Writing System: Nǁng, a highly endangered Khoisan language spoken in South Africa and Namibia, does not have a widely standardized writing system. When transcribed, linguists typically use the Latin alphabet with additional symbols, especially for representing its extensive click consonants. Specialized notation is used for clicks and other unique phonemes in the language.
Grammar: Nǁng grammar features Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order, although some variation occurs. Nouns are not marked for gender, but noun classes do exist, often marked through concords or articles. The language also employs a complex system of verb morphology to express tense, aspect, and mood, with auxiliary verbs playing a key role.
Phonology: Nǁng is known for its extremely rich phonetic inventory, particularly its use of click consonants. There are five types of clicks: dental /ǀ/, lateral /ǁ/, alveolar /ǃ/, palatal /ǂ/, and bilabial /ʘ/, which can combine with various accompaniments like nasalization and glottalization. In addition to clicks, Nǁng has a wide range of non-click consonants and vowels, making it a highly complex language phonetically.
Lexicon: The Nǁng lexicon is primarily rooted in the Tuu language family, with many words related to the environment, hunting, and survival. Due to the speakers’ interaction with other communities, Nǁng has incorporated loanwords from Nama, Afrikaans, and other surrounding languages. However, much of its vocabulary remains unique to the Khoisan linguistic tradition.
Endangered Voices Initiative 