Languages of Namibia

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Languages of Namibia

Postby vijayjohn » 2022-02-07, 3:04

Languages from at least five different families are spoken in Namibia. These include Indo-European and Bantu languages but also Khoe-Kwadi, Kx'a, and Tuu languages, all of which are indigenous to the region. While the sole official language of Namibia is English, Afrikaans, German, Ambo, Herero, Khoekhoe, Kwangali, Lozi, and Tswana are all recognized as national languages. Several varieties of Ambo and Herero are also spoken in Namibia but are apparently not recognized as separate languages.

Of course, the first three of these languages are Indo-European, but Khoekhoe is a Khoe-Kwadi language, and the rest are Bantu languages that are also spoken in neighboring countries. !Kung, Gciriku, and Mbukushu are also recognized but as regional languages rather than national languages. !Kung is a Kx'a language, and Gciriku and Mbukushu are both Bantu languages. The only Tuu language spoken in Namibia is ǃXóõ, also known as Taa.

One of the other Bantu languages of Namibia is Kwangali, which is most closely related to Gciriku, both of which are somewhat closely related to Ambo and Herero. Another is Hakaona, which used to be considered a dialect of Herero. A third, spoken very close to the border with Zambia, is Yeyi, the Bantu language with the highest number of clicks. Many Yeyi-speakers also speak Lozi. Also spoken nearby are the Botatwe languages Fwe and Kuhane. Both are also spoken in Zambia, and Kuhane is additionally spoken in Botswana.

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