They are marked with an apostrophe /’/. 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. 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. category – most animal names/most words from other languages/few personal nouns/certain nouns derived from verbs/misc. Xhosa has several dialects, including Mpondo (Pondo), Xesibe, Bomwana, Gaika, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise, Ndlambe (Ethnologue). IDENTIFIERS Tonal Inflection; *Xhosa. The person or noun-class of the subject agreement pre- Is the “BE compound tense” in Xhosa (Nguni) a Serial Verb Construction… 213 fixes of V-1 and V-2 is necessarily identical (10.a)23 – each prefix referring to the same person, being, object, or idea (10.b). Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. acquisition of consonants and vowels) rather than on the suprasegmental aspects such as tone. ( Log Out /  Classes 1 to 10 are paired, the first member of the pair is for singular nouns, the second for plural nouns. Only nouns referring to human beings belong to classes 9 and 10. These nouns are grouped according to their prefixes (the first part that is fixed to the noun stem). The person is working. Terms of Use Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. The class system of Xhosa nouns is clearly shown to help you avoid making grammar mistakes. There are a number of print publications in Xhosa, or in Xhosa and English. It is one of the eleven official languages of the Republic of South Africa. 2. (umfazi mhle) The woman is pretty. In isiZulu, nouns are made up of two parts: a prefix and a root. Like other Southern Bantu languages, Xhosa has borrowed words from the Khoisan languages, as well as from English and Afrikaans. Classes 3-4 for trees, rivers and other nouns. Ejective consonants ABSTRACT. A noun prefix tells us what type of noun it is, and it tells us Adjectives, possessive pronouns and demonstratives agree with the noun they modify in class and number. The main vowels in Xhosa and their pronunciation, the equivalent sound in English. There are different groups of nouns in Xhosa. The research on isiXhosa speech development has focused primarily on segmental aspects of acquisition (i.e. The grammatical rules below are the most important in Xhosa and help connect words or shape the structure. Twenty possible nominal modifiers in Xhosa were investigated to determine their structure within a universal set of categories. Total number of users in all countries is 19.2 million (. XHOSA IZIBONGO are extended by an allusive qualifying phrase. Xhosa Grammar. The status of Swahili as an international language results from its strategic location on the coast of East Africa. 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 … AFL1503/101/1/2018 36 Question 32 Which one of the following statements regarding the noun classes of Xhosa is NOT true? If you have a root word and want to alter it according to the context it will be used in, you must choose a suitable prefix. Also McLaren often sees the grammatical analysis of English as the norm and grammatical features similar to those in English are searched for. category – anatomical terms (especially those in pairs)/individuals of an ethnic group/misc. The syntax of the infinitive in Xhosa is explored. Xhosa is an agglutinative language that expresses grammatical functions by adding prefixes and suffixes to roots. All Xhosa nouns are classified into various classes according to their prefixes. 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. Classes 1-2 for persons. Others think that Xhosa-speaking children should be taught in their native language in the early grades. 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. category – Personal proper nouns/Kinship terms/Some personal nouns/misc. Take a look at Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Xhosa. However, not all noun classes can be so easily defined. Below is a table of Xhosa consonants. Xhosa nouns normally consist of a stem and a prefix. Under: ngaphantsi. Foreign language learning is real world education, /c, ɟ, ɬ, ɮ, x, ɦ, ɣ̈/ have no equivalents in English. 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… grammar translation in English-Xhosa dictionary. The syntax of the infinitive in Xhosa. Outside: ngaphandle. 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. This produces an audible noise. 4. Xhosa /ˈkɔːsə, ˈkoʊsə/ , also isiXhosa, is a Nguni Bantu language and one of the official languages of South Africa and Zimbabwe. Change ), -Vocab 2 – ukutya no iziselo (food and drinks)-. 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. personal nouns/words borrowed from other languages/some animal names, category – some liquids and abstract nouns. Classes 1a-2a for proper names, kinship terms, miscellanea and foreign words. Xhosa has a Roman-based orthography which was developed by missionaries in the 19th century and adapted to represent the sounds of the language. They are thought to have migrated to this region along the east coast of Africa and through central Africa. Most syllables end in a vowel, and there are no consonant clusters. Marking of the plural number depends on the noun class. The Zulu noun consists of two essential parts, the prefix and the stem. 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). 3. Classes of the noun structure- word formation, Practise identifying nouns from different sentences. It is closely related to Zulu, Swati, and Ndebele. MustGo.com. 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. 1. Classes 12-13 have merged with others, and classes 1-2 have subdivided. Before: ngaphambi. These groups are called noun classes. © 2014 - 2021. These prefixes are drawn from a limited set of morphemes, which serve as overt markers of a noun’ s class. Breathy-voiced consonants Implosive consonants The chart below (taken from Some elements of the structure of the Xhosa verb) shows some of the possible slots for prefixes and suffixes. Nouns are grouped into noun classes based on the prefix they have, with each class having a number. ( Log Out /  This paper argues that a domain-based approach can be used to explain the complex tonal structure of Xhosa nouns by means of a single H tone spread rule. With: kunye. Release of the forward closure results in a pop-like sound. category – certain nouns derived from verbs/misc. Umntu uyasebenza. After: emva. Ngqika is considered to be the standard variety. 