Shua language
Encyclopedia
Shwa or Shwakhwe, commonly spelled Shua, is a Khoe language
of Botswana
. It is spoken in central Botswana (in Nata
and its surroundings), and in parts of the Chobe District in the extreme north of Botswana. There are approximately 6,000 speakers (Cook 2004). The term Shwakhwe means people (khwe) from the salty area (shwa). Like many Khoisan languages, it has clicks and ejectives and distinctive tones
. Unlike most Khoisan languages, but like Nama
, the most neutral word order is SOV, though word order is relatively free. As with most Khoisan languages, there are postpositions. There is a tense-aspect marker ke which often appears in second position in affirmative sentences in the present tense, giving X Aux S O V order (e.g. S Aux O V).
For example,
This marker appears first in certain subordinate clauses, in a manner reminiscent of V2 languages such as German, where a clause-initial complementizer is in complementary distribution with a second position phenomenon (in German, it would be the finite verb which appears in second position).
Khoe languages
The Khoe languages are the largest of the non-Bantu language families indigenous to southern Africa. They are often considered to be a branch of a suspected Khoisan language family, and are known as Central Khoisan in that scenario. The nearest relative of the Khoe family is the extinct and poorly...
of Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
. It is spoken in central Botswana (in Nata
Nata, Botswana
Nata is a village in Central District of Botswana. It is located in the northern part of the district, and is served by Nata Airport. The population was 4150 in 2001 census. The village of Nata lies along the Nata River which carries its rainy season flow to the Makgadikgadi Pans, a seasonal...
and its surroundings), and in parts of the Chobe District in the extreme north of Botswana. There are approximately 6,000 speakers (Cook 2004). The term Shwakhwe means people (khwe) from the salty area (shwa). Like many Khoisan languages, it has clicks and ejectives and distinctive tones
Tone (linguistics)
Tone is the use of pitch in language to distinguish lexical or grammatical meaning—that is, to distinguish or inflect words. All verbal languages use pitch to express emotional and other paralinguistic information, and to convey emphasis, contrast, and other such features in what is called...
. Unlike most Khoisan languages, but like Nama
Nama language
The Khoekhoe language, or Khoekhoegowab, also known by the ethnic term Nàmá and previously the now-discouraged term Hottentot, is the most widespread of the Khoisan languages. It belongs to the Khoe language family, and is spoken in Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa by three ethnic groups, the...
, the most neutral word order is SOV, though word order is relatively free. As with most Khoisan languages, there are postpositions. There is a tense-aspect marker ke which often appears in second position in affirmative sentences in the present tense, giving X Aux S O V order (e.g. S Aux O V).
For example,
- Kʼarokwa ke ǀʼuizi ʼa gam
- boys Asp rock-pl obl throw
- "The boys are throwing rocks"
- ǀʼui-zi ʼa ke kʼarokwa gam
- rock-pl obl Asp boys throw
- "The boys are throwing rocks"
This marker appears first in certain subordinate clauses, in a manner reminiscent of V2 languages such as German, where a clause-initial complementizer is in complementary distribution with a second position phenomenon (in German, it would be the finite verb which appears in second position).
Dialects
Shwa is a dialect cluster.- Deti
- Ganádi
- Shwa-khwe
- Nǀoo-khwe
- Kǀoree-khoe or ǀOree-khwe
- ǁʼAiye or ǀAaye
- ǀXaise or ǀTaise
- Tshidi-khwe or Tcaiti or Sili or Shete Tsere
- Danisi or Demisa or Madenasse or Madinnisane
- Cara
- Hietshware or Hietʃware or Hietʃo