Clicks and their accompaniments in Nama

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 P. Ladefoged's book "Vowels and Consonants" (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:
    voiceless aspirated: kǀʰ
    voiceless nasal: ŋ̥ǀʰ
    voiced nasal: ŋǀ
    glottal closure: 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)

    In the table below, the accompaniments are given in a separate column, and not transcribed explicitly.

    Simplified
    Transcription 
    Accompaniment 
    English gloss 
    Dental ǀ
    1   ǀ ō  glottal closure  the sound of something falling 
    2   ǀ ō  voiceless nasal  to push something into a hole 
    3   ǀ o ɑ  voiceless unaspirated  put all things into something 
    4   ǀ ō  voiced nasal  to measure 
    5   ǀ ō  voiceless aspirated  to play an instrument 
    Palatal ǂ
    6   ǂ ɑ i s  glottal closure  gold 
    7   ǂ ɑ i s  voiceless nasal  the red back-part of a female baboon 
    8   ǂ ɑ i s  voiceless unaspirated  to call 
    9   ǂ ɑ i s  voiced nasal  turtledove 
    10   ǂ ɑ r i s  voiceless aspirated  a small one 
    Alveolar ǃ
    11   ǃ o ɑ s  glottal closure  to meet 
    12   ǃ o ɑ s  voiceless nasal  to talk 
    13   ǃ o ɑ s  voiceless unaspirated  a hollow in the ground 
    14   ǃ o r ɑ s  voiced nasal  take maize seeds one-by-one off the cob 
    15   ǃ o ɑ s  voiceless aspirated  a belt 
    Alveolar Lateral ǁ
    16   ǁ ɑ o s  glottal closure  to refuse 
    17   ǁ ɑ o s  voiceless nasal  a traditional cooking place  
    18   ǁ ɑ r o s  voiceless unaspirated  to write 
    19   ǁ ɑ e s  voiced nasal  to point 
    20   ǁ ɑ o s  voiceless aspirated  to strike