Nama

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Clicks and their accompaniments

Clicks are found in Nama at four places of articulation, each combined with one of five so-called accompaniments.
In other words, the basic click can be combined with various kinds of voicing and nasality.
For example, the nasal accompaniments demonstrate very well that the velar airstream mechanism of the click can easily be combined with a pulmonic airstream through the nose.
The table below contains the same material as in the UCLA on-line example at

  • Clicks in Nama (UCLA Website)
    This example is also presented and discussed (with further explanation of the accompaniments, and further historical and geographical background on clicks) in Ladefoged (2005, p.156 and Table 13.12).
    In the table below we have used the same terms for the click accompaniments as found there.
    In the on-line version (and in the book) the click accompaniments are transcribed as follows (using the example of the dental click):
    voiceless unaspirated: kǀ
    voiceless aspirated: kǀʰ
    voiceless nasal: ŋ̥ǀʰ
    voiced nasal: ŋ|
    glottal closure: k|ʔ
    Note that all the clicks are transcribed together with a velar plosive or nasal. This simply indicates the tongue dorsum closure needed to produce the click (i.e it does not indicate that the click is preceded by one of these sounds).

    In Nama orthography a different system is used for indicating the accompaniments (again using the dental click for illustration):
    voiceless unaspirated: ǀg
    voiceless aspirated: ǀkh
    voiceless nasal: ǀh
    voiced nasal: ǀn
    glottal closure: ǀ (i.e. no additional marking)



    k|ʔō
    ("The sound of something falling")
    emu WebApp     		ŋ̥ǀʰō
    ("To push something into a hole")
    emu WebApp     		kǀoɑ
    ("Put all things into something")

    emu WebApp     		ŋǀō
    ("to measure")


    emu WebApp     		kǀʰō
    ("play an instrument")

    emu WebApp
    kǂʔɑis
    ("gold")


    emu WebApp     		ŋ̥ǂʰɑis
    ("the red back-part of a female baboon")
    emu WebApp     		kǂɑis
    ("to call")


    emu WebApp     		ŋǂɑis
    ("turtledove")


    emu WebApp     		kǂʰɑris
    ("a small one")


    emu WebApp
    kǃʔoɑs
    ("to meet")


    emu WebApp     		ŋ̥ǃʰoɑs
    ("to talk")


    emu WebApp     		kǃoɑs
    ("a hollow in the ground")

    emu WebApp     		ŋǃorɑs
    ("take maize seeds one-by-one off the cob")
    emu WebApp     		kǃʰoɑs
    ("a belt")


    emu WebApp
    k‖ʔɑos
    ("to refuse")

    emu WebApp     		ŋ̥‖ʰɑos
    ("a traditional cooking place")
    emu WebApp     		k‖ɑros
    ("to write")

    emu WebApp     		ŋ‖ɑes
    ("to point")

    emu WebApp     		k‖ʰɑos
    ("to strike")

    emu WebApp


    Audio Source:
    Sounds of the Worlds Languages.

    References:
    Ladefoged, P. (2005): Vowels and consonants: an introduction to the sounds of languages. Malden: Blackwell.
    Ladefoged, P. / Maddieson, I. (2008): The Sounds of the World's Languages. Malden, MA: Blackwell.