!Korana

Facts

  • Language: !Korana
  • Alternate names: !Kora, !Ora, Gorachouqua, Koranna, Koraqua
  • Language code: kqz
  • Language family: Khoe-Kwadi, Khoe, Khoekhoe, South Khoekhoe
  • Number of speakers: ?
  • Vulnerability: Endangered [Read more...]
  • Script: Latin script

More information:

    Introduction

    !Korana is an extinct central Khoisan language which shows some lexical and grammatical similarities to Nama, the largest of the still-existing Khoisan languages. It was spoken in the region surrounding the town of Kimberly, near the borders of Northern Cape and Orange Free States, in what is now the Republic of South Africa.

    !Korana was spoken by the kei!Korana, or Great Korana (also Taaibosh) tribe.

    The !Corana Verb

    !Korana has a rich tense and aspect system, which is one of the main ways in which it can be distinguished from Nama. !Korana has a total of 7 tense-aspect (TMA) markers:

    kiepast
    korecent past
    progressive/imperfect
    tafuture
    hã, apresent
    n~i"must" (modal auxiliary)
    ka"could" (modal auxiliary

    These TMA markers can also be combined in eight different ways to denote remote past, continuousness, doubt, or to add emphasis to, for example, the recentness of the past.

    hakakoexaigukiekie!hamiha
    fourmenASPASPhuntASP

    Four men once upon a time went hunting

    ibiko!kãsa//na
    andASPbackwardsfall

    (he) just fell backwards

    Negation

    Negation in !Korana is expressed the negative particles tama and te. Negation precedes the final tense/aspect markers, but follows the main verb.

    taipkaipkx'ummiarepoete
    whyASPithousemineanswernotASP

    Why does my house not answer?

    xareitskanam~uitsm~utama
    perhapsyouASPseeyouseenotASP

    Perhaps you can see, (or) can you not see?

    Verbal compounds

    !Korana has a productive class of verbal compounds.

    /koi!xokhãsi
    childseizeraise

    (she) lifted up the child

    =noa=kx'arikx'amhe
    strikesplitmouthwas

    (it, the rabbit) was hit in its mouth and its mouth was split open

    Reduplication

    Verbs can also be reduplicated, which gives them a causative reading.

    =xu=xu=xu
    to poundto pulverize
    //xa//xa//xa
    to learnto teach

    External Links