According to Reuters, hunter-gatherer communities that inhabited Southern Africa prior to the arrival of European colonizers spoke N|uu, a language that contains 112 distinct sounds.
Lorato Mokwena, a linguist at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa, informs the outlet that “During colonialism and apartheid, Ouma Katrina and other indigenous groups
were prohibited from speaking their languages. Their languages were despised, and this is how we arrived at the current situation with minimal speakers.”
During an interview with the BBC, Esau disclosed that she exclusively spoke N|uu as an infant and that there were “good times.” Regrettably, this has since been altered.
Esau recollected, “If we were discovered speaking our language, the white man would assault us.”
