A language-teaching app tests tongues with Zulu and Xhosa
Learning clicking sounds is tough, especially online
IN 1991 AMERICAN audiences had an introduction to Xhosa, one of South Africa’s most click-filled languages, when Miriam Makeba (pictured) appeared on “The Cosby Show”. When the celebrated South African singer started flicking her tongue as she said her name, four-year-old Olivia asked, “Oh I’m sorry, do you have a cold?”
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “Free clicks”
From the October 30th 2021 edition
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