| 释义 |
Xhosa, n. and a.|ˈkəʊzə, ˈkɔːzə, -sə|
Also 9 Koossa, etc.: 9– Xosa.
[Their own name for themselves.]
A. n.
a. A member of any of several related peoples in Cape Province, South Africa, that form part of the Nguni branch of the Bantu; such people collectively.
1801J. Barrow Trav. Interior S. Afr. I. iii. 219 The Kaffers call themselves Koussie, which word is pronounced by the Hottentots with a strong palatal stroke of the tongue on the first syllable. 1812A. Plumptre tr. Lichtenstein's Trav. Southern Afr. I. xviii. 250 The tribe of which I mean more particularly to speak call themselves Koossas, or Kaussas. 1827G. Thompson Trav. Southern Afr. App. No. i. 439 The national appellation of the Southern Caffers is Amakosa, the singular of which is Kosa. 1881Encycl. Brit. XIII. 818/2 The Ama-Fengus are regarded both by the Ama-Zulus and Ama-Xosas as slaves or out-castes, without any right to the freedom and privilege of true-born Kaffres. 1948B. G. M. Sundkler Bantu Prophets in S. Afr. iv. 96 The Zionist prophets, operating in Zululand, are in many cases not Zulus, but Sotho, Xhosa, or sometimes men from..Nyasaland. 1981A. Paton Towards Mountain xxii. 189 The suggestion was made at a white staff meeting that we should try allotting separate dormitories to Xhosas, Zulu, Basotho, and so on.
b. The Nguni language of the Xhosas, a tonal language of the Bantu family very similar to Zulu.
1872W. J. Davis Dict. Kaffir Lang. p. vi, The author of this, the first Dictionary of Xosa Kaffir. 1928Africa I. 479 Xosa is established as the literary language of Kaffraria and the Transkei. 1970Cape Times 28 Oct. 2/6 Four hundred people of all races attended prayers for racial harmony, held at St. George's Cathedral, Cape Town last night. The service—conducted alternately in English, Afrikaans and Xhosa—formed part of 24 hours of continuous prayer. 1977N.Y. Rev. Bks. 4 Aug. 41/2 After testifying for four days in his native Xhosa, he asked if he could address the court in English. 1983M. Kenyon Free-Range Wife i. 17 His English was so weird..he might well, as compensation, have flawless French, German, Finnish, Xhosa too.
B. adj. Pertaining to or designating the Xhosas or their language.
1812A. Plumptre tr. Lichtenstein's Trav. Southern Afr. I. App. sig. a2r In the Koossa dialect u is the vowel that occurs the most frequently. 1872W. J. Davis Dict. Kaffir Lang. p. v, When a word is both Xosa and Zulu in form and signification, both these letters are prefixed to its meaning. 1935Critic (Cape Town) Oct. 1 From the Xhosa verb bonga is derived the noun isibongo. 1948B. G. Sundkler Bantu Prophets S. Afr. ii. 42 The Order of Ethiopia can hardly be said to have succeeded in attracting the broad masses of Ethiopians... It has remained exclusively Xhosa. 1963Times Lit. Suppl. 17 May 354 A successful Xhosa cattle breeder. 1975Cricketer May 15/2 A running commentary in the Xhosa language kept Bantu spectators in the picture. |