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The Khoisan languages
The Khoisan languages are a distinct group of African languages known for their unique feature of click consonants. These languages were once classified together due to shared phonetic traits, but modern research has shown they belong to three separate language families and two language isolates. Despite this, they still form a linguistic group characterized by their phonetic complexity and historical significance. Most Khoisan languages are spoken in southern Africa, specifically in regions of Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa, with a few languages found in central Tanzania. These languages are primarily associated with the Khoikhoi and San (Bushmen) peoples, though other groups, such as the Sandawe and Hadza of Tanzania, also…
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The Khoisan languages
The Khoisan languages are a group of African languages primarily spoken in southern and eastern Africa. They are known for their distinctive use of click consonants, a feature that sets them apart from other language families. The term “Khoisan” was originally used to group these languages together, but modern linguistics now recognizes that they belong to at least three separate language families, and some languages are isolates with no known relatives. These families are the Khoe, Kxʼa, and Tuu, while the Sandawe and Hadza languages of East Africa were once included but are now considered distinct from the Khoisan group. Khoisan languages are mostly spoken by the Khoikhoi and San…