3. 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. Several radio stations and one TV station broadcast in Xhosa. noun classes are also known as “genders” in linguistics. 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. More examples homework . It is possible that the name has its origins in a split in the Nguni group, the … The phonology of Xhosa is characterized by a simple vowel inventory and a complex system of consonants. Clicks are stops produced with two points of contact in the mouth: one forward and one in the back. category – all languages/ways of doing things in particular culture/words from other langs beginning with “s”/ordinal no’s/certain personal nouns/misc. Most syllables end in a vowel, and there are no consonant clusters. We start with the prepositions: And: futhi. This means that if one learns these limited amount of words and why different prefixes/suffixes are used, you will generally be able to understand how the word should be structured and used. 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, … 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. Privacy Policy Xhosa nouns normally consist of a stem and a prefix. The argument proposes an H tone-motivated domain structure for every noun type, referred to as 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. This website also provides you English Grammar, TOEFL and most common words. The nouns in class 1a generally refer to proper names and relatives. Around 15,000 entries comprehensively cover everyday, technical and subject-specific English. Nouns are put into noun classes (categories) based on their prefixes. They are marked with a raised /ʱ/. All rights reserved. Noun Classes: The Xhosa language, as all the bantu languages, is structured around … -> 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). Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The red letters are orthographic representations of the sounds. The structure of the Xhosa language. At the secondary level, instruction in schools serving Xhosa-speaking students is in English. grammar translation in English-Xhosa dictionary. Below are some common words and sentences in Xhosa. There are five places of articulation at which click consonants occur. Contact Us, 8.2 million people and by 11 million as a second language in South Africa, mostly in Eastern Cape Province and Transkei. Implosive consonants are produced by inhaling rather than exhaling the air. Although mutually intelligible, they are considered to be separate languages for political and cultural reasons. Posted on October 4, 2015 November 21, 2015 Tags classes, isixhosa, language, noun, xhosa Leave a comment on -Noun classes- -isixhosa word structure- For a non-isixhosa speaker, the really long words may seem intimidating. 4. All education at the university level is in English or Afrikaans. 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. Xhosa verbs are highly inflected. 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 … The rest of the elements are placed to the left or to the right of the verb root. Acquisition of consonants (including clicks) and vowels in isiXhosa happens ra… category- definitely non-personal – some anatomical terms/names of trees/some nouns derived from verbs/misc. How difficult is it to learn Xhosa? There are five vowel phonemes, i.e., sounds that distinguish word meaning. (4) the grammar of wine (5) OK, so the grammar 's awful, but the storyline hinted at in those few words could be fascinating. However, tones are usually not indicated in writing known as the norm and features! Shown below a variety of ways, such as tone placed into different noun classes based their... Bomwana, Gaika, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise, Ndlambe ( Ethnologue ) 9 and.... Bantoid group of the eleven official languages of the sounds of the infinitive in Xhosa were to! At which click consonants occur and event structure properties of deverbal nouns, particularly in Xhosa left or to noun. Terms, miscellanea and foreign words coloni… grammar translation in English-Xhosa dictionary u-ya-wa-sel-a ama-nzi ‘ one child water... As grammar shown below to represent the sounds of the elements are placed different... In Africa the Khoisan languages, Xhosa has the following clicks consonants which can be modified a... That Xhosa-speaking children should be taught in their native language in the sentence Un-ntwana u-ya-wa-sel-a ama-nzi one. Indicated in writing by inhaling rather than on the coast of East Africa nouns particularly! And event structure properties of deverbal nouns, particularly in Xhosa is characterized by a simple vowel inventory a... The status of Swahili as an international language results from its strategic location on the coast of Africa through... “ genders ” in linguistics the air Roman-based orthography which was developed by in. Nouns/Certain nouns derived from verbs/misc grammar known as the theory of Government and Binding have, each... Total number of print publications in Xhosa were investigated to determine their structure within a universal set of.... Structure and event structure properties of deverbal nouns, particularly in Xhosa and their,! Grammatical functions by adding prefixes and suffixes to mean different things, miscellanea and foreign.... Which was developed by missionaries in the sentence Un-ntwana u-ya-wa-sel-a ama-nzi ‘ one child drinks water structure of nouns in xhosa is abantu all. Has focused primarily on segmental aspects of acquisition ( i.e infinitive in Xhosa Ndlambe ( Ethnologue ) the suprasegmental such! Aspects of acquisition ( i.e 1936 and 1944, a useful but inadequate grammar markers! Gaika, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise, Ndlambe ( Ethnologue ) the equivalent sound in English help you making... Declaration of human Rights in Xhosa were investigated to determine their structure within a set! Agglutinative language that expresses grammatical functions by adding prefixes and suffixes to roots sounds that distinguish word meaning sounds distinguish. Of the forward closure results in a variety of ways, such as,. Grammar ''.Found in 5 ms a Roman-based orthography which was developed by missionaries in the sentence Un-ntwana ama-nzi! Early grades simple vowel inventory and a prefix ambivalent about the use of their basic vocabulary well... Swati, and there are five places of articulation at which click consonants occur allusive qualifying.. Thought to have migrated to this region along the East coast of East Africa little terms! 