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Language Information By Source

A sociolinguistic survey of the Dhimba language
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Vulnerable

Native Speakers Worldwide

30,000–35,000

Domains of Use

No data

Speaker Number Trends

No data

Transmission

No data

Speakers

Second-language speakers and learners

No data

Semi-speakers

No data

Child speakers

No data

Young adult speakers

No data

Older adult speakers

No data

Elder Speakers

No data

Ethnic Population

No data

Non-monolingual speakers

No data

More about speakers

"12,000 in northern Namibia; 18,000–23,000 in southwestern Angola."

Year of info

2002

Location and Context

Countries

Namibia, Angola

Coordinates

-18.056570, 13.840657; -17.623922, 14.377762;

Location description

"In Namibia the Dhimba people live in the Opuwo District of the Kunene Region and in the northwestern corner of the Omusati Region. The Kunene Region comprises what is often still called 'Kaokoland.'"

Government support

No data

Institutional support

No data

Speakers' attitudes

No data

Standard orthography

No data

Script (Writing system)

No data

Other writing systems

"In Namibia the Dhimba people live in the Opuwo District of the Kunene Region and in the northwestern corner of the Omusati Region. The Kunene Region comprises what is often still called 'Kaokoland.'"

More on writing systems

No data

Other languages used

Herero, Ndonga

Domains of other languages

No data

More on context

"A high proportion of Dhimbas in all sample groups [do not] understand Herero or Ndonga (minimum 75%% intelligibility)"

No data

Native Speakers Worldwide

~24,000

Domains of Use

No data

Speaker Number Trends

No data

Transmission

No data

Speakers

Second-language speakers and learners

No data

Semi-speakers

No data

Child speakers

No data

Young adult speakers

No data

Older adult speakers

No data

Elder Speakers

No data

Ethnic Population

No data

Non-monolingual speakers

No data

More about speakers

No data

Year of info

1995

Location and Context

Countries

Namibia

Coordinates

No data

Location description

"Dhimba speakers... reside in the north-western comer of Owamboland, especially in Otjovanatjie and Etoto and partly in the north-eastern comer of Kaokoland (Ehombo) but also in scaterred communities in urban quarters of Opuwo, Okangwati and Ondangwa."

Government support

No data

Institutional support

No data

Speakers' attitudes

No data

Standard orthography

No data

Script (Writing system)

No data

Other writing systems

"Dhimba speakers... reside in the north-western comer of Owamboland, especially in Otjovanatjie and Etoto and partly in the north-eastern comer of Kaokoland (Ehombo) but also in scaterred communities in urban quarters of Opuwo, Okangwati and Ondangwa."

More on writing systems

No data

Other languages used

Herero, Ndonga

Domains of other languages

No data

More on context

"In the opinion of the Dhimba-speakers, Dhimba constitutes a Herero dialect... Dhimba-speakers are often trilingual, i.e. fluent in Herero and Ndonga... Dhimba remains a strong means of ethnic identification... The modernization of the graphic system of Dhimba by religious societies in the seventies, according to Ndonga convention, separated the Dhimba writing system from its Herero counterpart to some extent. For example, Dhimba-speakers insist on writing 'Zimba', their ethnic name, in Herero fashion rather than in Ndonga, i.e. 'Dhimba'."

No data

Native Speakers Worldwide

No data

Domains of Use

No data

Speaker Number Trends

No data

Transmission

No data

Speakers

Second-language speakers and learners

No data

Semi-speakers

No data

Child speakers

No data

Young adult speakers

No data

Older adult speakers

No data

Elder Speakers

No data

Ethnic Population

No data

Non-monolingual speakers

No data

More about speakers

No data

Year of info

1973

Location and Context

Countries

The border area of Angola and Namibia.

Coordinates

No data

Location description

"The present abode of the Himba covers an extensive area of some 30 000 sq. kilometers in [former] South West Afrca [currently Namibia] and Angola jointly. It stretches for 200 km westwards from Ruacana Falls to just below the escarpment, where it is bounded by the arid semi-desert regions of the Namib. The greater part of the Himba territory falls within the borders of South West Africa [currently Namibia], being about 20 000 sq. km in extent. It is roughly bounded by the Hoarusib River in the south, Owambo in the east, the Namib to the west, with the Kunene River as its northern boundary... Almost 7 000 Himba are living here, with probably only half that figure in the adjacent parts of Angola - an average population density therefore of close to one per three sq. km."

