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ǀXam dialect

ǀXam

Also known as: Cape Bushman

A !Ui (Tuu) click language of the Upper Karoo in the Northern Cape, extinct since the 1910s. Survives in the vast Bleek and Lloyd archive of the 1870s and in South Africa's national motto, !ke e: ǀxarra ǁke — "diverse people unite".

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Frequently asked questions

What language is ǀXam?

ǀXam is a dialect of the ǀXam language.

Where is ǀXam spoken?

ǀXam is primarily spoken in South Africa.

Which region is ǀXam associated with?

ǀXam is part of the East & Southern Africa region on DialectAtlas.

Is ǀXam known by other names?

Yes — ǀXam is also referred to as Cape Bushman.

Is ǀXam endangered?

ǀXam is no longer spoken as a community language and is documented here for historical and linguistic reference.

Nearby dialects

See on the atlas →
Nǀuu

229 km away

The last surviving language of the !Ui branch of the Tuu family, spoken in the southern Kalahari around Upington in the Northern Cape. One fluent native speaker remains, who runs a community language school; the language has one of the largest consonant inventories ever recorded, including dozens of click consonants.

Afrikaans

478 km away

A West Germanic language descended from 17th-century Cape Dutch, with substantial substrate from Khoisan, Malay, and Bantu languages. One of the official languages of South Africa and widely spoken in Namibia.

Sesotho

591 km away

A Sotho-Tswana Bantu language and the national language of Lesotho. Also one of the official languages of South Africa, where it is widely spoken in the Free State and Gauteng.

Xhosa

668 km away

A Nguni Bantu language of the Eastern Cape and one of the official languages of South Africa. Famous for its 18 distinct click consonants borrowed from neighbouring Khoisan languages.

Setswana

782 km away

A Sotho-Tswana Bantu language and the national language of Botswana. Closely related to Sesotho, with substantial speaker communities in South Africa's North West and Northern Cape provinces.

Urban Zulu

798 km away

The Zulu of South Africa's townships and major cities. Heavily code-mixed with English, Tsotsitaal, and other Bantu languages.

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ǀXam — ǀXam dialect — Dialect Atlas