ǀXam
E23906
ǀXam is an extinct Khoisan language once spoken by the ǀXam people of South Africa, known today mainly from 19th-century ethnographic and linguistic records.
Observed surface forms (2)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| !Xam | 1 |
| ǀXam-ka ǃkʼe | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Khoisan language
ⓘ
extinct language ⓘ language ⓘ |
| alternateName |
ǀXam
ⓘ
surface form:
!Xam
ǀXam ⓘ
surface form:
ǀXam-ka ǃkʼe
|
| archivalCollection | Bleek and Lloyd Collection ⓘ |
| archivalLocation | University of Cape Town ⓘ |
| causeOfLanguageShift | colonial dispossession and assimilation policies ⓘ |
| classificationStatus | poorly attested and partially reconstructed ⓘ |
| containsGenre |
folktales
ⓘ
historical narratives ⓘ myths ⓘ prayers ⓘ songs ⓘ |
| country | South Africa ⓘ |
| culturalSignificance |
important for study of rock art symbolism in Southern Africa
ⓘ
key source for San mythology ⓘ |
| documentationMedium |
handwritten notebooks
ⓘ
interlinear translations into Afrikaans ⓘ interlinear translations into English ⓘ |
| documentedInCentury | 19th century ⓘ |
| endangeredStatusBeforeExtinction | severely endangered ⓘ |
| ethnicGroup | ǀXam people ⓘ |
| extinctionPeriod | late 19th century ⓘ |
| influencedMotto | !ke e: ǀxarra ǁke ⓘ |
| isoStatus | no ISO 639-3 code (treated as part of ǃXóõ/Taa–related complex in some classifications) ⓘ |
| languageBranch |
Khoisan peoples
ⓘ
surface form:
Southern Khoisan
|
| languageFamily | Tuu languages ⓘ |
| linguisticTypology | subject–verb–object basic word order (SVO) ⓘ |
| majorCollector |
Lucy Lloyd
ⓘ
Wilhelm Bleek ⓘ |
| morphologicalFeature | use of suffixes for tense and aspect ⓘ |
| mottoMeaning | “diverse people unite” (approximate English translation) ⓘ |
| notableFeature |
extensive use of click consonants
ⓘ
rich system of oral narratives and folklore ⓘ |
| phonologicalFeature | large inventory of click types and accompaniments ⓘ |
| primaryDocumentationType |
ethnographic records
ⓘ
linguistic field notes ⓘ |
| region |
Northern Cape
ⓘ
Karoo ⓘ
surface form:
Upper Karoo
|
| relatedLanguage |
Nǁng
ⓘ
ǃXóõ (Taa) ⓘ |
| researchField |
Khoisan languages
ⓘ
surface form:
Khoisan linguistics
anthropology of the San ⓘ |
| spokenIn | South Africa ⓘ |
| status | extinct ⓘ |
| subfamily | ǃKwi branch ⓘ |
| usedByInstitution | South African coat of arms motto (derived from ǀXam) ⓘ |
| writingSystem | Latin script (scholarly transcription) ⓘ |
Referenced by (3)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
ǀXam-ka ǃkʼe
this entity surface form:
!Xam