Government support

No data

Institutional support

No data

Speakers' attitudes

No data

Standard orthography

No data

Script (Writing system)

No data

Other writing systems

"The present abode of the Himba covers an extensive area of some 30 000 sq. kilometers in [former] South West Afrca [currently Namibia] and Angola jointly. It stretches for 200 km westwards from Ruacana Falls to just below the escarpment, where it is bounded by the arid semi-desert regions of the Namib. The greater part of the Himba territory falls within the borders of South West Africa [currently Namibia], being about 20 000 sq. km in extent. It is roughly bounded by the Hoarusib River in the south, Owambo in the east, the Namib to the west, with the Kunene River as its northern boundary... Almost 7 000 Himba are living here, with probably only half that figure in the adjacent parts of Angola - an average population density therefore of close to one per three sq. km."

More on writing systems

No data

Other languages used

No data

Domains of other languages

No data

More on context

No data

Threatened

Native Speakers Worldwide

~7,000 - 10,000

Domains of Use

No data

Speaker Number Trends

No data

Transmission

No data

Speakers

Second-language speakers and learners

No data

Semi-speakers

No data

Child speakers

No data

Young adult speakers

No data

Older adult speakers

No data

Elder Speakers

No data

Ethnic Population

No data

Non-monolingual speakers

No data

More about speakers

"Aproximadamente entre 5.000 y 7.000 himba habitan en el Norte del Kaokoland y entre 2.000 y 3.000 en el Suroeste de Angola. El número total de la población himba alcanza actualmente entre 7.000 y 10.000 individuos."

Year of info

1992

Location and Context

Countries

northeastern Namibia; southeastern Angola

Coordinates

No data

Location description

"Los territorios himba actuales viven repartidas entre territorio namibio y territorio angoleño. Los himba de Namibia se encuentran al Noroeste del país, en una zona denominada Kaokoland, entre los paralelos 17° y 18° y los meridianos 12° a 14°… Los himba se encuentran en la mitad más septentrional del Kaokoland, al Norte de Ohopoho, ocupando sólo unos 20.000 km2. Los himba que viven en la rivera Norte del Kunene, en el Suroeste de Angola por debajo del paralelo 16°, se encuentran en los lugares de pastos menos inhóspitos entre los ríos Curoca y Kunene, entre los meridianos 12° y 15°, ocupando una franja de unos 200 km… Entre Iona y Curoca se puede calcular una superficie total aproximada de algo más de 10.000 km2."

Government support

No data

Institutional support

No data

Speakers' attitudes

No data

Standard orthography

No data

Script (Writing system)

No data

Other writing systems

"Los territorios himba actuales viven repartidas entre territorio namibio y territorio angoleño. Los himba de Namibia se encuentran al Noroeste del país, en una zona denominada Kaokoland, entre los paralelos 17° y 18° y los meridianos 12° a 14°… Los himba se encuentran en la mitad más septentrional del Kaokoland, al Norte de Ohopoho, ocupando sólo unos 20.000 km2. Los himba que viven en la rivera Norte del Kunene, en el Suroeste de Angola por debajo del paralelo 16°, se encuentran en los lugares de pastos menos inhóspitos entre los ríos Curoca y Kunene, entre los meridianos 12° y 15°, ocupando una franja de unos 200 km… Entre Iona y Curoca se puede calcular una superficie total aproximada de algo más de 10.000 km2."

