Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Kxoe, Khoe, Buga, Mbarakwena, Barakwena, Barakwengo, Hukwe, !Hukwe, Xuhwe, Xu, Zama, Vazama, Cazama, Mbarakwengo, Glanda-Khwe, Schekere, Mbara Kwengo, Kxoedam, Khwedam, Xun
CLASSIFICATION		Khoe, Kalahari
ORTHOGRAPHY		Yes
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		xuu
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		\|\|Xo-Kxoe Buga-Kxoe \|\|Xom-Kxoe Kxoedam Buma-Kxoe
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS		Khwe [xuu] and \|\|Ani [hnh] form a dialect cluster.

Compare Sources (7)

Information from: “The twelve modern Khoisan languages” . Matthias Brenzinger (2011)

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
7,000
Native speakers worldwide

MORE ON VITALITY

"Many Khwe in Bostwana, especially those living in Maun and Khwai, have shifted to Setswana as their first language."

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Setswana

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

"Khwe and ǁAni distinguish their ethnic affiliation, but claim to speak dialects of one common language. In 2000, Khwe and ǁAni speakers formed one single language committee to standardize and develop their language, as well as to produce written materials for their language."

Scripts (Writing system)

Yes

PLACES: Namibia; Botswana; South Africa; Angola; Zambia

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: "Roughly 3700 Khwe-speakers live in Namibia, mainly in the Caprivi Strip, and about 1700 in the northwestern part of Botswana. Since 1989, 1300 live in Schmidtsdrift and Platfontein west of Kimberley in RSA. There are still about 300-400 Khwe (Ngarange-Khwe) moving between the Rivungu area of Angola and the Sioma plains in Zambia. Today, the largest Khwe settlements are Mutc’iku (1200) next to the Okavango River in Namibia, and Gudigoa (800) in Botswana."

5,000
Native speakers worldwide

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
7,990
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
"4,000 in Namibia. 3,600 in West Caprivi and 400 in East Caprivi. Population total all countries: 7,990. 790 in Angola (2000). 1,800 in Botswana (2004 R. Cook). 1,100 in South Africa (2000). 300 in Zambia (2006)."

SPEAKER ATTITUDE: Positive
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: "[In Namibia] Vigorous. Many non-Khwe learn Khwe for interaction with Khwe. Positive attitude. Also use English or Afrikaans... Many in Zambia have given up Khwe to speak the language of their partners and parents. Few speak Lozi [loz], the lingua franca of the area."

PLACES: South Africa; Botswana; Namibia; Zambia; Angola;

9,988
Native speakers worldwide

Ethnic population
4,000-6,000

DATE OF INFO: 1996

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

Not recognized by government

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT

One primary school

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Afrikaans
English
Mbukushu
Kwangali

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

"With the exception of the Kipi George Primary School where a teacher tried his best to explain subjects in Kxoedam, English and or [sic] Afrikaans are used as medium of instruction in all schools in the area."

"[T]he Kxoe people have no access to socio-economic development, including effective education, adequate health care and social service, sanitation ,water supply, housing, radio and posts and telecommunication services."

Scripts (Writing system)

Yes

More on Orthography

"Kxoedam as a written language was first introduced by the late Prof Oswin Köhler of the University of Köln as easly as 1960."

PLACES: Western Caprivi, Namibia

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~8,000
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
"Some 300 !Xũ who live with the Kxoe in West Caprivi [Namibia] have to speak Kxoedam in order to communicate with Kxoe, and only very few Kxoe speak their language."

"The mostly Umbundu-speaking Angolans learn at least some Kxoedam for communicating with Kxoe... And even many in Mbukushu, who have lived with Kxoe in West Caprivi for a long time, speak Kxoe as a second language."

DATE OF INFO: 1996

SPEAKER ATTITUDE

Positive

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

UNITA soldiers build houses, get food and water for Kxoe

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT

Used as oral medium of instruction in West Caprivi, Namibia; Kxoe community workshop on language held in 1996;

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

"Upon request of the Kxoe authority, a first Kxoe community workshop on language was held in Mutc'iku [Namibia] from July 28th to Septermber 1st 1996... A practical course on how to read and write Kxoedam was the major interest of the participants, and follow-up seminars were requested."

"Kxoedam is the language dominantly used in West Caprivi [Namibia] and it is employed as a lingua franca."

PLACES: Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Angola, South Africa

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: "Almost all 4.000 Namibian Kxoe live in the Caprivi Strip, 3.600 of the in West Caprivi and approximately 400 in East Caprivi."

