Beautiful click consonants in Namibia's Khoekhoe language | Emeloelaj speaking Nama | Wikitongues

[@Wikitongues]

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[@SteveShanafelt]

I've never wanted subtitles more. Whatever she's talking about, she has some very clear opinions about it.

[@alfia6690]

If you listen to the end, she speaks in English. The message isn't for you though, lol. I would live subtitles for the rest though too. Powerful delivery!

[@khust2993]

She's spitting facts

[@almostclintnewton8478]

I can't understand a single word but it feels like she's spilling some SERIOUS tea tell em sis😤

[@danielholowaty2648]

Yeah def 👁👄👁💅

[@NighatKousar53]

Tell em what

[@seductivegopnik2580]

@@NighatKousar53 doesn't matter sis, just TELL EM

[@feliz5919]

@@danielholowaty2648Yeah def 2x 👁👄👁💅☕️☕️☕️

[@AspireGMD]

She is FED UP with whoevers trying her. So upset.

[@cazg2001]

The click consonants are amazing :) What a beautiful language.

[@richardtjipepe]

... thank you. Funny thing is we don't even realize that we use the clicks, that's how accustomed we are.

[@BSBMteam]

@@richardtjipepe I know it’s a lot to ask, but can you translate what she’s saying?

[@richardtjipepe]

@@BSBMteam oh Glob. I'll do so this weekend and post it here for you

[@msruag]

@@richardtjipepe this weekend 😭😭it's been a year

[@njjj2688]

Someone add captions so I can understand this TEA sis is spilling

[@ANTSEMUT1]

Same.

[@feliz5919]

Yes PLEASE. this sounds like pure TEA. 💅🏼☕️

[@marewmpinge419]

This is my grandmothers language. She is actually speaking Nama and Afrikaans with a few english words. Even American skang is used here "slim thick". Its generally hiw we soeak here in Namibia. She's talking about an overconfident girl with a big butt walking in the streets and others talking down on her.

[@sumtingwong665]

I speak Afrikaans, and there is a lot of Afrikaans mixed in here as well as English. Its common for us to switch between languages in the same sentence here in South Africa as well as our neighbouring countries. I don't understand the Khoekhoegowab however I can translate the Afrikaans, so that there is some context to the story. I heard her saying "vroeg ryp, vroeg vrot" which directly translates to "early ripe, early rotten". Basically means that if you're sexually active at a young age you will have a corrupted mindset when you're older. "jy lyk soos gister" directly translates to "you look like yesterday" which means you look old school/ugly "dankie/baie dankie" - thank you/big thanks "ons stel glad nie belang nie" - we have absolutely no interest

[@louschwick7301]

The camera shook around 3:40 Was that her movements shaking it, or the camera itself trembling at her power

[@havingagr8time]

Love the sound of the language, but I especially love her facial expressions and body language and how animated she is. Would love to meet her!

[@user-zw5ij3cp1z]

my wife: "This gives me the same energy of Italian women"

[@joe_ita]

as an italian i agree with her. i think it's the handspeak that gives off that vibe.

[@joe_ita]

@@leonardolupi5135 ma infatti, come se io avessi scritto che con la gestualità stesse comunicando concetti tipo Emanuela Fanelli nel suo famoso meme... "handspeak" può significare sia comunicare a gesti che gesticolare e basta, in inglese non c'è differenza (perché non parlano con le mani)

[@matthewalvis9729]

@@joe_ita TELL HIM!!! HAD TO FLEX THE ITALIAN ON EM 😤😤🤌🏼🇮🇹🇮🇹

[@PerksJ]

I love her!!!! Born story teller

[@cube_cup]

I absolutely love her articulation. It's so clear and crisp and it makes every language she speaks so interesting and a joy to listen to.

[@thecavalieryouth]

She's mixing in Afrikaans so seamlessly with the Nama language 🥺😭 we need subtitles in a few different languages, I wanna know what she's saying. There was a lot of sarcastic "dankie" and "jy is die shit!" sprinkled in and we need context.

[@andycott1969]

I'm impressed, charmed, amazed, absolutely fascinated by this young lady speaking Nama. Thank you so much for posting this video! Lots of hugs from Italy!

[@sadeatthewhip1846]

Beautiful. I also love her English. She's just lovely.

[@stronglytyped]

I'm mesmorized by the sound of the language and the emotion in her storytelling.

[@kaikai906]

“Embrace yourself, lovey!” 🥰

[@adamwnt]

What an incredible language, be proud of it, cherish it and never let it die

[@alessandroagnitti4791]

I'm the only one who hears some Afrikaans words and phrases sometimes?

