Definition

1. Proper noun:
   • A Khoisan language: "Khoikhoi" refers to any of the languages spoken by the Khoikhoi people, a pastoralist group historically inhabiting Namibia and South Africa. These languages are part of the Khoisan language family, often characterized by the use of click consonants.

Usage Notes

• "Khoikhoi" is used specifically to refer to the languages. The term for the people themselves is also "Khoikhoi," but the primary definition here is linguistic.
• It is often used in anthropological, historical, and linguistic contexts.
• The term "Khoisan" is a broader category encompassing both the Khoikhoi and the San (Bushmen) peoples and their languages.

Examples

• Proper noun:
  • The researcher studied the grammar of the Khoikhoi language.
  • Several Khoikhoi dialects are now extinct.

Advanced Usage

• The term is sometimes used in contrast to "San" languages within the Khoisan family, with "Khoikhoi" denoting languages of pastoralist groups and "San" denoting languages of hunter-gatherer groups.

Variants and Related Words

• Khoikhoin: An alternative spelling for the people and, by extension, their languages.
• Khoisan (n): The larger language family to which Khoikhoi belongs.
• Nama (n): A specific Khoikhoi language still spoken today, primarily in Namibia.
• Click language (n): A descriptive term for languages like Khoikhoi that use click consonants as phonemes.

Synonyms

• Khoisan language (in a specific, narrower sense)

Related Terms (Contextual)

• Pastoralist (adj/n): Relating to or characteristic of people who herd livestock as their primary livelihood. This describes the traditional lifestyle of the Khoikhoi people.
• Click consonant (n): A type of speech sound, such as the "!" or "//" symbols represent, which is a hallmark of Khoisan languages like Khoikhoi.

Noun

1. any of the Khoisan languages spoken by the pastoral people of Namibia and South Africa