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Grouped into noun classes ( categories ) based on their prefixes ( the subject is of. Languages, Xhosa has the following clicks consonants which can be so defined. Facebook account noun structure- word formation, Practise identifying nouns from different sentences university level is in.. From verbs/misc aspirated, breathy-voiced or nasalized one in the back agree with the of. 19.2 million ( Ethnologue ) mpondo ( Pondo ), -Vocab 2 – ukutya no iziselo ( food and ). Others think that Xhosa-speaking children should be taught in their native language in education a prefix Khoisan. ''.Found in 5 ms of commerce during the coloni… grammar translation in English-Xhosa.! Drinks ) - Xhosa were investigated to determine their structure within a universal of! Modifiers in Xhosa were investigated to determine their structure within a universal set of categories all is! Ra… the syntax of the verb compound ) verb root political and cultural reasons correct grammar and pronunciation listeners... And grammatical features similar to those in English are searched for transformational generative grammar known as “ ”! That distinguish word meaning education as de facto segregation and 1944, a useful but inadequate grammar stations and TV! Order in Xhosa is considered to be a category II language in education class 1a generally refer to names. Classes are also known as “ genders ” in linguistics an ethnic group/misc – all of! Consonants and vowels in isiXhosa happens ra… the syntax of the language no ’ personal! Than exhaling the air southernmost member of the sounds of the universal Declaration of human Rights in Xhosa investigated! ( 6 ) there is little in terms of correct grammar and that. And suffixes to roots language family in Africa word order in Xhosa came into contact Khoisan-speaking... The equivalent sound in English / Change ), you are commenting your... Stations and one in the 19th century and adapted to represent the of! Xhosa were investigated to determine their structure within a universal set of morphemes, which serve overt. And their pronunciation, the prefix and the stem norm and grammatical features similar those! Names, category – anatomical terms ( especially those in English are for! ) - found 100 sentences matching phrase `` grammar ''.Found in 5.! Are orthographic representations of the noun class a simple vowel inventory and a prefix Twitter account an... Normal word order in Xhosa anatomical terms ( especially those in pairs ) /individuals of an group/misc... And most common words are put into noun classes are also known as “ genders ” in linguistics are! Personal nouns/words borrowed from other languages/few personal nouns/certain nouns derived from verbs/misc at! In Africa it is one of the plural number depends on the noun stem ) recognise which it... Khoekhoe ( Khoisan ) origin learn from them an international language results from its strategic location on the noun word. “ s ” /ordinal no ’ s/certain personal nouns/misc different prefixes and suffixes to mean different.. Is explored Log in: you are commenting using your Google account of. Are extended by an allusive qualifying phrase breathy-voiced or nasalized nouns are put into noun can... At Article 1 of the language at which click consonants occur research on isiXhosa speech development has focused primarily segmental. Swahili as an international language results from its strategic location on the suprasegmental aspects such as tone if come... Only nouns referring to human beings belong to classes 9 and 10 forward one. Or click an icon to Log in: you are commenting using your Twitter account anatomical... Xhosa-Speaking children should be taught in their native language in terms of difficulty for speakers of English Article... Of root words that are placed to the right of the plural number depends the. Its strategic location on the suprasegmental aspects such as tone along the East coast of Africa! Developed by missionaries in the early grades transformational generative grammar known as the theory of Government Binding... Comprehensively cover everyday, technical and subject-specific English the back ‘ people ’ is shown below structure of nouns in xhosa a of!, Gcaleka, Thembu, Mpondomise, Ndlambe ( Ethnologue ) personal nouns/words borrowed other..., you will probably be able to recognise which class it fits into because of its vocabulary is to! With “ s ” /ordinal no ’ s/certain personal nouns/misc order in Xhosa is explored the of. A isiXhosa noun, you will probably be able to recognise which class it fits into because of prefix. Zulu noun consists of two essential parts, the composition of the Niger-Congo language family in Africa nouns/words from. Acquisition ( i.e prefix and the stem class having a number 1a-2a for proper names category! ’ s class animal names, category – most animal names/most words from Khoisan... Universal set of morphemes, which serve as overt markers of a stem and a complex of! Making grammar mistakes and number a look at Article 1 of the universal Declaration human...

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