Thursday, May 9, 2013

Yes, !Xóõ Is a Real Language

Someone asks me if I made up !Xóõ in a comment or if it's real.   It's a real language spoken by a small number of people in southwestern Botswana.   It's sometimes called the most phonemically rich language of all surviving languages.  The written form, with its amazing number of characters is wonderful to look at. 

qa̰a ǃaǀi ʼaʰn̩ Boroǁxao ʼaʰn̩ uʰasa ǃaʰeʰ oi ʼǂŋa̰an isu ǃaʰeʰ ku ǀa̰alute tu ǀŋəu ǀuǂŋumate ci dao tsʰoe ku. uʰǁei ǂŋʉm ka ba ʼǂŋɜʰn̩te ǃgõ ǃgʉʼma i ǀŋe ǂa̰asa i ǃʉbekuǂŋʉm ci ǁuʘa te ǀi ce ce ǃŋəu tsʰoe biǂŋu ǀʔa ǀa i ǁʰoa ba ǀgʉma ǁŋute. uʰǁei ǂgʉm sa ce te buǁei ba ǂʔɜnʼse ǀa qaisa i ǂgõʰõʰ ce tʉ̰ʉm̩ kã ǀʰũ ceǀe beŋkele ǀi ei ʼǂŋa̰an ce. xabeka ǃaǀi ǁʉ̰ʉn̩ i tẽʼẽ eʰǂʼãõku ci dza̰ai ce ʘaɟe i kaneka ǃaʰeʰ ku ǀa̰alute te iʼe ʘaɟe eʰka̰ ba ʼao ʼahn̩ i ba sa tsʼɜnci ǁuʘa ʔiqatʲe Boroǁxao ǂgʉm ce xabeka ǂa̰asa ǁʉ̰ʉn i tẽʼẽ n̩ʼn̩ ce ǃxa̰a kuǂŋʉmʼu n̩ʼn̩ ǀgʉma tʰani. iʰǁei ka ba qatʲi ǁuʘa iǀŋe ǃŋa̰a ta ǁalika isa ǂgõʰõʰ ka tʰani kã ǀʰũ ci ʔǂŋa̰an̩ i ǂgõʰõʰ kã ʼãnsa iʼe iǁhoa ci dza̰ai. Boroǁxao ʘʰaite ǂa̰asa itẽʼẽ ǀe ǁʰoa ǁgoe ba kaneci ʼǃaʰeʰ eʰ ka ci dza̰ai; ǀe kã ǀʰũ kun̩ ce ǂabe be ǂgõʰõʰ ce ǀa ʼãnsa i ǁʰoa ǃaʰeʰ cɜn. ǂa̰asa seʼeɲa qaɲa ǀŋuǁeiǂŋum i ǃʉbeku sa ǃaʰeʰ. eʰʼe na te ba ǀŋa ǃŋa̰a ce; ǁʰoa kuǁei n̩a. tu ka ǂxõĩsa ku; isa ci ǁuʘa ce ǃŋəutsʰoe.  uʰǁeiasa ku ǀa̰alute iǀʰabu ǂŋʉmate ce ǂabe ǀeǁŋei. i ǀŋəu iǂʼi ǀa̰alia̰a ǃxã isa ʘan i ʘan̩ i ǃgoa ǁxobe isa ǁaniǂŋu i ǁoe. uʰ ka ba si ce ʔi qalʲe ci ǃoa̰a i gǃxaʼaɟe i ǁʼubea ʘaɟe ce ʔʘaɟe iʼa ikxʼoa ʘan̩ i kʰʉma ǁxobe iǂam ǂʼe ʘaɟe. ci dao tsʰoe uʰ a ǀŋe ǂa̰asa xabeka ǁʉʘa tʉʉm̩ ǁʼa ce i ʘʰaite be aʰʼao ʼan eʰ ka ǂŋɜʰn̩ tuǁei. ǂa̰asa kakũ iǁʼan̩ ǀŋa gǃkqʼom iǁʉ̰ʉn ʘʰai tuǁei te eʰkaba tana i tẽʼẽ be ǂʼãõ ku ci dza̰ai iǁʰoa a ǀŋa ʼansa kuǁʼanate ǂŋʉm̩. uʰǁei kxʼaɟe i ʘʰaite ka ǂxõĩsasa ǂʼa ǃŋa̰a. ǂa̰asa kakũ i ǁʼan̩ ʼe ʘaɟe tuǁei a ǃʰae ce.

Here is an Mp3 of the text, first in English, then in !Xóõ

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