Nama language

Nama can also be a genus of plants in the family Hydrophyllaceae

Nama is a Khoisan language spoken in Namibia. It has 3 tones and 5 vowels. There are 20 click consonants in Nama. The name of the Nama speakers, Khoikhoin or Khoekhoen, is from the Nama word kxÃÂÃÂ²i, which apparently means person or man, reduplicated and with the suffix -n to indicate plural. According to Ethnologue, there are 233,000 speakers as of 1998.

There are a total of 42 phonemes. Nama has the vowels /a e i o u/ and their nasal forms.

bilabial alveolar velar glottal

stop p t k '

fricative s x h

africate ts kx

nasal m n

tap r

	bilabial	alveolar	velar	glottal
stop	p	t	k	'
fricative		s	x	h
africate		ts	kx
nasal	m	n
tap		r

Clicks

dental alveolar palatal lateral

velar stop / ! = //

aspirated /h !h =h //h

with glottal stop /' !' =' //'

nasal /n !n =n //n

velar africate /x !x =x //x

Here is a sample of Nama:

Xam-i ke 'a /ÃÂÃÂºrÃÂÃÂºn hÃÂÃÂ²ÃÂÃÂ¡n tÃÂÃÂ¬ kÃÂÃÂ ÃÂÃÂ³'ao kÃÂÃÂ¡ÃÂÃÂsep 'a /aÃÂÃÂsa, /ÃÂÃÂ³m //xÃÂÃÂ¡ÃÂÃÂ, xÃÂÃÂ¡pÃÂÃÂº kxÃÂÃÂ¡ÃÂÃÂ³, tsiÃÂÃÂ !hÃÂÃÂ¡ÃÂÃÂ©se ra !xÃÂÃÂ³ÃÂÃÂ©s !'ÃÂÃÂ¡rÃÂÃÂ³ma.

TsiÃÂÃÂ maÃÂÃÂ¡tsekÃÂÃÂ¡m //ÃÂÃÂ³akas hÃÂÃÂ²ÃÂÃÂ¡sÃÂÃÂ p ke =xam xam-ÃÂÃÂ !ÃÂÃÂ¡rop !naa ='oÃÂÃÂ¡ tsiÃÂÃÂ //'iip tÃÂÃÂ¬ /aÃÂÃÂsÃÂÃÂ¬pÃÂÃÂ sÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ kÃÂÃÂ¨rÃÂÃÂ¨ /noÃÂÃÂ³ku nÃÂÃÂ¡ÃÂÃÂº /ÃÂÃÂºrÃÂÃÂºn /xÃÂÃÂ¡a. TsiÃÂÃÂ maÃÂÃÂ¡ tsÃÂÃÂ¨es hÃÂÃÂ²ÃÂÃÂ¡sÃÂÃÂ p ke //'iipÃÂÃÂ kÃÂÃÂ¨rÃÂÃÂ¨ 'ÃÂÃÂ³a-/xiÃÂÃÂ tÃÂÃÂ n'aose. TsiÃÂÃÂ nee =hÃÂÃÂ²as ke /ÃÂÃÂºrÃÂÃÂºn !hÃÂÃÂºÃÂÃÂ¹p hÃÂÃÂ²ÃÂÃÂ¡rÃÂÃÂ¡kap !naa kÃÂÃÂ¨ //nÃÂÃÂ ÃÂÃÂºhÃÂÃÂ¨ tsiÃÂÃÂ ='ÃÂÃÂ¡nhÃÂÃÂ¨ 'iÃÂÃÂ xam-i 'a /ÃÂÃÂºrÃÂÃÂºn tÃÂÃÂ¬ kÃÂÃÂ ÃÂÃÂ³'ao !xÃÂÃÂ¡isÃÂÃÂ . TsiÃÂÃÂ maÃÂÃÂ¡ tsÃÂÃÂ¨es hÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ'ap kÃÂÃÂ¨rÃÂÃÂ¨ 'ÃÂÃÂ³a-/xiÃÂÃÂ tÃÂÃÂ n tsiÃÂÃÂs kxÃÂÃÂ¡ÃÂÃÂ³!ÃÂÃÂ¡a 'oos ke //'iip tÃÂÃÂ¬ //uusÃÂÃÂ kÃÂÃÂ¨rÃÂÃÂ¨ koÃÂÃÂ¡pi "tÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ 'ÃÂÃÂ³ÃÂÃÂ¡tse! /ÃÂÃÂ³m !nÃÂÃÂ³rÃÂÃÂ³tse! xÃÂÃÂ¡pÃÂÃÂº kxÃÂÃÂ¡ÃÂÃÂ³tse! /ÃÂÃÂ³m //xÃÂÃÂ¡ÃÂÃÂtse! 'ÃÂÃÂ¡ore kxÃÂÃÂ²etse!" tÃÂÃÂ.