[@Spudeszledesky]

I hear 'danke' and 'goed' and 'was'.

[@Moamanly]

Probably adopted words /concepts. This sort of thing is very common around the world.

[@alessandroagnitti4791]

@@Moamanly yeah, but I recognised also entire phrases like "...is my eerste broer" (...is my first brother), I wonder if the relation between the two languages is simply that one adopted some words of the other or they are used both by the same speakers in different contexts with different registers

[@denalihedgehog]

I thought exactly the same

[@gregmcnair4272]

Alessandro, I heard them, too. I could understand alot of them because I speak Dutch. Afrikaans evolved out of Dutch.

[@austingrace1]

Man I wished this was longer. :( You can feel her passion coming through the video. I have never heard a language like this in my life but I could listen to it all day. Edit: I come back to this video every day. This is really beautiful to listen to and it is a nice energy. :)

[@gideonmoseri4850]

Atleast in Namibia 🇳🇦 they recognise Nama here in South Africa 🇿🇦 we have eleven official languages (9 Bantu languages and 2 Germanic languages) but they do not recognise any Khoisan language (including Nama) which is very sad because it is the true languages that originate in South Africa.

[@missbstuurman]

Because in Namibia they speak it.

[@franQpoet]

But Nama is not spoken I'm SA😂 It's only spoken in Namibia, Tuu is the only khoisan language in SA and is close to being extinct I believe...

[@sharonsyster2669]

@@missbstuurman because in Namibia the govt assist them and teach the language,people speak Nama in South Africa but...which people get help and assistance from govt and whice people have the Nama language official ??? We can see why it's spoken in Namibia,Namibia provides the platform for us Brown people unlike South Africa who only focus on Europeans and Bantus,blacks and whites...how much funding goes towards developing Zulu,Xhosa etc compared to our Khoekhoegowab and Nama...even with languages your Black govt decides to be racist and implement BBBEE and Afirmative Action on the Native people of Southern Africa....

[@sharonsyster2669]

@@franQpoet South Africa is not confined to the province where u stay lmao go to Western Cape and Northern Cape...even I can say they don't speak Zulu in KZN if I have not been there hahahaha 😆 reason why they don't speak the language is bcoz unlike speaking Zulu or Xhosa or English,bantu and Germania languages if we dare to speak our language we could be imprisoned or killed hence why us Brown people speak Afrikaans and since we don't get any handouts from govt like the bantus we have no choice but to speak Afrikaans,the language we were forced to speak...when they make Nama and Khoekhoegowab legal in South Africa then we'll see who speaks it and who don't...

[@missbstuurman]

@@sharonsyster2669 you clearly don't know anything about South Africa. The Xhosa's are the least developed in South Africa compared to anyone else....any coloreds live in the most developed province in South Africa, but still they choose gangsterism and prostitution.....if you did your research you would know in the eastern Cape there are plenty of languages that are not recognized by the government a lot of kings not recognized by the government. But they don't complain. Like i said the Eastern Cape is the least developed. Plenty of unrecognized tribes here

[@pollytjihenuna8322]

Definitely mixed in some Afrikaans in there. Love it.

[@oliveranderson7264]

I heard “Beste vriend” and “Dankie”

[@sambsstt]

i heard nog steeds too

[@egbront1506]

Before she switched to English I heard "Jy is die shit" twice

[@RideWithRen]

And English too.

[@MalaysianTropikfusion]

Ah. No wonder I thought some parts sounded German.

[@nytrodioxide]

The click consonants are really interesting. First language I've ever heard that sounds like that

[@jamiel6005]

lots of African languages have that. They’re called Khosic languages, I believe. Another example would he Xhosa, it has a distinct sound but also has clicks.

[@DatuSumakwel7]

@@jamiel6005 Xhosa is a Bantu language (Other Bantu languages include isiZulu, Kiswahili, Shona). It's not related to Khoisan languages but demonstrates influence from Khoisan languages. It has clicks because the AmaXhosa (Xhosa people) had long term contact with Khoisan peoples.

[@halilunes7007]

English has also got "click" consonants such as k', p', t'. Actually it is called "ejective consonants".

[@jasperkok8745]

@@halilunes7007 Ejective consonants and clicks are not quite the same. Xhosa (isiXhosa in the language itself) has both categories of sounds - and more -, see page 3 on www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/icphs-proceedings/ICPhS1999/papers/p14_1149.pdf

[@Octaviuseats]

@@DatuSumakwel7 Xhosa descend from Bantu and Khoisan people

[@TectonicBadger]

I'm grateful for anyone who takes the time to put their language out there like this, but this is a step above most Wikitongues videos in terms of delivery and passion. Amazing stuff!

