G/wi language

Categories: Language stubs | Khoisan languages

G/wi or Gǀui (sometimes spelled Dcui) is a Khoisan language of Botswana with 2,500 speakers (2004 Cook). It is part of the G‖ana-G/wi dialect cluster of the Tshu-Khwe family, and is closely related to Naro.

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Click consonants

G/wi may have up to 48 click consonants. As with many of the Tshu-Khwe languages, clicks have lost some of their importance under the influence of neighboring Bantu languages. Many words which previously began with clicks (as shown by cognates in related languages) have lost them over the past few centuries in G/wi.

G/wi has both velar and uvular clicks. Altogether there are twelve such accompaniments, or effluxes. Except for the lack of a bilabial click release, this inventory is nearly identical to that of ‡Hõã. It may be that not all 48 potential clicks are actually found in the language, or may exist but have not yet been recorded.

accompaniment affricated clicks 'sharp' clicks
dental
clicks 		lateral
clicks 		alveolar
clicks 		palatal
clicks
Velar nasal ŋǀ ŋǁ ŋǃ ŋǂ
Voiced velar gǀ gǁ gǃ gǂ
Tenuis velar kǀ kǁ kǃ kǂ
Aspirated velar kǀʰ kǁʰ kǃʰ kǂʰ
Glottalized velar
(prenasalized between vowels) 		kǀˀ
(ŋˀkǀ) 		kǁˀ
(ŋˀkǁ) 		kǃˀ
(ŋˀkǃ) 		kǂˀ
(ŋˀkǂ)
Delayed aspiration
(voiceless delayed-aspirated velar nasal) 		ŋ̊ǀʰ ŋ̊ǁʰ ŋ̊ǃʰ ŋ̊ǂʰ
Prenasalized voiced uvular ɴɢǀ ɴɢǁ ɴɢǃ ɴɢǂ
Tenuis uvular qǀ qǁ qǃ qǂ
Aspirated uvular qǀʰ qǁʰ qǃʰ qǂʰ
Voiceless uvular affricate qǀχ qǁχ qǃχ qǂχ
Uvular ejective qǀ’ qǁ’ qǃ’ qǂ’
Uvular ejective affricate qǀχ’ qǁχ’ qǃχ’ qǂχ’
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Dialect

  • Khute
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Reference

Hirosi Nakagawa, 1995. "A Preliminary Report on the Click Accompaniments of |Gui". Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 25.2, 49-63.

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External link

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Khoisan languages  (classification)

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‖Ani | G‖ana | G/wi | Hadza | ‡Hõã | Ju/’hoan | Korana | !Kung (!Xũũ) | Kwadi | ‡Kx’au‖’ein | Kxoe |

Nama | Naro | N/u | Sandawe | Seroa | Shua | Tsoa | /Xam | ‖Xegwi | Xiri | !Xóõ