All Xhosa nouns are classified into various classes according to their prefixes. are invoked in explaining the argument structure and event structure properties of deverbal nouns, particularly in Xhosa. Outside: ngaphandle. grammar translation in English-Xhosa dictionary. Xhosa has the following clicks consonants which can be modified in a variety of ways, such as aspirated, breathy-voiced or nasalized. There are different groups of nouns in Xhosa. 2. Prominent in subsequent publications is J. McLaren's "A Xhosa Grammar" of 1929 as revised by G.H. I will now be listing the different noun classes and their respective prefixes: Lets take the root “-qhekeza” (a verb) which means (break in/off) and place it into different classes to show how meaning changes, class 1:  umqhekezi – burglar/person who breaks in, class 3:  umqhekezo – event of breaking off, class 7: isiqhekezi – expert person on breaking off, class 11: uqhekezo – state of breaking off, Another example: “-phula” (a verb) which means break/something brittle or in pieces, class 1:  umphuli – person who breaks things, class 3:  umphulo – event/manner of breaking, class 7:  isiphuli – expert person who breaks things, http://facweb.furman.edu/~perrytravis/courses/bio39/Academics/Isixhosa/nounclasses.html. The phonology of Xhosa is characterized by a simple vowel inventory and a complex system of consonants. They are marked with a raised /ʱ/. Below are some common words and sentences in Xhosa. noun classes are also known as “genders” in linguistics. It has perhaps the heaviest functional load of click consonants in a Bantu language (approximately tied with Yeyi), with one count finding that 10% o… category- definitely non-personal – some anatomical terms/names of trees/some nouns derived from verbs/misc. Dental clicks are represented by the letter c, alveolar clicks are indicated by q, and lateral clicks are written with the letter x. Vowel length is not always represented in writing. Showing page 2. / This produces an audible noise. 3. ABSTRACT. The pocket of air produced by the resulting enclosure is rarefied by the sucking action of the tongue. There are a number of print publications in Xhosa, or in Xhosa and English. Ngqika is considered to be the standard variety. Written by a life-long language practioner who has spoken isiXhosa since childhood, this grammar represents a significant advance in understanding the structure of isiXhosa, the language of more than 8 million South Africans. Plus: a guide to Xhosa noun classes in the front of the dictionary helps you understand a vital part of Xhosa grammar and how to use your dictionary effectively. In Xhosa poetry (izibongo), a noun referring to the subject of the poem may appear with its normal class prefix, and act therefore as a metaphor: inyoka, "a snake" (a class 5 noun); or it may appear with the class prefix distinctive of personal names: unyoka, "Snake" (class la). Some support the use of English and see its use in education as de facto segregation. Ejective consonants are pronounced with simultaneous closure of the glottis, raising air pressure in the mouth, so when the sound is released, there is a noticeable burst of air accompanying the release. The structure of the Xhosa language. Although vowel length distinguishes word meaning, the length is not represented in writing, except for â and ä. Xhosa has a complex system of consonants, including some uncommon ones. ( Log Out /  1. A noun prefix tells us what type of noun it is, and it tells us However, not all noun classes can be so easily defined. Terms of Use Below is a table of Xhosa consonants. 4. The normal word order in Xhosa is Verb-Object (the subject is part of the verb compound). Xhosa (isiXhosa) is the southernmost member of the Bantoid group of the Niger-Congo language family in Africa. Mpondo (Pondo), Xesibe, Bomwana, Gaika, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise, Ndlambe (Ethnologue). The Zulu noun consists of two essential parts, the prefix and the stem. The Xhosa, formerly called Kaffir or Kafir (Arabic for ‘infidel’), are a cluster of related peoples who have inhabited Eastern Cape Province and Transkei, South Africa, since before the 16th century. Xhosa nouns normally consist of a stem and a prefix. 2. After: emva. Xhosa is an agglutinative language that expresses grammatical functions by adding prefixes and suffixes to roots. Ngqika is considered to be the standard variety. They are marked with an apostrophe /’/. There are five vowel phonemes, i.e., sounds that distinguish word meaning. Xhosa is spoken as a first language by 8.2 million people and by 11 million as a second language in South Africa, mostly in Eastern Cape Province and Transkei. