelled Dcui) is a Khoisan language of Botswana with 2,500 speakers (2004 Cook). It is part of the Gǁana-Gǀwi dialect cluster of the Tshu-Khwe family, and is closely related to Naro.
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[edit] Click consonants
Gǀwi may have up to 48 click consonants. As with many of the Tshu-Khwe languages, clicks have lost some of their importance under the influence of neighboring Bantu languages. Many words which previously began with clicks (as shown by cognates in related languages) have lost them over the past few centuries in Gǀwi.
Gǀwi has both velar and uvular clicks. Altogether there are twelve such accompaniments, or effluxes. Except for the lack of a bilabial click release, this inventory is nearly identical to that of ǂHõã. It may be that not all 48 potential clicks are actually found in the language, or may exist but have not yet been recorded.
| accompaniment | affricated clicks | 'sharp' clicks | ||
| dental clicks |
lateral clicks |
alveolar clicks |
palatal clicks |
|
| Velar nasal | ǀŋ | ǁŋ | ǃŋ | ǂŋ |
| Voiced velar | ǀɡ | ǁɡ | ǃɡ | ǂɡ |
| Tenuis velar | ǀk | ǁk | ǃk | ǂk |
| Aspirated velar | ǀkʰ | ǁkʰ | ǃkʰ | ǂkʰ |
| Glottalized velar (prenasalized between vowels) |
ǀkˀ (ŋˀǀk) |
ǁkˀ (ŋˀǁk) |
ǃkˀ (ŋˀǃk) |
ǂkˀ (ŋˀǂk) |
| Delayed aspiration (voiceless delayed-aspirated velar nasal) |
ǀŋ̊ʰ | ǁŋ̊ʰ | ǃŋ̊ʰ | ǂŋ̊ʰ |
| Prenasalized voiced uvular | ɴǀɢ | ɴǁɢ | ɴǃɢ | ɴǂɢ |
| Tenuis uvular | ǀq | ǁq | ǃq | ǂq |
| Aspirated uvular | ǀqʰ | ǁqʰ | ǃqʰ | ǂqʰ |
| Voiceless uvular affricate | ǀq͡χ | ǁq͡χ | ǃq͡χ | ǂq͡χ |
| Uvular ejective | ǀqʼ | ǁqʼ | ǃqʼ | ǂqʼ |
| Uvular ejective affricate | ǀq͡χʼ | ǁq͡χʼ | ǃq͡χʼ | ǂq͡χʼ |
[edit] Dialect
- Khute
[edit] Reference
- Hirosi Nakagawa, 1995. "A Preliminary Report on the Click Accompaniments of |Gui". Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 25.2, 49-63.
[edit] External link
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