[@Homoclassicus]

Apart from the incredibly interesting and expressive language, this beautiful girl has charisma to boot, she makes her point so expressively and powerfully that I can almost get what she's saying, lol, but seriously her strong gestures and lively delivery of her message really caught my attention to WANT to know what she has to tell us. Great video! :-)

[@marewmpinge419]

@Alessandro Agnitti This is my grandmothers language. She is actually speaking Nama and Afrikaans with a few english words. Even American slang is used here "slim thick". Its generally how we speak here in Namibia. She's talking about an overconfident girl with a big butt walking in the streets and others talking down on her.

[@Homoclassicus]

@@marewmpinge419 Thank you very much for your comment! It was really enlightening and informative. So what about the younger generations, do they still speak this way, or are they using more Indo-European languages (Afrikaans, English) or words interpersed with some native ones?

[@shaffy856]

I've heard at least 5 languages being spoken. I could listen to her all day without any clue of what she is saying. This was awesome!

[@nira2532]

I love love love her energy. I wish there were more resources to learn African languages

[@MrAledro84]

Thank you for posting this. This is one of the most fascinating traits of human phonetics. 👍

[@iwindara]

She’s great. Speaks several languages simultaneously and beautifully!

[@LtheGoddess7]

I love this language and her speaking of it SO MUCH!! Brings tears to my eyes. Thank you. 💜💜💜

[@ragedef7ms]

She is giving me so much energy to embrace myself rn, I’m living!

[@joaofreire3478]

Beautiful language! I love her expressiveness

[@Robutnikon]

😍😍😍 What a vibrant, beautiful human! Love this vid so much

[@keaton11477]

She's about to reach through the screen and force you to sit down and take an tongue lashin. Haha love how this sounds.

[@gavinmccormick3658]

I would love to know if the Afrikaans i hear is from codeswitching or mixing

[@tonyswietochowski2282]

Yeah I heard some Afrikaans in there

[@marewmpinge419]

This is my grandmothers language. She is actually speaking Nama and Afrikaans with a few english words. Even American slang is used here "slim thick". Its generally how we speak here in Namibia. She's talking about an overconfident girl with a big butt walking in the streets and others talking down on her.

[@sumtingwong665]

I heard "vroeg ryp vroeg vrot" and nearly peed myself from laughing, now I understand what this conversation is about xD

[@brinlov]

I need to know which radio stations broadcast in the Khoekhoe language right now!

[@DatuSumakwel7]

NBC Damara-Nama (known in Khoekhoegowab as 'Kaisames') in Namibia.

[@olavihekandjo2928]

Yes English and Afrikaans are mixed in there. Most San speakers in Namibia speak all three. English because it's the language of instruction on school.

[@ashwinnmyburgh9364]

I have no idea what she is talking about, except when she swaps into Afrikaans, then I get some of it. Pretty interesting that she mixes Nama, some English and Afrikaans like that.

[@rig2376]

She is positively intoxicating to watch and hear. I hope she is well.

[@dod6031]

If Xhosa is the beginner click language then this must be the final boss.

[@abisalomdavid345]

Xhosa is a copy language from these one ..come to Namibia

[@nandraenyeo999]

I fell inlove with this language it sounds so unique!

[@valentinventures]

She went on a date recently, but was disappointed because they didn’t really click.

[@beepbeepcasucha]

Hahaha

[@Salma.Salma.Salma.]

I don’t understand what she’s saying, but it sounds like something is irritating her

[@RideWithRen]

What a beautiful language with a very broad consonant inventory.

[@caimaccoinnich9594]

Matisa sisi! I speak Xhosa, another click language. I want to learn your language. I can see you mix Afrikaans in your Khoekhoe, I can see you're being really informal. Jy's net besig om saam met ons te chill en 'n lekker boodskaap te gee. Dankie sisi!

[@Wikitongues]

We would love to publish you speaking Xhosa! Anyone can contribute at wikitongues.org/submit-a-video :)

[@adamkirsch1904]

One of the current Linguistic theories as to how bantu languages such as Xhosa and isiZulu started using clicks is that they picked them up from interactions with the Khoe people 😊

[@adamkirsch1904]

Also, great to see another white South African speaking an actual African language! Too many of us really don't make any effort to learn another language, except maybe Afrikaans. I'm currently improving my isiZulu, and it's actually a requirement at my University that all humanities students must study an African language in first year😊

[@caimaccoinnich9594]

@@adamkirsch1904 Yes. I finished my degree in Business French, Xhosa and Mandarin Chinese and I'm busy finishing my honours in Xhosa. It's disgusting that whiteys don't learn native African languages. They're the heart of true Africa. I grew up amongst Swati people and obviously with that and Swati I can speak Zulu more or less ngako ke asikhulume ngesiZulu. Mina ngicabanga ukuthi kumele siqale ukusebenzisa izilimi zethu ze-Afrika njengezilimi zehulumeni.

