Also Known As:
Ju/'hoan, Agau, Kung-Tsumkwe, Xu, Xun, Kung, !Xo, Zhu'oasi, Dzu'oasi, Tsumkwe, Dobe Kung, Xaixai, Žhu|hõasi, Ju/'hoansi
Dialects & Varieties
- Nogau
- Dzu'oasi
Khoisan groups and languages
Lars-Gunnar Andersson and Tore Janson. 1997. "Khoisan Groups and Languages." In Languages in Botswana: language ecology in southern Africa, 123-142. Longman Botswana.
Threatened
20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
>6,000
Native Speakers Worldwide
Speakers
Native or fluent speakers:
No results found.
Second-language speakers and learners
No results found.
Semi-speakers or rememberers
No results found.
Children:
No results found.
Young adults
No results found.
Older adults
No results found.
Elders
No results found.
Ethnic or community population
No results found.
Year information was gathered
No results found.
Comments on speakers
No results found.
Location and Context
Countries
No results found.
Location Description
"Most Ju|'hoansi live to the west of the Okavango towards the Namibian border and into the neighbouring parts of Namibia."
Government Support
Some support in Namibia; minority language rights are severely restricted in Botswana
Institutional Support
No results found.
Speakers' Attitude
No results found.
Other Languages Used By The Community
None
Number of Other Language Speakers:
None
Domains of Other Languages:
None
Writing Systems
Standard orthography:
No results found.
Writing system:
Dickens' Roman-based system is the official orthography for Ju|'hoan in Namibia
Other writing systems used:
No results text.
Comments on writing systems:
"Several orthographies for Ju|'hoan have been published during the last decades (1969, 1987 and 1991)... Some parts of the Bible have been translated into the language.
Some years ago, Patrick Dickens designed a new more practical orthography for Ju|'hoan, the purpose of which was to increase literacy among the Ju|'hoansi. This is now the official orthography for Ju|'hoan in Namibia... The practical literacy work carried out in northern Namibia has been very successful and today quite a few of the Ju|'hoansi are literate in their own language."
Some years ago, Patrick Dickens designed a new more practical orthography for Ju|'hoan, the purpose of which was to increase literacy among the Ju|'hoansi. This is now the official orthography for Ju|'hoan in Namibia... The practical literacy work carried out in northern Namibia has been very successful and today quite a few of the Ju|'hoansi are literate in their own language."
Recent Resources
A community-based project working to empower the Juǀ'hoan San community through literacy, the develo
This is a PowerPoint presentation with some photographs showing what goes on in Tsumkwe and the surr
Language Juǀʼhoan. ktz_word-list_1970_02.html, entries: 1 - 126