KHOEKHOEGOWAB

Khoekhoegowab is a Khoisan language that is spoken in Africa. It is one of the few African languages that uses the original clicking consonants that characterize this language family. It is spoken by three ethnic groups in Namibia, South Africa, and Botswana: Hai||omkhoen, Namakhoen, and ǂNūkhoen. The language was named after the Khoekhoegowab word “khoe,” which translates to “person” in English. Many Khoisan languages, including Khoekhoegowab, used to be widely spoken throughout Africa. However, as official languages and population groups changed during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, many of these speakers were forced to shift rapidly to new languages, and the original Khoisan languages stopped being taught to children. Now, Khoekhoegowab is one of the few that remains and, although there have been revitalization efforts, it is still documented as endangered, with only around 167,000 speakers left.