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Yeyi language
Yeyi language
Yeyi language
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Yeyi
Shiyɛyi
Native toNamibia, Botswana
Regionalong the Okavango River
EthnicityYeyi people
Native speakers
55,000 (2001)[1]
Language codes
ISO 639-3yey
Glottologyeyi1239
R.40 (R.41)[2]
ELPYeyi
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Yeyi (autoethnonym Shiyɛyi) is a Bantu language spoken by approximately 50,000 Yeyi people along the Okavango River in Namibia and Botswana. Yeyi, influenced by Juu languages, is one of several Bantu languages along the Okavango with clicks. It has the largest known inventory of clicks of any Bantu language, with dental, alveolar, palatal, and lateral articulations. Though most of its older speakers prefer Yeyi in normal conversation, it is being gradually phased out in Botswana by a popular move towards Tswana, with Yeyi only being learned by children in a few villages. Yeyi speakers in the Caprivi Strip of north-eastern Namibia, however, retain Yeyi in villages (including Linyanti), but may also speak the regional lingua franca, Lozi.

The main dialect is called Shirwanga. A slight majority of Botswana Yeyi are monolingual in the national language, Tswana, and the majority of the rest are bilingual.

Classification

[edit]

Yeyi appears to be a divergent lineage of Bantu.[3] It is usually classified as a member of the R Zone Bantu languages. The language has been phonetically influenced by the Ju languages, though it is no longer in contact with them.

Phonology

[edit]

Many authors have attempted to transcribe the phonemic inventory of Yeyi, with varying levels of consistency.[4] Broadly, all sources recognize that the phonology is characterized by an extensive consonant inventory combined with a small vowel inventory (albeit a tonal one, though this feature is not analyzed as consistently as the other axioms).[5] The most descriptive study surrounding this categorization, Seidel (2008),[6] is used for the tables listed below. Prior sources had not included the additional categorization of prenasalized consonants.[7]

Vowels

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Yeyi vowels[6]
Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid ɛ ɔ
Open a

Vowel length is also distinctive.

  • Vowel sounds /ɛ ɔ/ are phonetically noted [ɛ̝ ɔ̝].
  • /ɔ/ can also be heard as [ʊ] in word-final position. /i/ can also be heard as [ə] in prefixes.
  • Sounds /i u a/ can be heard as nasalized [ĩ ũ ã] when preceding nasal consonants. A nasal [ɛ̝̃] can also be heard, but only in stem-internal position.
  • Sounds /i u/ can tend to be centralized as [ɨ ʉ] following fricative and sibilant sounds.

Consonants

[edit]
Yeyi consonants[6]
Bilabial Labio-
dental 		Alveolar Palatal Velar Glottal
plain pal. sibilant plain pal.
Plosive/
Affricate 		voiceless p t ts tʃ k kʲ (ʔ)
aspirated pʰ tʰ tsʰ tʃʰ kʰ kʰʲ
ejective tʼ tsʼ tʃʼ kʼ kʲʼ
voiced b d dz dʒ ɡ ɡʲ
Fricative voiceless f s ʃ h
voiced (β) v z ʒ
Nasal m n ɲ ŋ
Liquid rhotic ɾ ~ r
lateral l lʲ
Approximant β̞ j w

Other palatalized consonant sounds that can occur are /bʲ ⁿdʲ/.

  • Most of the consonant sounds may also occur as labialized [Cʷ], however; their phonemic status is uncertain and may also exist as a result of a historically or synchronically underlying /u/ or diphthongized /ɔ/.
  • A glottal stop sound [ʔ] can also occur, but only between vowels.
  • Palatalized-velar stop consonants /kʲ kʰʲ kʲʼ ɡʲ/ may often be heard as palatal stop consonants [c cʰ cʼ ɟ].
  • A labial approximant sound /β̞/ can range from an approximant sound to a fricative sound [β̞ ~ β].
  • An alveolar rhotic consonant /r/ can be heard as a tap or a trill, but can also be heard as a retroflex tap [ɽ].
  • An alveolar lateral consonant /l/ can also be heard as a retroflex lateral [ɭ].[6]
Prenasal consonants[6]
Bilabial Labio-
dental 		Alveolar Post-
alveolar 		Velar Glottal
plain pal.
Plosive voiceless ᵐp ⁿt ᵑk ᵑkʲ
aspirated ᵐpʰ ⁿtʰ ᵑkʰ
ejective ⁿtʼ ᵑkʼ
voiced ᵐb ⁿd ᵑɡ ᵑɡʲ
Affricate voiceless ⁿts ⁿtʃ
aspirated ⁿtsʰ ⁿtʃʰ
voiced ⁿdz ⁿdʒ
ejective ⁿtsʼ
Fricative voiceless ᶬf ⁿs ⁿʃ
voiced ᶬv ⁿz ⁿʒ
  • Prenasal palatalized-velar stop consonants /ᵑkʲ ᵑɡʲ/ may often be heard as prenasal palatal stop consonants [ᶮc ᶮɟ].