[@caimaccoinnich9594]

@@adamkirsch1904 Oh, btw, the Nguni people picked up clicks from the Khoikhoi and San, but even further they picked up many words. In Xhosa, the Swati and Zulu word 'ingulube' is 'ihagu' and that comes straight from the Khoekhoe word 'hagub.'

[@auggith]

the bits of afrikaans sprinkled between are just immaculate. her accent is pure perfection

[@bahaynilord5201]

I feel like she's dissing us out with bars. Girl chile I-

[@chrisandradlamine8683]

Lmao. She's telling the guys who used to diss her in high school to stop texting her

[@bahaynilord5201]

@@chrisandradlamine8683 wait are you serious?

[@Robert89349]

You made my evening. Much love ❤️

[@compellingbutforgettable903]

It sounds strangely reminiscent of German.

[@meinname4997]

I am German and I think this does not sound like German at all xD maybe what you refer to is the Afrikaans she mixed in (according to the other comments)

[@tashiz8]

It sounds more like Dutch to me

[@fiedelmina]

@@tashiz8 Afrikaans is derived from Dutch she uses some of that apparently

[@chrisandradlamine8683]

The video is a mixture of three languages. She's a KZbinr. I wish they had used one where she speaks Khoekhoegowab only

[@arina3037]

I'm from germany and i heard the word "danke". It also sounds like "dank je" in dutch. I don't know where this beautiful language come from, its just what i heard or what i think i heard ☺

[@D_Mans_Productions_Channel]

Ngl, she looks like she'd be a hilarious friend lmao. The sheer amount of tea that she is spilling is insane

[@eb.3764]

It sounds like Thai without tones to me but with clicks. I think the clicks are so nice and subtle, and are so natural to hear in her language.

[@Friek555]

There was definitely a lot of Afrikaans in there aswell!

[@gyara7329]

She's so animated.

[@gracewenzel]

Those are some cool click consonants!

[@hosi292]

Click sounds + whistles + hand signals = communication in my hood! No words needed!

[@andrewstiller1662]

What a beautiful and fascinating language.

[@artemesiagentileschini7348]

I really want to learn this language

[@palepilgrim1174]

I feel like languages like this would probably be impossible to learn if you weren't raised with it from birth. I just don't understand how she makes those sounds, I doubt I could ever master it.

[@fslknsadglkdahawerykljwa3aw643]

@@palepilgrim1174 Are you able to click your tongue?

[@palepilgrim1174]

@@fslknsadglkdahawerykljwa3aw643 Are you unable to understand the difference between clicking your tongue and clicking it in the middle of sentences while vocalizing other letters at the same time?

[@palepilgrim1174]

@@fslknsadglkdahawerykljwa3aw643 "Clicks are often presented as difficult sounds to articulate within words. However, children acquire them readily; a two-year-old, for example, may be able to pronounce a word with a lateral click [ǁ] with no problem, but still be unable to pronounce [s]."

[@lingux_yt]

@@palepilgrim1174 nowadays that's easier. we have sound samples, IPA charts and videos with close-ups. you can perceive the points of articulation

[@robertschlesinger1342]

Very interesting and worthwhile video. Some linguists believe that the clicking languages were the first languages in the family tree of languages.

[@12341430]

Click consonants would be hard for me to produce. Really. Greetings from Lima, Peru.

[@TDHDN]

Human diversity in languages is so coooool

[@pasiphae5472]

SO BEAUTIFUL

[@PolyglotParadise]

Wow I watched this twice cause I just love the sound of this language!! Thank you for sharing :)

[@jamesr1703]

I found this absolutely fascinating.

[@angelaurelio7907]

Just one word WONDERFUL ❤️

[@Pizza_Hoot]

Beautiful! Would love to see a video on extinct languages like Akkadian or Sumerian or something along those lines

[@jamesr1703]

I understood the word "shite".

[@kennethkunz2449]

Fantastic! Beautiful! Marvelous! What are the communication significances of the clicks, pops, and smacking sounds - are they like punctuation marks that convey a designated meaning or emphasis? What would happen if the same words were spoken without the clacks, snaps, and ticks?

[@wordart_guian]

They're consonants. If you remove them, the words become different consonants

[@kennethkunz2449]

@@wordart_guian Thank you!

