Hilde Gunnink
@hildegunnink.bsky.social
Linguist, focusing on African languages. FWO postdoctoral researcher @UGent || Linguistics teacher @Leiden
[ˈhɪlˠdə ˈχønɪŋk]
[ˈhɪlˠdə ˈχønɪŋk]
At least Namibia is a reasonable place for alveolar click insertion
September 12, 2025 at 5:30 PM
At least Namibia is a reasonable place for alveolar click insertion
Why does this wine have a bilabial click? It's not even South African!
September 12, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Why does this wine have a bilabial click? It's not even South African!
Why does this racist student club have an alveolar click in their name?
September 12, 2025 at 5:24 PM
Why does this racist student club have an alveolar click in their name?
1970's South African linguistics: Mr Volschenk, Mr ǁowaseb and Mr Satyo are all mentioned, but only Mr Volschenk is praised for his kindness and excellence
July 30, 2025 at 2:47 PM
1970's South African linguistics: Mr Volschenk, Mr ǁowaseb and Mr Satyo are all mentioned, but only Mr Volschenk is praised for his kindness and excellence
Why is it always "my collaborators don't speak English" and never "I don't speak isiZulu"?
(from Corrigan et al. 2011, "Ethnobotanical plant uses in the KwaNibela Peninsula, St Lucia, South Africa", South African Journal of Botany 77: 346-359)
(from Corrigan et al. 2011, "Ethnobotanical plant uses in the KwaNibela Peninsula, St Lucia, South Africa", South African Journal of Botany 77: 346-359)
July 30, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Why is it always "my collaborators don't speak English" and never "I don't speak isiZulu"?
(from Corrigan et al. 2011, "Ethnobotanical plant uses in the KwaNibela Peninsula, St Lucia, South Africa", South African Journal of Botany 77: 346-359)
(from Corrigan et al. 2011, "Ethnobotanical plant uses in the KwaNibela Peninsula, St Lucia, South Africa", South African Journal of Botany 77: 346-359)
Why is it always "my collaborators don't speak English" and never "I don't speak isiZulu"?
(from Corrigan et al. 2011, "Ethnobotanical plant uses in the KwaNibela Peninsula, St Lucia, South Africa", South African Journal of Botany 77: 346-359)
(from Corrigan et al. 2011, "Ethnobotanical plant uses in the KwaNibela Peninsula, St Lucia, South Africa", South African Journal of Botany 77: 346-359)
July 29, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Why is it always "my collaborators don't speak English" and never "I don't speak isiZulu"?
(from Corrigan et al. 2011, "Ethnobotanical plant uses in the KwaNibela Peninsula, St Lucia, South Africa", South African Journal of Botany 77: 346-359)
(from Corrigan et al. 2011, "Ethnobotanical plant uses in the KwaNibela Peninsula, St Lucia, South Africa", South African Journal of Botany 77: 346-359)
Auer (1977: 459) reconstructs the word *ngamote 'room' to Proto-Sotho, whose perfect regularity clearly proves that Afrikaans contact predated the break-up of Proto-Sotho. 🙃
July 25, 2025 at 3:15 PM
Auer (1977: 459) reconstructs the word *ngamote 'room' to Proto-Sotho, whose perfect regularity clearly proves that Afrikaans contact predated the break-up of Proto-Sotho. 🙃
How many South African place names are relics from languages that are no longer spoken there? Well, since 15% of recorded place names don't have an etymology in a known South African language, my guess is close to 15%.
July 8, 2025 at 2:38 PM
How many South African place names are relics from languages that are no longer spoken there? Well, since 15% of recorded place names don't have an etymology in a known South African language, my guess is close to 15%.
Came across three versions of a Xhosa children's song played while counting the fingers in the Greater Xhosa Dictionary. Version three is a bit disturbing:
June 13, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Came across three versions of a Xhosa children's song played while counting the fingers in the Greater Xhosa Dictionary. Version three is a bit disturbing:
Er is nog nooit een Ugandese paus geweest, maar dat wil niet zeggen dat de paus in Uganda geen rol speelt - tot de taalkunde aan toe! Op Stemmen van Afrika legt Jenneke van der Wal uit waarom de paus een doorslaggevende rol kan spelen in taalkundig onderzoek: stemmenvanafrika.nl/een-eekhoorn...
May 9, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Er is nog nooit een Ugandese paus geweest, maar dat wil niet zeggen dat de paus in Uganda geen rol speelt - tot de taalkunde aan toe! Op Stemmen van Afrika legt Jenneke van der Wal uit waarom de paus een doorslaggevende rol kan spelen in taalkundig onderzoek: stemmenvanafrika.nl/een-eekhoorn...
One of my more obscure hobbies is pronouncing words that aren't Bantu as if they are Bantu. Today: Megalake Makgadikgadi (mɪ-χalake ma-kxadikxadi) is obviously a Tswana class 4 word
May 7, 2025 at 8:01 AM
One of my more obscure hobbies is pronouncing words that aren't Bantu as if they are Bantu. Today: Megalake Makgadikgadi (mɪ-χalake ma-kxadikxadi) is obviously a Tswana class 4 word
1970's South African linguistics: Mr Volschenk, Mr ǁowaseb and Mr Satyo are all mentioned, but only Mr Volschenk is prasied for his kindness and excellence
April 30, 2025 at 10:55 AM
1970's South African linguistics: Mr Volschenk, Mr ǁowaseb and Mr Satyo are all mentioned, but only Mr Volschenk is prasied for his kindness and excellence
In this paper we produce a new, lexicon-based, Bayesian phylogenetic classification of Bantu languages with the express purpose of investigating the position of Yeyi. We compare Yeyi to surrounding Bantu languages and to a large sample of languages of the Eastern and Southwestern branch of Bantu.
March 24, 2025 at 8:20 AM
In this paper we produce a new, lexicon-based, Bayesian phylogenetic classification of Bantu languages with the express purpose of investigating the position of Yeyi. We compare Yeyi to surrounding Bantu languages and to a large sample of languages of the Eastern and Southwestern branch of Bantu.
Dr. Livingstone complaining about being taught "uncouth" Setswana (cited in Irvine 2008, Subject words: African linguistics and the colonial encounter)
February 26, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Dr. Livingstone complaining about being taught "uncouth" Setswana (cited in Irvine 2008, Subject words: African linguistics and the colonial encounter)