N!aqriaxe (ǂ’Amkoe) spatial terms from a genealogical and areal perspective

This paper discusses the spatial terminology of the N!aqriaxe variety of ǂ’Amkoe and compares it to the spatial terms of the two genealogically unrelated languages Taa and Gǀui, as well as to the related Ju dialect cluster. Taa, Gǀui, N!aqriaxe and some of the Ju varieties are spoken in or close to the Central Kalahari and are in contact with each other. All the languages investigated here have grammaticalised spatial terminology from different lexical sources, such as body parts or landmarks. We analyse the N!aqriaxe spatial terminology and investigate to what extent it is borrowed or inherited. Similarities across languages with respect to spatial terminology can sometimes be observed not only in the terms themselves, but also in spatial conceptualisations; since grammaticalisation pathways can also be borrowed, it is worthwhile to investigate these as well.