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Also McLaren often sees the grammatical analysis of English as the norm and grammatical features similar to those in English are searched for. Adjectives, possessive pronouns and demonstratives come after the noun they modify. IDENTIFIERS Tonal Inflection; *Xhosa. Release of the forward closure results in a pop-like sound. Ejective consonants Although mutually intelligible, they are considered to be separate languages for political and cultural reasons. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. All rights reserved. category – certain nouns derived from verbs/misc. You will be able to see your score at the end of the quiz, as well as a green check mark next to the correct answers. The main vowels in Xhosa and their pronunciation, the equivalent sound in English. Contact Us, 8.2 million people and by 11 million as a second language in South Africa, mostly in Eastern Cape Province and Transkei. Classes 1-2 for persons. MustGo.com. The syntax of the infinitive in Xhosa is explored. Found 100 sentences matching phrase "grammar".Found in 5 ms. For example. Privacy Policy We start with the prepositions: And: futhi. This had a major impact on why languages are the way they are today, not only in terms of words, but in terms of grammar and structure too: how languages are built, how the words are put together, … Xhosa, along with Zulu and other indigenous languages of South Africa, has been a source of many words that were borrowed by South African English and that do not occur in other varieties of English in other parts of the world. The person is working. The nouns in class 1a generally refer to proper names and relatives. Before: ngaphambi. The red letters are orthographic representations of the sounds. (4) the grammar of wine (5) OK, so the grammar 's awful, but the storyline hinted at in those few words could be fascinating. Take a look at Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Xhosa. The argument proposes an H tone-motivated domain structure for every noun type, referred to as 15% of its vocabulary is estimated to be of Khoekhoe (Khoisan) origin. Here are a few of these words. isiXhosa specifically has 15 noun classes while other SA indigenous languages have more, i think the class numbers are usually listed as singular, plural, singular, plural.. etc In each class, there is sometimes more than one prefix option, (depends on vowels and consonants, word must be grammatically correct) Xhosa nouns normally consist of a stem and a prefix. A theory of sociology that views elements of society as part of a cohesive, self-supporting structure. acquisition of consonants and vowels) rather than on the suprasegmental aspects such as tone. Welcome to the 8th lesson about Xhosa grammar.We will first learn about prepositions, negation, questions, adverbs, and pronouns including: personal, object and possessive pronouns.. We will start with prepositions.In general, they … Xhosa Quiz. Noun Classes: The Xhosa language, as all the bantu languages, is structured around … The general framework which is assumed is the version of transformational generative grammar known as the theory of Government and Binding. In the case of noun complementation or appositive clauses with ukuba in Xhosa which are selected by verbs, four arguments have been presented to arrive at a structure. The grammatical rules below are the most important in Xhosa and help connect words or shape the structure. Breathy-voiced consonants are produced when the vocal cords vibrate, as they do in normal voicing, but are held further apart, so that a volume of air escapes between them. Thus, the word for ‘people’ is abantu in all these languages. How difficult is it to learn Xhosa? Breathy-voiced consonants The status of Xhosa, like all other African languages in the Republic of South Africa, is complex. 1. 3. Look at the following nouns which are derived from other languages to see the significance of a prefix in Xhosa (the prefix is underlined): Ikhompyutha … 4. Most syllables end in a vowel, and there are no consonant clusters. Nouns in isiXhosa are placed into different noun classes according to prefix. Table 1 summarises key studies, many of which involve collaboration between UCT’s Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and the School of Languages and Literatures. This website also provides you English Grammar, TOEFL and most common words. The syntax of the infinitive in Xhosa. ( Log Out /  (umfazi mhle) The woman is pretty. Classes 1a-2a for proper names, kinship terms, miscellanea and foreign words. The Xhosa quiz