African Tongue is a professional linguistic consultancy that collaborates with contemporary speakers of endangered languages like Ju, Tuu, and Khoe in southern Africa to create creative and educational resources.
Linguist and director of the organization, Dr. Kerry Jones, spoke to IFLScience, detailing the history of the language.
She stated, “The 90s marked a significant turning point where people began to feel safe coming forward.”
“We had elderly individuals coming forward, saying, ‘I’m going to die soon anyway, so it’s alright. I’m not actually ‘coloured’; I’m San. And I can prove it because I still speak the language.’ Language became crucial in confirming their identity.”
“People used to freely move through the entire region between South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana. Then suddenly, authorities began erecting fences and requiring identification and passports.”
Esau worked with her local community as well as Dr Kerry Jones to help revive the language. (YouTube/SABC News)
“This marked the beginning of decline in a sense, as it began to divide people. Families were torn apart.”
“In an effort to revive the language, Esau has been teaching her granddaughter and collaborating with Dr. Jones to preserve N|uu by developing a digital dictionary.”
“Since May, for the first time in decades, the language has been taught to younger generations, with Esau visiting local schools to teach children the basics of the click language.”
“Dr. Jones added, ‘Her granddaughter, Claudia, can speak the language—not fluently, but as an additional language. Claudia is literate, whereas Ouma Katrina is not, so between the two of them, it’s a good combination.'”
