This is Tsamkxao ǂOma, affectionately known as ‘chief’ [1] Bobo, who is head of the Ju|’hoansi Traditional Authority of Namibia. He’s endorsing my plan to re-publish my novels, Salt & Honey and Kalahari Passage, for the benefit of his community’s Village Schools
Here’s a smaller, audio-only file, for friends in remote areas where bandwidth may restricted.
Transcription by |Ai!ae Fridrick |Kunta. Abridged by Candi Miller
My name is Tsamkxao ǂOma, the Chief of Juǀ'hoansi Traditional Authority. I am also a member of the Nyae Nyae Conservancy [in Namibia, Africa.]
So, Candi Miller [wants] to help us [by] selling these materials [books]… And you can feel free to [buy] these important materials because all [these] things that she made [e-books and audiobooks] will come back to us in future.
You can buy these materials [books] in foreign countries like America or Germany. [And many other countries.]
These [books] are good and you will be able to buy them so that we get support for our schools and our children get a better living in future.
Because Candi Miller [is] doing a good job; she's together with us and we [are] doing this very good thing to develop our schools.
Thank you.
And my thanks to Saskia from the Ju|’hoansi Development Fund and Mr Levine, for facilitating the recording, in a car, as you might have noticed. (It’s a good place to record in the Kalahari desert, where wind noise and shifting sand ruin sound quality.)
[1] Unlike other ethnic groups in southern Africa, Ju|’hoan society has no hierarchy. However, the Namibian constitution insists on tribal representation, so Bobo is assigned the role by Ju|’hoan community consensus. To this day, there are no chiefs, headmen/women nor any ruling class in this society.
How do you make those click-sounds?
I’m no expert, so when it came to recording Salt & Honey I consulted Kerry Jones, an African linguist. Here’s the orthography she supplied, showing how the four basic clicks are represented in the International Phonetic Alphabet.
|
Dental click, as in |’Hun, white person. (Sounds like the reproach: `tsk'). Place the tip of the tongue immediately behind the top front teeth and pull sharply away.
ǂ
Palatal click, as in Nǂaisa. Similar to above, but made by pressing the front of the tongue to the roof of the mouth (on the ridge just behind top front teeth). The tongue is then withdrawn quickly from the ridge.
!
Alveolar click, as in n!ore, territory. A champagne-cork popping noise made by drawing the end of the tongue away from the curve where the alveolar ridge meets the hard palate
||
Lateral click, as in Kh||an. (Similar to the sound one uses to urge a horse forward.) Suck one side of the tongue sharply away from the teeth.
These same clicks occur in the Nama language. You can hear native Nama speakers pronouncing them here:
But don’t rest on your tongue twisting laurels; there are lots of click-consonants in the Ju|’hoan language too. Something like 84! (San ǂarasi, correct me if I’m wrong.)
ǁAu ge. Good bye.
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