More on writing systems

No data

Other languages used

No data

Domains of other languages

No data

More on context

No data

Media Resources

No resources

No resources

No resources

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No programs

  1. The OvaHimba of Namibia: a study of dual descent and values
    Crandall, David Peter. 1992. "The OvaHimba of Namibia: a Study of Dual Descent and Values."
  2. An Ovahimba political landscape: patterns of authority in northwestern Namibia
    Wärnlöf, Christofer. 1998. An Ovahimba political landscape: patterns of authority in northwestern Namibia. Dept. of Social Anthropology, Göteborg Univ.
  3. Double descent among the Himba of South West Africa
    Malan, Johannes Stefanus. 1973. Double descent among the Himba of South West Africa. Cimbebasia (B) 2. 81-112.
  4. Die Kaokoveld-Herero [übersetzt von Theo Sundermeier] - Beiheft
    Kuvare, Silas. 1977. "Die Kaokoveld-Herero [übersetzt Von Theo Sundermeier] - Beiheft." In Die Mbanderu, edited by Theo Sundermeier. 187-267. Anthropos-Inst.
  5. Languages in Kaokoland and Herero dialects
    Kavari, Jekura Uaurika. 1993. "Languages in Kaokoland and Herero Dialects." In Logos, 13: 72-88.
  6. Toponomastics: places names in Kaokoland
    Kavari, Jekura Uaurika. 1990. "Toponomastics: Places Names in Kaokoland." In Logos, 10 , no. 1/2: 115-120.
  7. Himba: die Nomaden Namibias
    Jacobsohn, Margaret, Peter Pickford and Beverly Pickford. 1990. "Himba: Die Nomaden Namibias." 144. Cornelis Struik Publ.
  8. Himba space in Kaokoland
    Jacobsohn, Margaret. 1986. "Himba Space in Kaokoland."
  9. On the identity of the stone-working Tjimba, South West Africa: a comparative study based on fingerprint pattern frequencies
    Hitzeroth, Helmut Walter. 1976. "On the Identity of the Stone-working Tjimba, South West Africa: a Comparative Study Based On Fingerprint Pattern Frequencies." In Cimbebasia, 2 , no. 7: 187-202.
  10. Bantu group X (South-West Africa), language 89: Ociherero, ‘Damara’, incl. Ocicimba (North-East Herero), Ocikaoko (North-West Herero)
    Johnston, Harry Hamilton. 1919/22. "Bantu Group X (South-West Africa), Language 89: Ociherero, ‘Damara’, Incl. Ocicimba (North-East Herero), Ocikaoko (North-West Herero)." In A comparative study of the Bantu and semi-Bantu languages, Clarendon Press.
  11. Die Sprachenkarte Angolas
    Fleisch, Axel. 1993. "Die Sprachenkarte Angolas." In Angola: Referate des 6. DASP-Symposiums in der Universität zu Köln, edited by Manfred Kuder and M. Prinz. 64-77. Deutsche Gesellschaft für die afrikanischen Staaten portugiesischer Sprache (DASP).
  12. The ethnography of southwestern Angola, 3: the Herero people
    Estermann, Carlos. 1981. "The Ethnography of Southwestern Angola, 3: the Herero People." ix, 182. Africana Publ.
  13. Ethnographie du sud-ouest de l’Angola. Tome 3: [...]
    Estermann, Carlos. 1977?. "Ethnographie Du Sud-ouest De L’Angola. Tome 3: [...]." Académie Royale des Sciences d’Outre-Mer (ARSOM).
  14. Etnográfia do sudoeste de Angola. Tomo 3: [...]
    Estermann, Carlos. 1957?. "Etnográfia Do Sudoeste De Angola. Tomo 3: [...]." Junta de Investigações do Ultramar (JIU).
  15. Himba flora taxonomy and herbal medicines
    Crandall, David Peter. 2004. "Himba Flora Taxonomy and Herbal Medicines." In Anthropos, 99 , no. 1: 200-206.
  16. The place of stunted ironwood trees: a year in the lives of the cattle-herding Himba of Namibia
    Crandall, David Peter. 2000. "The Place of Stunted Ironwood Trees: a Year in the Lives of the Cattle-herding Himba of Namibia." viii, 269. Continuum International Publ. Group.
  17. Endangered Languages Catalogue Project. Compiled by research teams at University of Hawai'i Mānoa and Institute for Language Information and Technology (LINGUIST List) at Eastern Michigan University
