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language is a Bantu language with click consonants (“Xhosa” begins with a click) and one of the official languages of South Africa written using a Latin alphabet. The most popular of Bantu languages, Xhosa too is a tonal language; that is, the same sequence of consonants and vowels can have different meanings when said with a rising or falling or high or low intonation(for a more detailed explanation, refer table of consonant phonemes).

There are again two types in isixhosa-poetry:

  1. umbongo-mbaliso :Narrative poem where a story is told
  2. umbongo-nkcazo :Descriptive poem without a story but describing the situations.

Here is a Praise Poem to #Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela  1918-2013 by  Patricia Schonstein Pinnock written in Xhosa

Ingqanga ifile  –  The Bateleur is dead

Ingqanga ifile The Bateleur is dead

Yazalwa sekusaziwa ukuba iyakuphelela phi na
He was born with his destiny written for him

Nangona umzimba wayo wawuthozamile
Though his boyhood was humble

Yaba yingangamsha esebenzela ilizwe
He became a great statesman

Yayihamba njengekumkani kodwa inentobeko
He walked like a king yet was modest

Yakha yaligorha elixhobileyo
He was once an armed warrior 

Kodwa yazibeka phantsi izigalo
But he put down his weapons

Yaza yangumfuziselo woxolo
And become an icon of peace

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