Otjiherero
/ot͡ʃiˈhɛɾɛɾɔ/noun
Otjiherero is a Bantu language spoken chiefly by Herero communities in Namibia, Botswana, and Angola.
Did you know?The opening element otji- is a Bantu noun-class prefix used in the language’s name, reflecting a grammatical system in which languages themselves can belong to noun classes.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Bantu
Proto-Bantu
*ki-
“A reconstructed noun-class prefix associated with languages, things, or artifacts; the precise historical pathway into Otji- is not fully certain.”
Bantu expansion period
Bantu
ki-/ci-
“Related noun-class prefixes used across Bantu languages, including forms that became markers for languages and cultural products.”
Precolonial period
Herero
Herero
“The ethnonym of the Herero people; its deeper origin is disputed and should not be assigned a definitive literal translation.”
19th Century
Otjiherero
Otjiherero
“The language name formed with otji-, identifying the speech of the Herero people.”
Modern English
English
Otjiherero
“The standard English name for the Herero language of southwestern Africa.”