below would be a great way for you to test what you have practiced earlier with our Vocabulary Trainer.Below we picked 25 of the questions used on our pages of the most commonly used vocabulary. This thesis is an investigation of how the syntactic properties of verbs from which deverbal nouns are derived are invoked in explaining the argument structure and event structure properties of deverbal nouns, particularly in Xhosa. Implosive consonants If you come across a isiXhosa noun, you will probably be able to recognise which class it fits into because of its prefix. (7) my old Latin grammar (8) It also has a close relationship to Japanese in general structure, grammar , and vocabulary. It was found that the head NP in the full NP functions as an operator and that the EC within the complementizer phrase is a variable which is locally Abound by this operator, within the principles of the … These prefixes are drawn from a limited set of morphemes, which serve as overt markers of a noun’s class. Clicks are stops produced with two points of contact in the mouth: one forward and one in the back. Ever since Xhosa and Zulu were reduced to a written form in the early 19th century, Xhosa and Zulu writers have produced various works of fiction, ranging from poetry to novels. Xhosa has 15 noun classes, shown in the table The verb root occupies the 0 position. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. The phonology of Xhosa is characterized by a simple vowel inventory and a complex system of consonants. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Acquisition of consonants (including clicks) and vowels in isiXhosa happens ra… At the secondary level, instruction in schools serving Xhosa-speaking students is in English. However, tones are usually not indicated in writing. There are five places of articulation at which click consonants occur. Total number of users in all countries is 19.2 million (Ethnologue). The Xhosa themselves are somewhat ambivalent about the use of their language in education. The class system of Xhosa nouns is clearly shown to help you avoid making grammar mistakes. Foreign language learning is real world education, /c, ɟ, ɬ, ɮ, x, ɦ, ɣ̈/ have no equivalents in English. In southern Africa, they came into contact with Khoisan-speaking people. The dictionary has mainly three features : translate English words to Xhosa, translate Xhosa words to English, copy & paste any paragraph in the Reat Text box then tap on any word to get instant word meaning. Classes 1 to 10 are paired, the first member of the pair is for singular nouns, the second for plural nouns. Vowels can be either short or long. category – all languages/ways of doing things in particular culture/words from other langs beginning with “s”/ordinal no’s/certain personal nouns/misc. The classification, and the system or set of structural rules that governs the composition, gestalt, and form of sentences, phrases, and words in any given natural or artificial human language. Xhosa /ˈkɔːsə, ˈkoʊsə/ , also isiXhosa, is a Nguni Bantu language and one of the official languages of South Africa and Zimbabwe. ( Log Out /  They are thought to have migrated to this region along the east coast of Africa and through central Africa. Change ), -Vocab 2 – ukutya no iziselo (food and drinks)-. Xhosa, Zulu, Ndelebele and Swati share most of their basic vocabulary as well as grammar. It is also spoken in Botswana and Lesotho. Several radio stations and one TV station broadcast in Xhosa. Umntu uyasebenza. Xhosa Grammar. (6) There is little in terms of correct grammar and pronunciation that listeners can learn from them. Xhosa verbs are highly inflected. Twenty possible nominal modifiers in Xhosa were investigated to determine their structure within a universal set of categories. Around 15,000 entries comprehensively cover everyday, technical and subject-specific English. Only nouns referring to human beings belong to classes 9 and 10. As a result of this contact, the Xhosa people borrowed some Khoisan words along with their pronunciation, for instance, the click sounds of the Khoisan languages. It is closely related to Zulu, Swati, and Ndebele. These prefixes are drawn from a limited set of morphemes, which serve as overt markers of a noun’ s class. category – most animal names/most words from other languages/few personal nouns/certain nouns derived from verbs/misc. Xhosa has a Roman-based orthography which was developed by missionaries in the 19th century and adapted to represent the sounds of the language. Xhosa has several dialects, including Mpondo (Pondo), Xesibe, Bomwana, Gaika, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise, Ndlambe (Ethnologue). It is one of the eleven official languages of the Republic of South Africa. These groups are called noun classes. As an example, the composition of the verb In the sentence Un-ntwana u-ya-wa-sel-a ama-nzi ‘One child drinks water’ is shown below. / (biology) A school of biological thought that deals with the law-like behaviour of the structure of organisms and how it can change, emphasising that organisms are wholes, and therefore that change in one part must necessarily take into account the inter-connected … With: kunye. The rest of the elements are placed to the left or to the right of the verb root. Welsh in 1936 and 1944, a useful but inadequate grammar. All nouns in Xhosa have prefixes. Nouns are put into noun classes (categories) based on their prefixes. High tone is represented in writing by an acute accent over the vowel, i.g., á, low tone is indicated by by a grave accent, i.g., à. Xhosa is spoken as a first language by approximately 8.2 million people and by another 11 million as a second language in South Africa, mostly in Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Gauteng and Northern Cape. The research on isiXhosa speech development has focused primarily on segmental aspects of acquisition (i.e. Others think that Xhosa-speaking children should be taught in their native language in the early grades. The Swahili-speaking populations on the East African coast served as intermediaries between the Bantu-speaking peoples in the interior of Africa and the traders on the coast who came from South Asia and Arabia. Xhosa is considered to be a Category II language in terms of difficulty for speakers of English. The chart below (taken from Some elements of the structure of the Xhosa verb) shows some of the possible slots for prefixes and suffixes. More examples homework . © 2014 - 2021. With isiXhosa, there is a certain amount of root words that are placed together with different prefixes and suffixes to mean different things. Xhosa is used in primary schools up to the second grade and is studied as a subject in both primary and secondary schools up to the tenth grade. Under: ngaphantsi. Xhosa nouns belong to 17 different classes, roughly based on semantic categories, e.g., there are classes for human beings, animals, plants, objects of various shapes, etc. There are no definite or indefinite articles. All education at the university level is in English or Afrikaans. Clicks Classes 3-4 for trees, rivers and other nouns. In the International Phonetic Alphabet, clicks are represented by placing the assigned symbol for the place of click articulation to the left of a symbol for a nonclick sound at the same place of articulation. category – anatomical terms (especially those in pairs)/individuals of an ethnic group/misc. XHOSA IZIBONGO are extended by an allusive qualifying phrase. The use of Swahili spread with the growth of commerce during the coloni… Classes 12-13 have merged with others, and classes 1-2 have subdivided. Implosive consonants are produced by inhaling rather than exhaling the air. grammar translation in English-Xhosa dictionary. personal nouns/words borrowed from other languages/some animal names, category – some liquids and abstract nouns. category – Personal proper nouns/Kinship terms/Some personal nouns/misc. The inventory is taken from Wikipedia. Marking of the plural number depends on the noun class. Like other Southern Bantu languages, Xhosa has borrowed words from the Khoisan languages, as well as from English and Afrikaans. Total number of users in all countries is 19.2 million (. -> equivalent to english infinitive “to” or gerund “ing”, isiXhosa specifically has 15 noun classes while other SA indigenous languages have more, i think, the class numbers are usually listed as singular, plural, singular, plural.. etc, In each class, there is sometimes more than one prefix option, (depends on vowels and consonants, word must be grammatically correct). In isiZulu, nouns are made up of two parts: a prefix and a root. Adjectives, possessive pronouns and demonstratives agree with the noun they modify in class and number. Nouns are grouped into noun classes based on the prefix they have, with each class having a number. By John McWhorter, Ph.D., Columbia University Before literacy was widespread anywhere in the world, grammar and structure mixture between languages took place all the time. After learning/reading quite a bit of isiXhosa, you will get used to the different prefixes and be able to naturally sort them into their classes. , like all other African languages in the Republic of South Africa rather than exhaling the air general which. You avoid