Duisburger Arbeiten zur Sprach- und Kulturwissenschaft		2000	Where are the Khoesan of Botswana?	Botswana: the Future of the Minority Languages	13-31	Herman M. Batibo and Birgit Smieja	Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang	40			Sue Hasselbring	Sue Hasselbring. 2000. "Where Are the Khoesan of Botswana?" In Botswana: the Future of the Minority Languages, edited by Herman M. Batibo and Birgit Smieja. 40: 13-31. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.	HHOLD
		1996	The rights of indigenous peoples: the Kxoe people of Namibia				National Soc. for Human Rights		Windhoek		Nangoloh, Phil ya and Trumper, W. and Mnakapa, Zen-Asser	Nangoloh, Phil ya, W. Trumper and Zen-Asser Mnakapa. 1996. "The Rights of Indigenous Peoples: the Kxoe People of Namibia." National Soc. for Human Rights.	EBALL	4,000-6,000		1996					Afrikaans, English, Mbukushu, Kwangali	Not recognized by government		"With the exception of the Kipi George Primary School where a teacher tried his best to explain subjects in Kxoedam, English and or [sic] Afrikaans are used as medium of instruction in all schools in the area." "[T]he Kxoe people have no access to socio-economic development, including effective education, adequate health care and social service, sanitation ,water supply, housing, radio and posts and telecommunication services."	One primary school					Western Caprivi, Namibia	-17.926476,22.575188
	16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis	SIL International		Dallas, TX	http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub		7,990		1000-9999	"4,000 in Namibia. 3,600 in West Caprivi and 400 in East Caprivi. Population total all countries: 7,990. 790 in Angola (2000). 1,800 in Botswana (2004 R. Cook). 1,100 in South Africa (2000). 300 in Zambia (2006)."			English; Afrikaans; Lozi;		Positive	"[In Namibia] Vigorous. Many non-Khwe learn Khwe for interaction with Khwe. Positive attitude. Also use English or Afrikaans... Many in Zambia have given up Khwe to speak the language of their partners and parents. Few speak Lozi [loz], the lingua franca of the area."			Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)			South Africa; Botswana; Namibia; Zambia; Angola;
		2011	The twelve modern Khoisan languages	Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Khoisan Languages and Linguistics							Matthias Brenzinger	Matthias Brenzinger. 2011. "The Twelve Modern Khoisan Languages." In Proceedings of the 3rd International Symposium on Khoisan Languages and Linguistics,			7,000		1000-9999				Setswana			"Khwe and ǁAni distinguish their ethnic affiliation, but claim to speak dialects of one common language. In 2000, Khwe and ǁAni speakers formed one single language committee to standardize and develop their language, as well as to produce written materials for their language."		Many	Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	"Many Khwe in Bostwana, especially those living in Maun and Khwai, have shifted to Setswana as their first language."	"Roughly 3700 Khwe-speakers live in Namibia, mainly in the Caprivi Strip, and about 1700 in the northwestern part of Botswana. Since 1989, 1300 live in Schmidtsdrift and Platfontein west of Kimberley in RSA. There are still about 300-400 Khwe (Ngarange-Khwe) moving between the Rivungu area of Angola and the Sioma plains in Zambia. Today, the largest Khwe settlements are Mutc’iku (1200) next to the Okavango River in Namibia, and Gudigoa (800) in Botswana."	Namibia; Botswana; South Africa; Angola; Zambia	-18.010080, 22.434082; -18.890695, 22.966919; -16.156645, 21.780396
	3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger				UNESCO Publishing		Paris	http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub		5,000
			World Oral Literature Project							http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.			9,988
Quellen zur Khoisan-Forschung (Research in Khoisan studies), #15		1998	Moving to survive: Kxoe communities in arid lands	Language, identity and conceptualization among the Khoisan	321-357	Schladt, Mathias	Rüdiger Köppe Verlag	15	Köln		Brenzinger, Matthias	Matthias Brenzinger. 1998. "Moving To Survive: Kxoe Communities in Arid Lands." In Language, identity and conceptualization among the Khoisan, edited by Mathias Schladt. 15: 321-357. Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.	EBALL		~8,000	1996	1000-9999	"Some 300 !Xũ who live with the Kxoe in West Caprivi [Namibia] have to speak Kxoedam in order to communicate with Kxoe, and only very few Kxoe speak their language." "The mostly Umbundu-speaking Angolans learn at least some Kxoedam for communicating with Kxoe... And even many in Mbukushu, who have lived with Kxoe in West Caprivi for a long time, speak Kxoe as a second language."	300+	Textbooks		UNITA soldiers build houses, get food and water for Kxoe	Positive	"Upon request of the Kxoe authority, a first Kxoe community workshop on language was held in Mutc'iku [Namibia] from July 28th to Septermber 1st 1996... A practical course on how to read and write Kxoedam was the major interest of the participants, and follow-up seminars were requested." "Kxoedam is the language dominantly used in West Caprivi [Namibia] and it is employed as a lingua franca."	Used as oral medium of instruction in West Caprivi, Namibia; Kxoe community workshop on language held in 1996;		Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)		"Almost all 4.000 Namibian Kxoe live in the Caprivi Strip, 3.600 of the in West Caprivi and approximately 400 in East Caprivi."	Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Angola, South Africa

Khwe

Language metadata

Language information by source

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

7,000

5,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

7,990

9,988

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~8,000

Discussion

Khwe

Language metadata

Language information by source

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

7,000

5,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

7,990

9,988

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~8,000

Discussion

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