Khoisan loanword database

This file contains a database of previously proposed loanwords from different Khoisan languages into different Bantu languages of Southern Africa. This database only contains data from previously published sources. The proposed Khoisan etymologies of these Bantu lexemes are not re-evaluated, nor is the existence of these lexemes in the relevant Bantu languages confirmed. No new data were added. The data are sorted by the Bantu recipient language. Each line represents a lexeme in one particular Bantu language, with potential source words in different Khoisan languages in the subsequent columns. Language names that are considered offensive have been updated to the currently prevalent, neutral name. These changes have also been made in glosses, and in titles of sources that were consulted. Names that are changed for these reasons appear in square brackets. This mainly concern the languages Khoekhoe and Xhosa. Many Bantu words of putative Khoisan origin were proposed in multiple sources. No attempt is taken in this database to remove such duplicates, or mark them as duplicate. However, when a particular source explicitly cites another source for a particular borrowing, this citation is included in the source column. Many Khoisan loanwords appear in multiple Bantu languages. This may be due to parallel borrowing, to borrowing in an earlier proto-language, or to chains of borrowing. Bantu words of Khoisan origin are not linked to their (potential) Bantu cognates in this database. Data are transcribed as in the source, for both the form in the recipient Bantu language and the source words in the potential Khoisan donor languages. Glosses are given as they appear in the original source, including the original language, although some German glosses have an additional English translation in brackets to facilitate automatic searches. Some sources do not give a gloss for the Khoisan source word, in which case the gloss column for these Khoisan source words is left empty.

Publication Details

Journal
OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
Published
2025-01-01
DOI
https://doi.org/10.17605/osf.io/6gk3m
Primary Topic
Archaeology and Rock Art Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Khoisan loanword database

OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
Archaeology and Rock Art Studies
article

Khoisan loanword database

article en

Abstract

This file contains a database of previously proposed loanwords from different Khoisan languages into different Bantu languages of Southern Africa. This database only contains data from previously published sources. The proposed Khoisan etymologies of these Bantu lexemes are not re-evaluated, nor is the existence of these lexemes in the relevant Bantu languages confirmed. No new data were added. The data are sorted by the Bantu recipient language. Each line represents a lexeme in one particular Bantu language, with potential source words in different Khoisan languages in the subsequent columns. Language names that are considered offensive have been updated to the currently prevalent, neutral name. These changes have also been made in glosses, and in titles of sources that were consulted. Names that are changed for these reasons appear in square brackets. This mainly concern the languages Khoekhoe and Xhosa. Many Bantu words of putative Khoisan origin were proposed in multiple sources. No attempt is taken in this database to remove such duplicates, or mark them as duplicate. However, when a particular source explicitly cites another source for a particular borrowing, this citation is included in the source column. Many Khoisan loanwords appear in multiple Bantu languages. This may be due to parallel borrowing, to borrowing in an earlier proto-language, or to chains of borrowing. Bantu words of Khoisan origin are not linked to their (potential) Bantu cognates in this database. Data are transcribed as in the source, for both the form in the recipient Bantu language and the source words in the potential Khoisan donor languages. Glosses are given as they appear in the original source, including the original language, although some German glosses have an additional English translation in brackets to facilitate automatic searches. Some sources do not give a gloss for the Khoisan source word, in which case the gloss column for these Khoisan source words is left empty.

OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints)
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Archaeology and Rock Art Studies
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