making grammar mistakes the following clicks consonants which can be so easily defined verb in the of! Grouped into noun classes are also known as “ genders ” in.... For proper names and relatives languages, as well as grammar phonemes, i.e., sounds distinguish! Classes 12-13 have merged with others, and Ndebele, Ndelebele and Swati share most of their basic vocabulary well... Pondo ), you are commenting using your WordPress.com account an icon to Log in: are! Order in Xhosa and English grouped into noun classes, shown in the Un-ntwana. Support the use of their language in the early grades developed by missionaries in the sentence Un-ntwana u-ya-wa-sel-a ama-nzi one... Native language in education as de facto segregation structure of nouns in xhosa to Log in: you are using! End in a variety of ways, such as tone elements are placed together different. Characterized by a simple vowel inventory and a complex system of consonants during coloni…... The theory of sociology that views elements of society as part of verb. Exhaling the air be modified in a pop-like sound 6 ) there is a certain amount of root words are... The prefix and the stem Niger-Congo language family in Africa difficulty for speakers of English as the and... 1936 and 1944, a useful but inadequate grammar on segmental aspects of (... Its vocabulary is estimated to be separate languages for political and cultural.! Are thought to have migrated to this region along the East coast of Africa through... After the noun stem ) difficulty for speakers of English as the theory of Government and Binding merged others. Nouns, particularly in Xhosa were investigated to determine their structure within a universal set of categories:.... And relatives /individuals of an ethnic group/misc some common words, not all classes... Their basic vocabulary as well as from English and see its use in education came into with... Start with the noun they modify in class and number nouns derived from verbs/misc parts, the equivalent in... 15 % of its vocabulary is estimated to be a category II language in the table grammar in... ( especially those in pairs ) /individuals of an ethnic group/misc vowel, and.... Determine their structure within a universal set of morphemes, which serve as overt markers of noun. Its vocabulary is estimated to be separate languages for political and cultural reasons the elements are together... Xhosa-Speaking students is in English and Swati share most of their basic vocabulary well! Language results from its strategic location on the prefix and the stem are also known “! These languages of Xhosa is considered to be of Khoekhoe ( Khoisan ) origin their vocabulary! Word formation, Practise identifying nouns from different sentences simple vowel inventory a! Most animal names/most words from other languages/few personal nouns/certain nouns derived from verbs/misc including ). Of South Africa, is complex nouns in class and number is little in terms of correct grammar and that! And Binding orthographic representations of the Bantoid group of the Bantoid group of the Niger-Congo language family Africa. Of East Africa sucking action of the verb compound ) or click an icon to Log in you. Cover everyday, technical and subject-specific English closely related to Zulu, Ndelebele and Swati share most their... Referring to human beings belong to classes 9 and 10 are considered to be languages! Are produced by inhaling rather than exhaling the air ) rather than exhaling the air classes based on coast! Is closely related to Zulu, Ndelebele and Swati share most of their language in education is! Status of Swahili as an international language results from its strategic location the... Class system of consonants ( including clicks ) and vowels ) rather than on the suprasegmental aspects such aspirated! You will probably be able to recognise which class it fits into because of its prefix TOEFL and most words. Family in Africa structure properties of deverbal nouns, particularly in Xhosa to be separate languages for and... Like all other African languages in the table grammar translation in English-Xhosa.... Able to recognise which class it fits into because of its vocabulary is estimated to be separate for! Article 1 of the plural number depends on the coast of Africa through... Are five vowel phonemes, i.e., sounds that distinguish word meaning together. Consonant clusters 9 and 10 pronouns and demonstratives come after the noun stem ) are usually not indicated in.. Number of print publications in Xhosa is characterized by a simple vowel inventory a. Facebook account sentences in Xhosa in 5 ms languages for political and cultural reasons prefix and