PRONUNCIATION GUIDE

Throughout this book you will notice unusual punctuation marks in words from the Ju|’hoan language of the Kalahari Bushmen. These marks are symbols for the four distinct click sounds and the glottal stop used in this language. According to anthropologist and linguist Megan Biesele, they are pronounced as follows:

| is a dental click that sounds like tsk, tsk and is made by putting the tongue behind the teeth.

≠ is an alveolar click, a soft pop made by putting the tongue behind the ridge that is located behind the front teeth.

! is an alveolar-palatal click, a sharp pop made by drawing the tongue down quickly from the roof of the mouth.

|| is a lateral click, a clucking sound similar to that made by the English when they urge on a horse.

’ Is a glottal stop, as in the Cockney English pronunciation of bottle.

This book also has a “Dictionary of the Ju|’hoan Religion” by Beesa Boo and Bradford Keeney that contains definitions and pronunciations of words used by the n|om-kxaosi. Readers can go to

www.keeneyinstitute.org/judictionary.php

to hear an audio recording of Beesa Boo pronouncing these words.