Click consonants

[edit]
Yeyi clicks[8][6]
Dental Post-
alveolar 		Palatal Lateral
Plosive voiceless plain ᵏǀ ᵏ! ᵏǂ ᵏǁ
aspirated ᵏǀʰ ᵏ!ʰ ᵏǂʰ ᵏǁʰ
nasalized (asp.) ᵑǀʰ ᵑ!ʰ
voiced plain ᶢǀ ᶢ!
nasalized ᵑǀ ᵑ! ᵑǂ ᵑǁ
prenasalized ᵑᶢǀ ᵑᶢ!

Lateral sounds only rarely occur.

Clicks

[edit]

Yeyi may have up to four click types, dental ǀ, alveolar ǃ, palatal ǂ, and lateral ǁ. However, the actual number of clicks is disputed, as researchers disagree on how many series of manner and phonation the language contrasts.

The following series of manner and phonation, shown here as the alveolar series, are recognized by different authors:

Click Sommer
& Voßen		 Fulop
et al.		 Miller Seidel Description
ᵏǃʰ √ √ √ √ aspirated
ᵏǃ √ √ √ √ tenuis
ᶢǃ √ √ √ √ voiced
ᵑǃ √ √ √ – nasal
ŋᵏǃʰ – – – √ prenasalized aspirated
ŋᵏǃ – – – √ prenasalized tenuis
ŋᶢǃ √ (cluster) √ √ prenasalized voiced
ᵏǃʼ √ √ √ – oral ejective
ᵑǃˀ √ (cluster) √ – nasal glottalized
ǃqχ √ – √ – uvular fricative
ǃqʼ ? √ √ – uvular ejective

The contrast between ejective and glottalized nasal clicks is unusual, but also occurs in Gǀwi.

Sommer & Voßen (1992) consider the uvular ejective series uncertain due to infrequency.

Fulop et al. (2002) studied the clicks of a limited vocabulary sample with 13 Yeyi speakers who were not from the core speaking area. There are in addition prenasalized clicks such as /ŋᶢǃ/ and /ᵑǃˀ/, but Fulop et al. analyze these as consonant clusters, not single sounds. In addition, a reported uvular affricated click appears to actually be velar, with the affrication a variant of aspiration, and so has been included under ᵏǃʰ. There is similar velar affrication with the dental ejective click among some speakers. The ejective clicks are apparently uvular.[9]

Miller (2011),[10] in a comparative study with other languages, interprets the uvular clicks as lingual-pulmonic /ǃ͡qχ/ and lingual–glottalic /ǃ͡qχʼ/. Unfortunately, the speakers interviewed were not from the core Yeyi-speaking area, and they often disagreed on which clicks to use. Although the six dental clicks (ǀ etc.) were nearly universal, only one of the lateral clicks was (the voiced click ᶢǁ). The alveolar clicks (ǃ etc.) were universal apart from the ejective, which was only attested from one speaker, but two of the palatal clicks were only used by half the speakers, at least in the sample vocabulary. The missing palatal and lateral clicks were substituted with alveolar or sometimes dental clicks (palatals only), and the missing ejective alveolar was substituted with a glottalized alveolar. Both of these patterns are consistent with studies of click loss, though it is possible that these speakers maintain these clicks in other words. 23 of the 24 possible permutations were attested in the sample vocabulary by at least one speaker, the exception being the ejective lateral click *ǁʼ. This research needs to be repeated in an area where the language is still vibrant.

Seidel (2008) says that Yeyi has three click types, dental ǀ, alveolar ǃ, and, in two words only, lateral ǁ. There are three basic series, tenuis, aspirated, and voiced, any of which may be prenasalized.

A Yeyi Talking Dictionary was produced by Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages.

