Khoekhoe language
| Khoekhoe | |
|---|---|
| Khoikhoi, Nama, Damara, Nama/Damara | |
| Khoekhoegowab | |
| Pronunciation | [k͡xʰo̜͡ek͡xʰo̜͡egowab] |
| Native to | Namibia, Botswana and South Africa |
| Region | Orange River, Great Namaland, Damaraland |
| Ethnicity | Khoikhoi, Nama, Damara, Haiǁom, ǂKhomani |
Native speakers | 200,000 ± 10,000 (2011) |
Khoe–Kwadi
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Official status | |
Recognised minority language in | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:naq – Khoekhoe, Namahgm – Haiǁom |
| Glottolog | nort3245 Subfamily: North Khoekhoenama1264 Language: Namahaio1238 Language: Haiǁom-Akhoe |
| ELP | Khoekhoe |
The distribution of the Nama language in Namibia | |
| The Khoe language | |
|---|---|
| Person | Khoe-i |
| People | Khoekhoen |
| Language | Khoekhoegowab |
Khoekhoe or Khoikhoi (/ˈkɔɪkɔɪ/ KOY-koy; Khoekhoegowab, Khoekhoe pronunciation: [k͡xʰo̜͡ek͡xʰo̜͡egowab]), also known by the ethnic terms Nama (/ˈnɑːmə/ NAH-mə; Namagowab), Damara (ǂNūkhoegowab), or Nama/Damara and formerly as Hottentot, is the most widespread of the non-Bantu languages of Southern Africa that make heavy use of click consonants and therefore were formerly classified as Khoisan, a grouping now recognized as obsolete. It belongs to the Khoe language family, and is spoken in Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa primarily by three ethnic groups: Namakhoen, ǂNūkhoen, and Haiǁomkhoen.