"Khoekhoe is well documented and receives official recognition as a language of instruction in the Namibian educational system. Despite these facts, Wilfrid Haacke and Eliphas Eiseb consider even this by far largest Khoisan language to be an 'endangered language' (Haacke & Eiseb 2002:iii)."

"Nama and Damara people take on a negative stand against the formal use of their language. Khoekhoe speakers are reluctant to enroll their children in schools in which their language is employed as medium of instruction (Laurentius Davids, p.c.)."

"Language used by Khoekhoe speaking parents towards their children [when both parents are Khoekhoe speakers]: Khoekhoe 78.6%%; Khoekhoe and Afrikaans 16.7%%; Afrikaans and English 4.7%%"

"...Nama language dominates in the daily activities of the Matlhatlaganyane Ward. It is used in the family and intra-ethnic interaction... the majority affirmed to speak Nama not only most fluently but also most often. It was also the language that they knew best... Most parents spoke to their children in Nama, and they expected their children to respond in Nama... the Nama people in Tshabong still displayed considerable resistance and remarkable vitality to language shift, despite the urban pressures of the Tshabong village and their relatively small number... there is a considerable success in the learning of the mother-tongue by Nama children.The parents are keen to ensure that their children master well their language and that the children are enthusiastic about their language. The children, on their part, are usually eager to know their mother-tongue. Setswana is still learnt mainly at school."

"In Namibia, where it is also known as known as Khoekhoegowab, it is recognized as one of the national languages... most minority languages in Botswana are fast shifting to Setswana as the speakers of urban Tshabong as the speakers want to be part of the mainstream national development and to identify themselves with modern life, wider communication, flow of information, education and job opportunities which are not available through minority languages... The Khosean language speakers are even more prone to shifting to Setswana, as their languages have traditionally been associated with low esteem, serfdom stigma and low socio-economic status... Setswana is also used extensively, especially in inter-ethnic communication in the Tshabong Village. There's also considerable code-switching and code-mixing between Nama and Setswana. Other languages are also used, but to a lesser extent... Setswana was, by far, the second best known language, learnt either through peer groups or at school... Nama... the language in which the respondents had most confidence, followed by Setswana. The other languages could only be used by some of the respondents in certain situations... Most Nama people in Tshabong were very positive towards their language and its transmission to the younger generation. Nearly half of them wanted their children to learn Nama exclusively. However, several wanted also Setswana, and some even English... Several respondents reported that they would prefer that their children learn and speak Nama at home and that they could learn other languages at school. In fact, some of them would have preferred to send their children to Nama medium schools if they were established... The majority of the respondents did not wish that all people in Tshabong village speak Setswana, the national language exclusively, for the reason that people should be free to speak their own languages... Nama... by far, the most dominant language of the Nama people in Tshabong. Setswana was used only in the wider circles as well as in areas where written mode was needed, such as in schools and public places. In terms of attitudes, the Nama people were very positive about their language. They were considerably conservative in its use and were keen to to transmit it to the younger generation... although the majority of the Nama wanted to integrate into the mainstream of Batswana, they wished to preserve their ethnic identity as Nama... there is a reasonably stable diglossic use of the minority an majority languages, in that the minority language (Nama) is used in intra-ethnic communication, while the majority language (Setswana) is used in inter-ethnic interaction... in recent years, the pressures of the majority language has began to infringe upon the intra-ethnic domains... there is substantial emotional attachment to Nama by its speakers, particularly among the older generation... Many people resent the current trend towards code-switching, code-mixing and massive borrowing from Setswana... The people are proud of their speech and have great esteem of its form, including the several clicks and other peculiarities... The speakers have great attachment to the language and would like to see it transmitted to the younger generation."

"...a standard orthography and substantial documentation. It is also used in education, mass media and literacy activities... More than 20%% of the informants confirmed they could read in Nama. Most of the materials they had in their possession were church documents prepared by the Church Missionary Society and the Lutheran Church. Both churches preferred literacy in indigenous languages. The most common of these documents were the Bible, prayer books, hymn books and some educational texts... However only 7.7%% of the respondents could write. This lower percentage was presumably a result of lack of opportunities for those who could read or write in Nama, given that the most written correspondences were in Setswana or English... the Matlhatlaganyane Nama have a tradition of a written mode. Several adults and old people can read and, to a lesser extent, write in Nama. This tradition has given a symbolic status and a great esteem to Nama language by its speakers... Unfortunately, it has not been possible to reinforce the tradition through formal education and literacy activities."