References

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Bibliography

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Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Yeyi language

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Yeyi, also known as Shiyeyi or Ciyei, is a severely endangered Bantu language of the Niger-Congo family spoken by the Yeyi people in northwestern , particularly around the and Ngamiland, and in northeastern Namibia's southern Zambezi region (eastern ). It is estimated to have approximately 25,000–30,000 speakers as of 2025, primarily as a among adults in the ethnic community, though the number is declining due to rapid . Classified as part of the Wider Eastern Bantu subgroup within Southern Bantu, Yeyi occupies an isolated phylogenetic position among , lacking close relatives and likely resulting from an early migration from followed by extensive contact with non-Bantu neighbors. This contact, particularly with such as those of the Juu and Khwe groups, has profoundly influenced its , , and morphology, most notably through the incorporation of click consonants. Yeyi possesses the largest known inventory of clicks among Bantu languages, featuring four places of articulation—dental, alveolar, palatal, and lateral—combined with six distinct accompaniments (voiceless unaspirated, aspirated, voiced, nasal, glottalized, and ejective), yielding up to 22 click sounds. Acoustic analyses reveal that closure durations and burst spectra differentiate these clicks, with palatal varieties being particularly rare and innovative. The language's system and verbal semantics align with typical Bantu structures, as detailed in comprehensive grammars. Due to dominance of Setswana in and other regional languages, Yeyi is moribund, with few children acquiring it as a and ongoing but limited revitalization efforts underway to preserve its unique features as of 2025.

Introduction and Background

Geographic distribution

The Yeyi language is primarily spoken along the in the northeastern region of and northwestern , within riverine and delta ecosystems that shape local livelihoods and terminology for fishing, flooding, and wildlife. In , Yeyi communities are concentrated in the (formerly known as the eastern ), particularly around villages such as Lianshulu, Mbilajwe, and Sangwali, as well as areas near Linyanti and Divundu. These locations, situated approximately at 17°45'S to 18°30'S latitude and 23°E longitude, lie along the river's panhandle where it forms the border with and , fostering interactions with neighboring like Lozi (also called Silozi) among communities in the . In , Yeyi speakers inhabit the Ngamiland district in the northwest, extending across the fringes of the expansive —a vast inland covering about 15,000 square kilometers at 19°S and 23°E —and upstream riverine areas near settlements like Shakawe and Sepopa. This distribution spans a broader territory than in , with communities adapting to seasonal floods in swampy, marshland environments that support subsistence fishing and . Here, Yeyi coexists with Tswana (Setswana), the , promoting widespread bilingualism among speakers. The Yeyi people's historical migration patterns trace back to an early southward movement from as part of the broader , with settlement in the and Okavango regions occurring around the 17th century, possibly as early as 1650, leading to their current enclaves. This migration positioned Yeyi speakers in a multilingual "catch basin" of swamps and rivers, where substrate influences from have persisted, though speaker numbers are declining due to and assimilation into dominant languages like Lozi and Tswana.

Speakers and sociolinguistic status

The Yeyi language, also known as Shiyeyi, is spoken by an estimated 45,000 to 55,000 people as of 2025, with the majority (around 50,000) residing in northwestern and a smaller community (around 5,000) in northeastern along the . Earlier assessments from the early placed the speaker population closer to 50,000–55,000, and while demographic trends indicate ongoing decline due to assimilation and limited intergenerational transmission, recent estimates suggest the number has remained relatively stable around this level. The ethnic Wayeyi population is larger, around 65,000–70,000 individuals, though not all actively use the language. Speakers are predominantly older adults, with the language showing limited transmission to younger generations in Botswana, where children increasingly adopt Tswana as their primary or sole language. In rural Namibian communities, retention is higher among women, particularly elderly women who maintain fluency alongside Lozi or other local languages, often using Yeyi in informal settings. Overall, age distribution skews toward those over 50, with youth engagement growing through digital initiatives but insufficient to reverse the trend. Language shift is driven by dominant regional languages, with Yeyi being replaced by in and Lozi in due to factors such as formal conducted in these languages, limited media representation, and intermarriage with non-Yeyi groups. Most Yeyi speakers are bilingual or multilingual, proficient in Tswana or Lozi for daily interactions, while monolingual Yeyi speakers are rare and mostly among isolated older individuals; conversely, emerging child monolinguals in Tswana signal accelerating shift away from Yeyi. The language is classified as definitely endangered by , reflecting intergenerational discontinuity and societal pressures, though revitalization efforts offer some hope. In , the Kamanakao Association, established in 1995, leads community programs including orthography development, workshops, cultural festivals, and campaigns like the "Let's Learn Shiyeyi" group to promote usage among ; as of 2025, these have shown modest success in increasing online engagement. In , grassroots initiatives focus on documentation and school integration to support rural speakers, though these remain small-scale compared to 's efforts.

