What gender are they? Language contact and the evolution of Ju|'hoan gender system(s)

Juǀ’hoan is a Ju language of the Kx’a family spoken in Namibia and Botswana by communities of ethnic San, an exonym used to refer to the indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples of southern Africa. Similar to English, Juǀ’hoan has grammatical gender system in which classes of nouns are made known through the use of distinctive pronouns. As a largely non-standardised language and spoken in a myriad of different sociolinguistic contexts, the grammatical gender system is anything but stable. This variation offers a window into language acquisition and maintenance, and the development of new registers and varieties. Comparing data from different communities of practice, this talk elaborates on the ongoing diversification of the Juǀ’hoan gender system(s), detailing the specific linguistic ecosystems and language ideologies behind these developments.