Language quiz

Here’s a recording in a mystery language.

Can you identify the language, and do you know where it’s spoken?

May 6th, 2012 in Language, Quiz questions

Comments (7)

clMay 6th, 2012 at 11:21 am

Are these the click consonants of the Khoisan languages?

Christopher MillerMay 6th, 2012 at 12:39 pm

Definitely one of them. I’ll guess one of the better-known ones: Žu/’hoãsi or !o!kung…

SathyarthiMay 6th, 2012 at 12:51 pm

- Yes, clearly appears to be one of the ‘click’ (tonal?) languages from the Namibian/Kalahari bush region; no idea which one, though…

clMay 6th, 2012 at 1:30 pm

Maybe the same one that N!xau spoke?

adrian lumbíMay 6th, 2012 at 2:58 pm

bushmen

J. RobertsMay 6th, 2012 at 8:39 pm

Could only be !Kung…

SimonMay 7th, 2012 at 1:50 pm

J. Roberts got it – the answer is !Kung (!Xun) – a continuum of Kx’a languages and dialects spoken in Namibia, Botswana, Angola and South Africa. I don’t know which particular variety of !Kung it is though.

The recording comes from the GRN