Classification and History

Genetic affiliation

The Yeyi language, coded as R41, is classified within the Bantu branch of the , specifically in Zone R of Central Bantu, alongside languages such as those in the R10 () and R20 (Wambo) groups. This placement reflects its shared core Bantu features, including a system with prefixes like mu- for singular and ba- for plural to denote human referents, as seen in forms such as mu-yend-i 'traveller' (class 1) and its plural ba-yend-i. However, Yeyi exhibits atypical morphological traits compared to neighboring Bantu languages like Mbukushu (K10), such as the absence of a pre-prefix in nouns— a feature common in Zone R languages like Herero—though remnants appear in comparisons with Kwangali (R21). These characteristics underscore Yeyi's Bantu affiliation while highlighting its divergence within the family. Phylogenetic analyses position Yeyi as a distinct, early-diverging member of Wider Eastern Bantu, forming its own clade sister to Narrow Eastern , rather than aligning closely with Southwestern Bantu or subgroups like Bantu Botatwe. Bayesian phylogenetic modeling based on lexical data demonstrates high cognacy rates with Proto-Bantu reconstructions, supporting its deep Bantu roots, yet reveals low shared innovations with immediate neighbors, confirming its status as a "phylogenetic " due to early migration and isolation. For instance, Yeyi retains Proto-Bantu lexical items like tɪ́ '' and shares Wider Eastern Bantu innovations such as dòpà '', but features unique developments like in-goro '' that do not cluster it with Southeastern Bantu subclades such as Chihwii or Totela. Earlier studies debated Yeyi's status as a potential Bantu isolate, citing limited lexical and morphological similarities to nearby languages like Fwe (Botatwe), with some analyses suggesting only remnant ties to Zone R. However, verb morphology, including 23 derivational extensions (e.g., applicative -id-, causative -is-) and tense-aspect-mood markers like negation -ha-, aligns sufficiently with Bantu patterns to refute full isolation, though interpretations of these differ from those in Southeastern Bantu. Recent phylogenetic work resolves these debates by affirming Yeyi's primary branching within Eastern Bantu, emphasizing its unique innovations over exhaustive cognacy metrics.

External influences and substrate effects

The Yeyi language, spoken in the Okavango region of and , exhibits significant substrate effects from prolonged contact with , particularly those of the Juu branch (formerly classified as Northern Khoisan), during the southward that reached approximately 1,500–2,000 years ago. This interaction involved symbiotic relationships between incoming Bantu-speaking groups and indigenous San hunter-gatherers, including intermarriage and cultural exchange, as evidenced by genetic studies showing large-scale incorporation of Khoisan maternal lineages into Yeyi-speaking populations. Such contacts likely occurred in multilingual settings where Khoisan communities held local prestige, facilitating the transfer of linguistic features without wholesale language replacement. The most prominent substrate influence is phonological, with Yeyi adopting a system from Juu languages like !Xun, integrating up to 22 distinct clicks— the largest inventory among —through prehistoric contact with , as inferred from comparative reconstruction and . This adoption is tied to early Bantu immigration phases, where small Bantu groups depended on Khoisan expertise for survival in the region, leading to intense . Lexical transfers are evident in terms for local and , such as Yeyi ldi!’owo ('belly', from Khoe origins) and ru-!óma ('', paralleling Khwe koáma), with about one-third of its click-initial words traceable to Khoisan origins, though core Bantu lexicon persists alongside these borrowings. In contrast to grammar, where Khoisan impact remains minimal and does not alter fundamental Bantu or verb structures, these transfers highlight a layered hybridization unique to Yeyi's "catch basin" ecology. Comparatively, Yeyi's click system surpasses that of other like Xhosa, which adopted fewer clicks (typically 3–15) through similar but less intensive Khoisan contacts during the Bantu expansions. While Xhosa shows substrate effects mainly in and limited , Yeyi's extensive and higher proportion of click words (10–15% of ) indicate deeper, region-specific with Juu speakers in the Kavango-Zambezi basin. In modern times, colonial legacies have introduced vocabulary from English and into Yeyi, particularly in domains like administration, education, and technology, though these influences do not affect core phonological or grammatical structures. Ongoing contact with dominant such as Tswana and Lozi in and further contributes to lexical borrowing, but Yeyi's basic vocabulary retains its Bantu-Khoisan hybrid profile.

