khoikhoi
LowAcademic / Historical
Definition
Meaning
A collective ethnonym for the indigenous pastoralist peoples of southwestern Africa, historically known as the Hottentots.
Often used to refer to the group of languages spoken by these peoples (Khoekhoe languages). Can also refer to the culture and heritage associated with these groups.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The term is now preferred over the older, pejorative exonym 'Hottentot'. It is used as both a noun and an adjective. It is often part of the larger grouping 'Khoisan', which includes both the Khoikhoi and the San (Bushmen) peoples.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. The term is used in identical contexts in both academic and historical registers.
Connotations
Neutral, academic, and respectful in modern usage.
Frequency
Equally low frequency in both varieties, appearing primarily in anthropological, historical, and linguistic contexts.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[The/These] Khoikhoi [verb]...Vocabulary
Synonyms
Neutral
Weak
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Not used.
Academic
Used in anthropology, history, linguistics, and African studies to describe a specific ethnic and linguistic group.
Everyday
Virtually never used in everyday conversation outside of specific regions of southern Africa.
Technical
Used as a precise ethnolinguistic classification.
Examples
By Part of Speech
adjective
British English
- The Khoikhoi pastoralists migrated seasonally.
- Khoikhoi linguistic heritage is complex.
American English
- Khoikhoi herders lived in kraals.
- They studied Khoikhoi grammatical structures.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The Khoikhoi are from Africa.
- The Khoikhoi people were traditionally herders in southern Africa.
- Anthropologists study the migration patterns and social structures of the Khoikhoi.
- The complex click consonants of the Khoikhoi languages have fascinated linguists for decades, highlighting the group's unique linguistic heritage within the Khoisan phylum.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think 'KOY-KOY' - a group of people historically known for herding cattle (like 'cow', but with a 'koy' sound).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid transliterating directly from Cyrillic; the 'kh' represents a click sound not native to Russian. It is a proper noun, not a common noun with a direct equivalent.
Common Mistakes
- Misspelling as 'Khoi khoi', 'Khoi-Khoi', or 'Khoikhoin'. Using the outdated/offensive term 'Hottentot' when the modern 'Khoikhoi' is appropriate.
- Mispronouncing it without the initial click or as /ˈkɔɪki/.
Practice
Quiz
What is the modern, preferred term for the people historically called 'Hottentots'?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
They refer to the same group of people. However, 'Hottentot' is an outdated and pejorative exonym, while 'Khoikhoi' is the modern, respectful self-designation preferred in academic and historical writing.
It is believed to mean 'men of men' or 'the real people' in the Nama language, reflecting their self-identification.
Khoisan is a larger grouping that includes both the pastoralist Khoikhoi peoples and the hunter-gatherer San peoples, primarily based on shared linguistic features like click consonants.
They are indigenous to southwestern Africa, primarily in regions that are now Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa.