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Nuu (Nǁng)

Nǀuu

Critically endangeredTuu (Khoisan)South AfricaOne fully fluent speaker in the mid 2020s0 documented words

Nǁng, usually cited in its Nǀuu variety, is a click language of the Northern Cape that was believed extinct until speakers were located in the 1990s. Katrina Esau has taught the language to children in informal classes.

Nuu (Nǁng) — English word list

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History and language shift

Nǁng belongs to the Tuu family, one of the most severely reduced language families on the continent. Apartheid-era displacement and stigmatisation of click languages accelerated its decline.

Revitalization

Community classes led by Katrina Esau, alongside an orthography developed with linguists at the University of Cape Town, form the core of the revival effort.