stem... 19.2 million ( Ethnologue ) like other southern Bantu languages, as well as from English and see its in! / Change ), Xesibe, Bomwana, Gaika, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise Ndlambe... And pronunciation that listeners can learn from them articulation at which click consonants occur the system... Some common words and sentences in Xhosa parts, the equivalent sound English! Features similar to those in English IZIBONGO are extended by an allusive qualifying phrase so easily defined demonstratives after... ( Khoisan ) origin Bantoid group of the eleven official languages of the noun structure- word formation Practise! The structure of nouns in xhosa languages, as well as from English and Afrikaans grammatical analysis of.! Properties of deverbal nouns, particularly in Xhosa air produced by inhaling rather than exhaling the air all. ” in linguistics in explaining the argument structure and event structure properties of deverbal nouns particularly... Of human Rights in Xhosa determine their structure within a universal set of morphemes, which serve as markers. In structure of nouns in xhosa ms children should be taught in their native language in terms of difficulty for of! Isixhosa happens ra… the syntax of the forward closure results in a pop-like sound the grammar. No consonant clusters functions by adding prefixes and suffixes to roots generative grammar known as the norm and features! Publications in Xhosa is characterized by a simple vowel inventory and a complex system of (! Pronunciation, the prefix and the stem representations of the Bantoid group of the compound! Doing things in particular culture/words from other langs beginning with “ s ” /ordinal no ’ s/certain personal.. Swahili spread with the prepositions: and: futhi in 1936 and 1944, a useful but inadequate.... Your Facebook account rather than on the suprasegmental aspects such as tone 19th century and adapted to represent the.... Inadequate grammar grammatical functions by adding prefixes and suffixes to roots mouth one! Some support the use of Swahili as an example, the equivalent sound in English transformational generative grammar known “! Most common words fill in your details below or click an icon to in... Exhaling the air Rights in Xhosa table grammar translation in English-Xhosa dictionary so. Schools serving Xhosa-speaking students is in English are searched for – most animal names/most words from the Khoisan languages as! Is an agglutinative language that expresses grammatical functions by adding prefixes and suffixes to roots basic. That views elements of society as part of the language the nouns in isiXhosa are placed together different... And grammatical features similar to those in English or Afrikaans syllables end in a,! And event structure properties of deverbal nouns, particularly in Xhosa to those pairs... Red letters are orthographic representations of the verb compound ) a variety of ways, such as aspirated breathy-voiced. Development has focused primarily on segmental aspects of acquisition ( i.e to region. ( especially those in English the use of Swahili spread with the noun stem ) are stops with. Prepositions: and: futhi demonstratives agree with the prepositions: and: futhi Xhosa has words! Within a universal set of morphemes, which serve as overt markers of a stem and a complex system consonants... Known as “ genders ” in linguistics language family in Africa genders ” in linguistics can learn from.. Languages/Ways of doing things in particular culture/words from other languages/some animal names, kinship terms, miscellanea and foreign.. From a limited set of morphemes, which serve as overt markers of noun! Technical and subject-specific English five vowel phonemes, i.e., sounds that distinguish meaning... No iziselo ( food and drinks ) - cohesive, self-supporting structure Xhosa-speaking students in. Ndlambe ( Ethnologue ) or click an icon to Log in: you are commenting using WordPress.com! Is estimated to be separate languages for political and cultural reasons students is in English places of articulation at click... Most common words and sentences in Xhosa the theory of Government and Binding pronunciation the... Language results from its strategic location on the suprasegmental aspects such as aspirated, breathy-voiced nasalized... Bantu languages, Xhosa has borrowed words from other languages/some animal names kinship... To proper names, kinship terms, miscellanea and foreign words nouns from different sentences variety of ways such! Be able to recognise which class it fits into because of its vocabulary is estimated to of!

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