Phonology

Vowel system

The Yeyi language features a symmetrical five-vowel inventory: the high front unrounded vowel /i/, the mid front vowel /ɛ/, the low central vowel /a/, the mid back vowel /ɔ/, and the high back vowel /u/. This system aligns with the typical reduced vowel set found in many Southern Bantu languages, where the mid vowels are realized as low-mid [ɛ̝] and [ɔ̝]. Vowel length is phonemically contrastive in Yeyi, distinguishing minimal pairs through duration, with long vowels typically exceeding short ones in stressed positions. For instance, short vowels contrast with their long counterparts in lexical items, and vowel sequences are analyzed as phonologically long rather than diphthongs. Vowel nasalization occurs as an allophonic process, primarily following nasal consonants or in certain morphological contexts such as pronouns, resulting in forms like [ĩ], but it does not serve a phonemically contrastive function. Allophonic variations include centralization of vowels in pre-consonantal positions and occasional raising of /ɛ/ to before high vowels, contributing to the language's surface realizations. In terms of syllable structure, vowels obligatorily form the nucleus of syllables, with the basic type being CV and no true diphthongs; this simplicity supports the integration of complex onsets, including clicks, without altering vocalic nuclei.

Consonant inventory

The Yeyi language possesses an extensive inventory of over 40 non-click consonants, reflecting a complex system typical of with additional contrasts from regional influences. This inventory includes multiple series of stops and fricatives, alongside a standard set of sonorants, contributing to the language's phonological richness. The core obstruents feature plain voiceless and voiced stops at bilabial, alveolar, and velar places of articulation: /p, b/, /t, d/, and /k, ɡ/. An aspirated series adds /pʰ, tʰ, kʰ/, primarily occurring in word-initial positions to distinguish lexical items. Fricatives include labiodental /f, v/, alveolar /s/, postalveolar /ʃ/, and velar /x/, with voiced counterparts in some contexts. A prominent feature is the prenasalized series, such as /mp, mb, nt, nd, ŋk, ŋɡ/, and equivalents for other obstruents, which behave as unitary phonemes in syllable onsets and exhibit a nasal release phase. These prenasalized stops often trigger low tone on the following vowel and can induce nasalization on adjacent vowels. Sonorants comprise the nasals /m, n, ɲ, ŋ/, a lateral /l/, a trilled rhotic /r/, and glides /w, j/, which fill coda and onset roles flexibly across syllables. Dialectal variation includes prenasalized ejective stops, such as /ⁿtʼ/ and /ᵑkʼ/, more prominent in Namibian varieties but variable in dialects.
Place/MannerBilabialLabiodentalAlveolarPostalveolarPalatalVelarGlottal
Plosives (voiceless/voiced)p, b-t, d--k, ɡ-
Aspirated plosivespʰ-tʰ--kʰ-
Prenasalized ejectives--ⁿtʼ--ᵑkʼ-
Fricatives (voiceless/voiced)-f, vsʃ-xh
Nasalsm-n-ɲŋ-
Prenasalized stopsmp, mb-nt, nd--ŋk, ŋɡ-
Lateral--l----
Rhotic--r----
Glides----j--
Labial-velar glidew------
This table summarizes the primary non-click consonants, with prenasalized forms treated as distinct units; actual counts exceed 40 when including dialectal variants and full prenasalized parallels.