Xapes ke /ÃÂÃÂºÃÂÃÂ tsekÃÂÃÂ¡m //ÃÂÃÂ³aka kxÃÂÃÂ ÃÂÃÂ-mÃÂÃÂ¡ÃÂÃÂ¡ tsiÃÂÃÂp ke =xam xam-ÃÂÃÂ kÃÂÃÂ rÃÂÃÂ³sn 'oo !xÃÂÃÂ³ÃÂÃÂ³/xÃÂÃÂ¡api "/ÃÂÃÂ³m //xÃÂÃÂ¡ÃÂÃÂtse! /ÃÂÃÂ³m !nÃÂÃÂ³rÃÂÃÂ³tse! xam //'oatse! xÃÂÃÂ¡pÃÂÃÂº kxÃÂÃÂ¡ÃÂÃÂ³tse!" tÃÂÃÂ, !xÃÂÃÂ³ÃÂÃÂ³/xÃÂÃÂ¡api tÃÂÃÂ³ÃÂÃÂ¡ tsiÃÂÃÂ kÃÂÃÂ¨ mÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ "am'aseta ke ra =ÃÂÃÂ³m saÃÂÃÂ¡ts maÃÂÃÂ¡ /ÃÂÃÂºrÃÂÃÂºn hÃÂÃÂ²ÃÂÃÂ¡n xaa 'a /aÃÂÃÂsa !xÃÂÃÂ¡isÃÂÃÂ . MaÃÂÃÂ¡ tsÃÂÃÂ¨es hÃÂÃÂ²ÃÂÃÂ¡sÃÂÃÂ ts ke saÃÂÃÂ¡tsÃÂÃÂ ='oÃÂÃÂ¡ !ÃÂÃÂ¡rop !naa tsiÃÂÃÂ 'ÃÂÃÂ³a-/xiÃÂÃÂ tsiÃÂÃÂ ra //aute 'am'asets saÃÂÃÂ¡tsÃÂÃÂ 'a /ÃÂÃÂºrÃÂÃÂºn tÃÂÃÂ¬ kÃÂÃÂ ÃÂÃÂ³'ao !xÃÂÃÂ¡isÃÂÃÂ . Xape, tÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ 'ÃÂÃÂ³ÃÂÃÂ¡tse! /ÃÂÃÂºÃÂÃÂ tsÃÂÃÂ¨ets ke nÃÂÃÂ¬ÃÂÃÂ ='oÃÂÃÂ¡ !ÃÂÃÂ¡rop !naa. TsiÃÂÃÂ ='oÃÂÃÂ¡ tsiÃÂÃÂts !ÃÂÃÂ¡rop !naa ra !uumaa hÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ'ats ke =xarÃÂÃÂ xuurÃÂÃÂ³p =hanÃÂÃÂºse ra !ÃÂÃÂºu !xoÃÂÃÂ³tÃÂÃÂ¬ !naa =nÃÂÃÂ¹a tÃÂÃÂ nÃÂÃÂ¡sepÃÂÃÂ nÃÂÃÂ¬ÃÂÃÂ mÃÂÃÂ¹u. TsiÃÂÃÂ, tÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ 'ÃÂÃÂ³ÃÂÃÂ¡tse! /ÃÂÃÂ³m //xÃÂÃÂ¡ÃÂÃÂtse! /ÃÂÃÂ³m !nÃÂÃÂ³rÃÂÃÂ³tse! xÃÂÃÂ¡pÃÂÃÂº kxÃÂÃÂ¡ÃÂÃÂ³tse! //naÃÂÃÂ¡ =xarÃÂÃÂ xuurÃÂÃÂ³p /xÃÂÃÂ¡ats kÃÂÃÂ rÃÂÃÂ /haÃÂÃÂ³'ÃÂÃÂº tsÃÂÃÂ¨es //naÃÂÃÂ¡s 'ÃÂÃÂ¡ÃÂÃÂs ke sÃÂÃÂ³resÃÂÃÂ nÃÂÃÂ¬ÃÂÃÂ =aa 'ÃÂÃÂ³a-/xiÃÂÃÂ tamats hÃÂÃÂ a hÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ'a. //naÃÂÃÂ¡ xuurÃÂÃÂ³p tÃÂÃÂ¬ /'ÃÂÃÂ²ns ke "kxÃÂÃÂ²ep"¹ tÃÂÃÂ ra =aÃÂÃÂhÃÂÃÂ¨.

It means

The lion is king of all the beasts because he is very strong, thick of chest, slim of waist, and runs fast.

Every morning, the young lion would go out into the forest and compare his strength with the other beasts. And every day he would return the victor. This news was heard and known throughout the animal world: that the lion was king of the beasts. Every day that he would return victorious, his mother would praise him, "Son of mine! Thick of neck! Thick of chest! He-man!"

But one morning, when having got up the young lion was stretching, she praised him, "Thick of chest! Thick of neck! Lion-armed! Slim of waist!," finished praising him and said, "I truly believe that you are strongest of all the beasts. Every day you go out into the forest and return, and show me that you are truly king of the beasts. But, my son, one day you will go out into the forest. And while you are out walking around in the forest, you will see a little thing which walks straight, its head sitting on its shoulders. And, Son of mine! Thick of chest! Thick of neck! Slim of waist!, the day you meet that little thing, on that day the sun will set while you have not returned. The name of that little thing is called 'man'.

There is some information on Nama pronouns here, and some information on Nama syntax here

External link

Nama Swadesh Word List from Rosetta Project

¹ This is how I know kxÃÂÃÂ²ep means "man".

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	dental	alveolar	palatal	lateral
velar stop	/	!	=	//
aspirated	/h	!h	=h	//h
with glottal stop	/'	!'	='	//'
nasal	/n	!n	=n	//n
velar africate	/x	!x	=x	//x