Any fellow language geeks out there?
Having been a student of English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, Thai and Lao I consider myself to be somewhat of a language geek. I've always been fascinated by the tonal "click" languages of Africa, especially Xhosa.
The Click Song is a famous Xhosa song performed for years by Miriam Makeba, a beloved South African singer.
YouTube has several videos of her performing "The Click Song." Here are two, from 1966 and 1979.
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I had a workmate who was South African and could speak Zulu....it was pretty amazing
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This song is awesome... My future mother in law is actually friends with her.... She is an amazing woman.
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Come and see The Lion King. Tshidi Manye (Rafiki) can "click" like the true South African woman she is. Almost 85% of the cast is from South Africa and their language is used during the show.
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How widely is the "click" sound found in African languages? If memory serves, the !Kung language also has the same sound.
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I'm quite familiar with this language, as my dad is a native South African and has a pretty good knowledge of it. :)
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