Click consonants

The Yeyi language, a Bantu language spoken in , features an unusually large inventory of click consonants, borrowed through contact with , particularly the Juu group. These clicks are ingressive sounds produced with a velaric , involving a posterior velar closure and an anterior closure at the front of the mouth, followed by a forward release of the anterior closure. Yeyi has four basic click influx types, distinguished by the place of the anterior closure: dental (ǀ), alveolar (ǃ), palatal (ǂ), and lateral (ǁ). Each influx type combines with various accompaniments at the posterior closure to form a series of phonemic contrasts, resulting in one of the most extensive click systems among , with a core inventory of around 16 clicks and up to 23 distinct realizations observed. Common accompaniments include tenuis voiceless (e.g., kǀ), aspirated (e.g., kʰǀ), voiced (e.g., gǀ), nasal (e.g., ŋǀ), glottalized (e.g., kǀʔ), and ejective (e.g., kǀ'), among others. Acoustically, the influx releases produce transient noise with spectral peaks typically between 2-4 kHz for dental and palatal clicks, while alveolar and lateral clicks show lower peaks below 2.5 kHz, aiding in their perceptual distinction. Clicks occur exclusively in lexical roots and never in grammatical affixes, serving as integral parts of noun and verb stems. For example, the dental click appears in the root ǀòà, meaning ''. However, their use is declining among younger speakers, who increasingly shift to Setswana, leading to variable realization or omission in speech. Dialectal differences exist, with fuller inventories in Namibian varieties (Eastern Caprivi) compared to reduced forms in varieties (Ngamiland, as few as 12 clicks), influenced by Tswana substrate effects and pressures.
Influx TypeExamples of Accompaniments
Dental (ǀ)kǀ (tenuis), kʰǀ (aspirated), gǀ (voiced), ŋǀ (nasal)
Alveolar (ǃ)kǃ, kʰǃ, gǃ, ŋǃ
Palatal (ǂ)kǂ, kʰǂ, gǂ, ŋǂ
Lateral (ǁ)kǁ, kʰǁ, gǁ, ŋǁ

Tonal system

The Yeyi language employs a two-level tonal system consisting of high (H) and low (L) tones, which serve to distinguish lexical meaning and grammatical categories. Additionally, downstep (marked as ˌ or ↓) occurs, creating a perceived falling contour from an initial H followed by a downstepped L (HˌL), as realized in acoustic analyses of prosodic structures. This system aligns with typical Bantu tonal patterns but incorporates substrate influences from , enhancing contour realizations. Tone-bearing units in Yeyi are primarily the vowels within syllables, where each typically carries one tone. Floating tones, unattached to a specific , associate with morphemes and can spread or dock to adjacent tone-bearing units, influencing word-level prosody. Clicks, as consonantal segments, do not inherently bear tone but acquire it through the following , integrating into the overall tonal . Lexical tones are assigned to roots, forming distinct word melodies that convey semantic differences; for instance, an H tone on a CV root often marks agentive nouns, such as kú- (high-toned root for 'person' derivations), while L tones predominate in other nominal classes. Advanced tongue root (ATR) vowel harmony interacts with tone spread, facilitating the extension of H tones across harmonized vowel sequences in multisyllabic words. Grammatical tone plays a crucial role in morphology and , with shifts altering base lexical patterns. In associative constructions, possessors undergo a tone shift from L to H, signaling possession (e.g., base L-toned becoming H-toned in nǹ-ʔà 'my house' from underlying L). tenses are marked by specific tone patterns, such as H on the final for present versus L-L for remote past, overlaying the root's inherent . At the phrasal level, intonation features phrase-final L lowering, which reduces pitch at utterance boundaries to demarcate prosodic units. Yeyi lacks a lexical pitch accent system, relying instead on contour tones for interrogatives, where rising HˌL contours signal yes/no questions, distinct from declarative falling patterns.

Grammar

Noun morphology

The Yeyi language employs a prefix-based system characteristic of , comprising 16 to 18 classes that organize semantically and morphologically into singular-plural pairs, with additional locative classes. These classes are marked by dedicated prefixes on the noun and trigger obligatory agreement in prefixes on associated adjectives, possessives, , and verbs within the and clause. For instance, in the phrase mu-ana mu-kubwa ('big child'), the class 1 prefix mu- on the ana ('child') is echoed on the adjective kubwa ('big'). Key class pairs include class 1/2 (mu-/ ba-) for humans and large entities, as in mu-ntu ('') and its plural ba-ntu ('people'); class 3/4 (mu-/ mi-) for trees and natural kinds, exemplified by mu-ti ('') and mi-ti ('trees'); class 5/6 (li-/ ma-) for fruits and borrowed terms, such as li-taba ('board') and ma-taba ('boards'); and class 7/8 (si-/ zi-) often for diminutives or manner nouns, like si-kundu ('red one') and zi-kundu ('red ones'). Classes 9/10 (i-/ zi-) handle animals and abstracts, with examples i-nyama ('meat') and zi-nyama ('meats'). Prefixes exhibit allomorphs influenced by the root's vowels, such as li- becoming lu- before back vowels (e.g., li-vunyu > lu-vunyu '' in class 5) or si- to su- (e.g., su-pundi 'small rat' in class 7). Locative classes 16, 17, and 18 are innovative relative to Proto-Bantu, using prefixes pa-, ku-, and mu- respectively to derive place nouns, often productively in the Namibian variety but less so in Botswana Yeyi; for example, pa-mu-ti ('at the tree') from class 16. Locative derivation also involves the suffix -ni attached to the noun stem, as in mu-ntu-ni ('at the person'), which may shift the class or combine with prefixes. Diminutives are formed via the suffix -ana, yielding forms like ana-kana ('small child') from kana ('child'), while augmentatives arise through class shifts, such as moving a noun to classes 5/6 for emphasis on size (e.g., class 7 si-ntu 'small person' shifting to class 5 li-ntu for a larger connotation). Human classes (1/2) show irregularities due to loanwords incorporating click consonants from substrates, which are integrated but may disrupt standard prefix or trigger atypical stem alternations; for example, click-initial roots like ǃaβa ('') in class 5 retain the click without prefix modification, unlike non-click loans. Beyond these classes, Yeyi lacks grammatical distinctions, with semantic categories like humanness conveyed solely through class assignment rather than additional morphology. Tone plays a role in agreement marking, with class prefixes often bearing specific tonal patterns that align with the tonal system described elsewhere.

