Juǀʼhoan (English: /ˈdʒuːtwæn/ JOO-twan,[2][3] Juǀʼhoan: [ʒuᵑ̊ǀʰwã]), also known as Southern or Southeastern ǃKung or ǃXun, is the southern variety of the ǃKung dialect continuum, spoken in northeastern Namibia and the Northwest District of Botswana by San Bushmen who largely identify themselves as Juǀʼhoansi.
The name Juǀʼhoan (in the plural: Juǀʼhoansi) is also rendered Žuǀʼhõa – or occasionally Zhuǀʼhõa or Dzuǀʼhõa, depending on orthography.
Depending on the classification, it is considered the Southern or Southeastern variety of the ǃKung (also rendered ǃXun) language cluster.
Juǀʼhoan has five vowel qualities, which may be nasalized, glottalized, murmured, or combinations of these, and most of these possibilities occur both long and short.
However, other consonants (grey, transcribed with a superscript diacritic to their right) do not occur in the same root as murmured, glottalized, or epiglottalized vowels.
[full citation needed] Their epiglottal character may be a phonetic consequence of the raised larynx involved in making them ejective.
There are four click "types": dental, lateral, alveolar, and palatal, each of which found in twelve series or "accompaniments" (combinations of manner, phonation, and contour).
However, other consonants (grey, transcribed with a superscript diacritic to their right) do not occur in the same root as murmured, glottalized, or epiglottalized vowels.
[full citation needed] See Ekoka ǃXung for a related variety with a somewhat larger click inventory.
Three orthographies have been used over the past half century, two based on pipe letters for clicks and one using only the basic Latin alphabet.
In the 1960s, the South African Department of Education set about establishing official orthographies for the languages of Southwest Africa (Namibia).
However, Snyman maintains that these are positional variants of low-tone vowels, and not needed in an orthography (at least, not if tone were marked).
The noun classes and their pronoun-sets are as follows: Personal and demonstrative pronouns are: Following are some sample texts in the Juǀʼhoan language.
'Utocardchuun-ahit-TRANSǀKaeceǀKaecekoLKnǃamaroadnǃanginUto dchuun-a ǀKaece ko nǃama nǃangcar hit-TRANS ǀKaece LK road in'A car hit ǀKaece in the road'BesaBesakommEMPHǁʼama-ǀʼanbuy-giveObaObakoLKtcisithingsBesa komm ǁʼama-ǀʼan Oba ko tcisiBesa EMPH buy-give Oba LK things'Besa bought Oba some things'dshauwomannǂaicauseʻm-aeat-TRANShaherdaʼabichildkoLKmarimielie-mealdshau nǂai ʻm-a ha daʼabi ko mariwoman cause eat-TRANS her child LK mielie-meal'The woman fed her child mealie meal.'