[@hannahwilliams5006]

I know this video is couple of years old but I feel like @NamaGirlMagic should have been credited, so this is her youtube channel www.youtube.com/@NamaGirlMagic where there are some basic Nama lessons if you want to know more about the language.

[@shaynmccallum2050]

Fascinating- actually quite a bit of it is actually Afrikaans- which is quite trippy because it sounds so exotic but then suddenly isn't.

[@elmethra1525]

afrikaans here and there yes, en Engels. It's a bouquet of nama sprinkled with the other 2

[@ferdieortman6614]

Ja cause nama literally means people who speak foreign language in my native tongue

[@camil3368]

I have not idea what she’s talking about but it seems really interesting. It’s a beautiful language and very unique

[@VeraDonna]

Mom: Don't snap your teeth, I don't want that kind of sass here. Emeloelaj:

[@kawaiianme]

I don’t know what she’s saying but you know YOU KNOW it’s tea! Fantastic sounding language! It’s powerful and expressive!

[@autobotdiva9268]

both languages LOVED IT!! I understood about 15% and little american english.

[@denalihedgehog]

I recently heard that those 'click' sounds are the rare sounds that are pronounced as you inhale, as opposed to most other human language sounds that are pronounced while you exhale

[@TnboinChi45]

Code switching 101 Amazing mind

[@emilyclaireotto]

Ooh she and her language are so cool! I'm guessing when u sing in this language you also use the clicking sounds right? Does anyone know of any songs

[@bengrethuwuseb6123]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/mp_LpXSHn7CJgZosi=Gbiy_hmihqeMnbQ1

[@bengrethuwuseb6123]

You can search for more songs either by searching Damara Punch or Ma/gaisa.

[@Anna-tj7mp]

So beautiful... but please can you add translations?

[@brbrenin]

Pretty woman, I don’t know a single word but it’s nice to hear

[@ctheo2020]

Yes, My Queen!!

[@WhiteandBlack]

WOW! Now I know which language is impossible to study. Impressed!

[@DatuSumakwel7]

Difficult but not impossible. I lived in Nama settlement in Namibia and managed to learn the language.

[@rs5536]

@Wikitongues could you PLEASE contact Emeloelaj for more videos in Khoekhoegowab? She's invited to give the eulogy at my funeral

[@johannesdekoning9521]

"Eendag sal ek vir julle sê dankie.... Los ons nog steeeds uit.... Dit werk nie so nie..." Sy praat heelwat Afrikaans.

[@GerardKhacha]

Khoekhoe: *Exists* Georgian speakers: *Challenge Accepted!*

[@johannaetrishamorgan6850]

Pragtige taal 👍 well done 👍

[@gonderage]

omfg i love how she uses suprasegmentals, i feel like they encode more information that we are seriously missing out on.

[@blerst7066]

I showed this to a friend. He said it sounds primitive. He's not my friend anymore.

[@astralinesleepyhead]

this is so beautiful!!!!

[@mandlakhenxumalo8942]

I wonder if Namibia has a different dialect of Afrikaans compared to South Africa...we hardly speakers of Khoe languages in South Africa so itès great to hear someone codeswitch with Nama

[@jerseygirl9402]

oh my goodness! beautiful!

[@carloselfrancos7205]

Imagine she's your mom scolding you 😂 You'd stay quiet for sure !

[@wausa7132]

She is so beautiful!

[@GreenNastyRabbit]

This is funny and impressive at the same time it makes you understand that human being has an amazing capability of sound generation

[@광동아재廣東大叔]

I recently saw a vid stating that there's a South African language called Xoo that has more than 100 consonant sounds combined with its click sounds together...

[@janeying5955]

She is so beautiful omgggg

[@Chrotisofus]

This is amazing, such an awesome language. Also, I was not ready to recognize random Afrikaans in here. :D

[@xerenas1593]

I keep hearing Dutch words!! ‘Nog steeds’, ‘wat goed’. I think she’s talking about South African Afrikaans vs Namibian Afrikaans??

[@ThePipton]

Are some bits in an Afrikaans language as well? Sometimes my brain understood some words but I am not sure

[@AdorableTheNerd]

i love her 🥺😍

[@FionaH-mu2mv]

Very beautiful.

[@jessicas.6235]

Embrace yourself, lovie 💛 I want subtitles so bad.

[@user-tk4gr9zo7t]

Ooo I just love her animate spirit 💖 miyosiwin/ᒥᔪᓯᐏᐣ. What a beautiful woman!

[@matt9999]

late reply but are you Cree or something? I was surprised to see Canadian syllabics here as an Indigenous Inuk myself :) ᖃᓄᖅ ᐃᖏᕐᕋᓂᖃᖅᐸ