Verb morphology

The verb morphology of Yeyi follows a typical Bantu agglutinative structure, consisting of a subject prefix, tense/aspect markers, optional object , the , derivational extensions, and a final . The subject prefix agrees in with the subject, such as n- for first person singular (e.g., n-a-bon-a 'I see'). Tense and aspect are marked between the subject prefix and the , while object pronouns are infixed before the root; extensions follow the to modify valency or meaning, and the structure ends with a final like -a for declarative mood. Yeyi's tense-aspect-mood system distinguishes at least five main tenses, with additional habitual and progressive aspects. The uses the marker -a- (e.g., ba-a-lima 'they farm'). The recent past employs -ile (e.g., ba-ile-lima 'they farmed recently'), while the remote past combines -a- with specific tone patterns on the . is indicated by the prefix ka- (e.g., n-ka-bona 'I will see'), and habitual aspect involves -ag- (e.g., ba-ag-lima 'they farm habitually'). Valency changes are achieved through suffixal extensions, often distinguished by tone. The passive is formed with -w- (e.g., bon-w-a 'be seen'), the reciprocal with -an- (e.g., bon-an-a 'see each other'), and the applicative with -el- (e.g., lim-el-a 'farm for'). Tone on these extensions can signal subtle semantic differences, such as directionality in applicatives. derivations use extensions like -id- (e.g., lim-id-a 'cause to farm'). Negation is typically marked by the prefix a- or ku-, varying by tense; for example, present negation uses a- (e.g., n-a-ha-bon-a 'I do not see'), while future negation employs ku- (e.g., n-ku-bona 'I will not see'). Irregularities occur in verbs with click consonants, where negation may trigger stem alternations or suppletive forms.

Basic syntax

The Yeyi language exhibits a basic subject-verb-object (SVO) in declarative sentences, as seen in constructions like Ndi-a-bona mu-lume ('I see the man'). However, this order is flexible to accommodate focus constructions, such as object-subject-verb (OSV) for emphasis on the object, and verb-subject-object (VSO) patterns commonly appear in contexts to heighten dramatic effect, for example, A-kw-enda mu-lume ('He-goes man'). Noun phrases in Yeyi are head-initial, with modifiers such as possessors following the head noun; a typical example is mutu wa mbwa ('head of dog', meaning 'dog's head'), where wa serves as a linker. Relative clauses are formed through prefix agreement with the antecedent , using class-specific prefixes like a- for Class 1 nouns, as in mu-lume a-ye a-kw-enda ('man who he-goes'). Interrogative clauses are distinguished by a high tone on the element, for instance, U-ri kw-enda? ('You-are going?'). Verb agreement with subjects, as detailed in verb morphology, integrates into these clause structures to maintain concord. Coordination of elements employs conjunctions such as na ('and'), exemplified in mu-lume na mu-kazi ('man and woman'). Subordination is achieved with prefixes like ka- to introduce complement clauses meaning 'that', as in Ndi bon-a ka mu-lume a-kw-enda ('I saw that man he-goes'). Topicalization in Yeyi involves left dislocation of the topic, accompanied by a resumptive pronoun in the main clause, such as Mu-lume, ndi mu a-kw-enda ('Man, it is he who goes').

