Extending !Xun dialect comparisons with a Ju|’hoan variety spoken in |Xae|xae, Botswana: gender classes, plural markers and loanwords

Abstract

Abstract Dialect clusters in Africa and specifically those of Khoisan languages are relatively underdocumented. !Xun can be described as a complex or a cluster of lects and the Ju|’hoan speakers of |Xae|xae, Botswana, are part of the (eastern) E1 dialect cluster of the !Xun language. Their closest neighbors in Tsum!kwe, Namibia, also speakers of Ju|’hoan, have been the subject of extensive linguistic study. A comparison based on lexical items affiliates speakers from |Xae|xae mainly with those from Tsum!kwe but with several exceptions. Additional comparisons between the Tsum!kwe and |Xae|xae speakers based on morphological markers show differences in plural markers and gender classes as well as differences in influences from neighboring languages. This study adds a specific variety to the description of the E1 dialect cluster that should encourage further research on Ju|’hoan as spoken in Botswana.