Kgalagadi is a Bantu language spoken in Botswana, along the South African border. It is spoken by about 40,000 people.^[3] In the language, it is known as Shekgalagari.

Classification

Kgalagadi (also rendered Kgalagari, Kgalagarhi, Kgalagari, Khalagari, Khalakadi, Kxhalaxadi, Qhalaxarzi, Shekgalagadi, Shekgalagari, Kqalaqadi) is most closely related to Tswana, and until recently was classified as a dialect of Tswana.^[2]

Dialects include Shengologa, Sheshaga, Shebolaongwe, Shelala, Shekhena, Sheritjhauba and Shekgwatheng.

Phonology

Vowels

• Close-mid vowels /e, o/ are frequently heard as near-close sounds [ɪ, ʊ] among speakers in free variation.

Consonants

• Click sounds /ʘ, ǀ, ǀŋ, ǃŋ/ are also said to occur, but mostly in rare cases.^[4]
• A voicelss trill [r̥] may also occur phonemically among dialects, and may also be pronounced as breathy [r̤] in intervocalic positions.
• /r/ may also be heard as a flap [ɾ].
• /n/ may also be heard as [n̪] in free variation, or when preceding dental stops.
• /qʰ/ may also be heard as [q͡χʰ] in free variation.
• Lateral affricates [t͡ɬ, t͡ɬʰ] may occur from loanwords.^[5]
• Sounds /z, ʒ/ can be pronounced in free variation as affricates [d͡z, d͡ʒ] in the Bolaongwe dialect
• /h/ is can be heard as voiced [ɦ] when in intervocalic positions.^[6]