Lexicon and Writing

Vocabulary features

The Yeyi language maintains a core with significant cognacy to Proto-Bantu, particularly evident in basic for body parts and relations, reflecting its classification within the Bantu family. For instance, terms like shidzuwa 'chest' and mushana 'back' align with widespread Bantu roots for anatomical features, while expressions such as watáte 'fathers' and mupundi 'daughter' demonstrate shared morphological and semantic patterns across . This retention of Proto-Bantu elements underscores Yeyi's phylogenetic position as an Eastern Bantu outlier, with high in foundational semantic domains despite regional innovations. Borrowings from form a notable layer in the Yeyi lexicon, primarily in environmental and faunal terms, where click consonants signal contact-induced elements. These loans cluster in domains related to local , such as names incorporating clicks (e.g., click-initial forms for species in the Okavango region), derived from interactions with Khoe-speaking groups. In addition, Yeyi has adopted terms from neighboring like Tswana and Lozi for contemporary concepts, integrating them into its system while preserving Bantu morphosyntax. Khoisan influence is more pronounced in lexical verbs and nouns tied to the landscape, illustrating paralexification processes. Yeyi's semantic fields are distinctive for their emphasis on riverine existence, shaped by the speakers' historical adaptation to the Okavango and Linyanti floodplains, with specialized vocabulary for activities like fishing and seasonal flooding. Examples include shijawa 'fishing basket' and mudumu 'river bed', which capture tools and features central to subsistence economies. The language also features click-based ideophones that mimic environmental sounds, such as those evoking water movements or animal calls, adding sensory vividness to descriptions of the swampy habitat. Compounding in Yeyi involves noun-noun constructions to express relational concepts, typical of Bantu derivational strategies, where possessive or associative clitics link elements to denote or affiliation (e.g., formations building on core nouns for nuanced possession). This process expands the for complex ideas without heavy reliance on affixation. Dialectal lexical differences distinguish the Namibian (Caprivi) variety from the (Ngamiland) one, with the former preserving more archaic Bantu terms due to relative isolation, while the latter incorporates Tswana-influenced neologisms, especially for modern and administrative domains, reflecting sociolinguistic pressures from dominant neighbors and more intense contact. This divergence affects contact-heavy areas like and .

Orthography and documentation

The Yeyi language employs a practical orthography based on the Latin script, which was standardized in Namibia following a conference held in April 1997 where participants agreed upon a unified system for writing the language. This orthography facilitates literacy efforts and is used in educational and religious materials, though implementation varies across borders. Clicks, a distinctive feature borrowed from neighboring Khoisan languages, are represented through digraphs; for example, "c" denotes the dental click (ǀ), while "xh" indicates the aspirated alveolar click (ǃʰ). Vowels are simplified in representation, with mid vowels ɛ and ɔ typically written as "e" and "o," respectively, aligning with common Bantu orthographic practices to promote accessibility. Vowel length is marked by doubling the letter, as in "aa" for long /aː/, and tones are generally unmarked in everyday writing to keep the system straightforward for non-linguists. These conventions support basic literacy but do not fully capture the language's phonological complexity in informal contexts. Documentation of Yeyi began with sparse 19th-century records from European missionaries and explorers in the Caprivi region and Okavango area, who noted vocabulary and phrases amid broader ethnographic accounts. Modern linguistic resources include Frank Seidel's comprehensive , published in 2008, which provides detailed analysis of morphology, , and based on fieldwork with Namibian speakers. Partial lexicons, such as Stephen T.M. Lukusa's Shiyeyi–English Dictionary (2009), offer around 1,500 entries with examples, though no exhaustive dictionary exists yet. Revitalization efforts leverage Yeyi's endangered status to prioritize documentation and education; in Namibia, bilingual materials integrate Yeyi as a in early grades under the national Language Policy for Schools, including primers and storybooks developed by the Namibia Institute for Educational Development (NIED). In September 2025, Botswana introduced news broadcasts in Shiyeyi on national television, enhancing language visibility and supporting . Digital archives, such as those hosted by SIL International and academic repositories, preserve audio recordings and texts to support community access and research. Challenges persist, particularly in Botswana where spelling remains inconsistent due to ongoing debates over standardization, leading to variations between Setswana-influenced digraphs and ad hoc usages in community writing. These inconsistencies hinder cross-border communication and full-scale dictionary development, though partial lexicons and orthography proposals like Chebanne et al. (2007) aid progress.

References

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