ǀXam language
ǀXam, or ǀXam Kakʼe, is an extinct Khoisan language of South Africa, part of the ǃKwi language group. It was closely related to the Nǀu language, which still has a few speakers.
The bar symbol in the name "ǀXam" represents a dental click like the English interjection tsk, tsk! used to express pity or shame. The "x" represents the ch sound of Scottish loch, German Bach, or Hebrew Chanukkah.
ǀXam words were used for the South African motto adopted on 27 April 2000,
- ǃke e: ǀxarra ǁke,
which is supposed to mean diverse people unite or, on a collective scale, Unity in Diversity. However, it's not known if that phrase would have been idiomatic in ǀXam. ǀXam is not one of the eleven official languages of South Africa because it's extinct and has no more speakers (mother or second tongue).
Much of the scholarly work on the ǀXam language was performed by Wilhelm Bleek, a German linguist of the 19th century.
External links
- A description of ǀXam at Cornell University
- The Ethnologue Report for ǀXam
- South African coat of arms
- The ǀXam people and their language
- Bleek and Lloyd Archive of ǀXam and ǃKun texts online
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