    2012. "Endangered Languages Catalogue Project. Compiled By Research Teams At University of Hawai'i Mānoa and Institute For Language Information and Technology (LINGUIST List) At Eastern Michigan University."
  18. The construction of personhood in dual descent systems: some African cases
    Crandall, David Peter. 1989. "The Construction of Personhood in Dual Descent Systems: Some African Cases."
  19. “Ovatjimba” em Angola
    Cardoso, Carlos Lopes. 1967. "“Ovatjimba” Em Angola." 36. Museu Regional de Ceramica.
  20. Himba
    Caminata, Sergio. 1997. "Himba." 90. Federico Motta Ed.
  21. A sociolinguistic survey of the Dhimba language
    Cameron, Barbara and Janet Kunkel. 2002. "A Sociolinguistic Survey of the Dhimba Language." 39. SIL International; Lutheran Bible Translators.
  22. ‘When war came the cattle slept...’: Himba oral traditions
    Bollig, Michael and Tjakazapi Janson Mbunguha. 1997. "‘When War Came the Cattle Slept...’: Himba Oral Traditions." 352. Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.
  23. Zur Konstruktion ethnischer Grenzen im Nordwesten Namibias (zwischen 1880-1940): ethnographische Dekonstruktion im Spannungsfeld zwischen indigenen Ethnographien und kolonialen Texten
    Bollig, Michael. 1998. "Zur Konstruktion Ethnischer Grenzen Im Nordwesten Namibias (zwischen 1880-1940): Ethnographische Dekonstruktion Im Spannungsfeld Zwischen Indigenen Ethnographien Und Kolonialen Texten." In Afrikaner schreiben zurück, edited by Heike Behrend and Thomas Geider. 245-271. Rüdiger Köppe Verlag.
  24. Contested places, graves and graveyards in Himba culture
    Bollig, Michael. 1997. "Contested Places, Graves and Graveyards in Himba Culture." In Anthropos, 92 , no. 1/3: 35-50.
  25. Meet me in Windhoek: notes on four Bantu languages of Namibia
    Biddulph, Joseph. 1993. "Meet Me in Windhoek: Notes On Four Bantu Languages of Namibia." 24. Languages Information Centre.
  26. A computational analysis of Gabon varieties
    Bart Alewijnse, John Nerbonne, Lolke J. van der Veen and Franz Manni. 2007. "A Computational Analysis of Gabon Varieties." In Proceedings of the RANLP (Recent Advances in Natural Language Processing) workshop on computational phonology, edited by Petya Osenova and. 3-17. Online: http://www.ddl.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr/fulltext/Van%%20Der%%20Veen/Alewijnse_2007.pdf.
    http://www.ddl.ish-lyon.cnrs.fr/fulltext/Van%%20Der%%20Veen/Alewijnse_2007.pdf
  27. Beiträge zur Landeskunde des Kaokoveldes, Südwestafrika
    Abel, Herbert. 1954. "Beiträge Zur Landeskunde Des Kaokoveldes, Südwestafrika."
  28. Los Himba: etnografia de una cultura ganadera de Angola y Namibia
    Abati, Francisco Giner. 1998. "Los Himba: Etnografia De Una Cultura Ganadera De Angola Y Namibia." 202. Amaru Ed.
  29. Few People, Many Tongues: The Languages of Namibia
    Maho, Jouni F. 1998. Few People, Many Tongues: The Languages of Namibia. Windhoek, Namibia: Gamsberg Macmillan. x+222pp. (Survey of the linguistic typology and the sociolinguistics of the Namibian languages. Revision (heavy) of Maho (1993).)
  30. A sociolinguistic survey of the Dhimba language
    Kunkel, Janet and Barbara Cameron. 2002. "A Sociolinguistic Survey of the Dhimba Language." In SIL Electronic Survey Reports, 2002-070: Online: http://www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2002-070.
    http://www.sil.org/silesr/abstract.asp?ref=2002-070
  31. Are the African Pygmies an Ethnographic Fiction?
    Roger Blench. 1999. "Are the African Pygmies An Ethnographic Fiction?" In Central African Hunter-Gatherers in a Multidisciplinary Perspective: Challenging Elusiveness, edited by Karen Biesboruck et al. 41-60. Netherlands: Research School of Asian, African and Amerindian Studies (CNWS), Universiteit Leiden.