Vaal–Orange language
Extinct ǃKwi language of Southern Africa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vaal–Orange is an extinct ǃKwi language of South Africa and Lesotho. It comprised the ǁKuǁʼe dialect (also rendered ǁKu-ǁʼe, ǁŨǁʼe or ǁKuǁe),[2] spoken near Theunissen and Bethany in South Africa and into Lesotho, recorded by Dorothea Bleek, the Seroa dialect, and the Boshof dialect.
The name "Vaal–Orange" comes from the Vaal and Orange Rivers, which converge where the ǂUngkue language was spoken, though ǂUngkue is no longer classified as Vaal–Orange.
Doculects
Güldemann (2019) lists the following doculects.[3]
| Label | Researcher | Date | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ǁkuǁe (ǁŨǁʼe) | D. Bleek | 1928 | Theunissen | Bleek label SIIc. |
| seroa (ǃUi) | Wuras | 1919–1920 | Bethany | Bleek label SIId. |
| ǃUi | Arbousset | 1836 | Mokhasi/Puchane | Bleek label SIId. |
| ǃUi | Maingard | > 1930 | Boshof |
All but ǃUi of Boshof were lumped under Vaal–Orange in Güldemann (2018).[4] Güldemann (2019) is more agnostic, but keeps them close (and also close with Boshof); Glottolog concludes that they form a single language with each other and with Boshof. The ǂUngkue language was included by Güldemann (2018) but classified as closer to Nǀuu by Güldemann (2019).
