About Elsie Vaalbooi
Lived 1901 – 2002 (aged 100–101). Elsie Vaalbooi was a South African linguist.
Elsie Vaalbooi (c. 1901 – 7 October 2002 ) was a South African woman who was a member of the ǂKhomani (Nǁnǂe) San or Bushmen and one of the last speakers of the Nǁng language (better known by the name of the primary dialect, Nǀuu). In the 1990s there was concern amongst the ǂKhomani leadership about loss of the Nǁng language: many of those of the community who could speak a KhoeSan language actually spoke Nama. Linguist Anthony Traill interviewed Vaalbooi in 1997, when she was in her late nineties.
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Important facts
People in Elsie Vaalbooi's life
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Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Elsie Vaalbooi?
Speaker of the Nǁng language
When was Elsie Vaalbooi born?
Elsie Vaalbooi was born in 1901 in Rietfontein.
When did Elsie Vaalbooi die?
Elsie Vaalbooi died on 7 October 2002.
What was Elsie Vaalbooi's occupation?
Elsie Vaalbooi was a linguist.
What nationality was Elsie Vaalbooi?
Elsie Vaalbooi was South African.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Elsie Vaalbooi. https://biography.guide/elsie-vaalbooi/
MLA: "Elsie Vaalbooi." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/elsie-vaalbooi/.
Chicago: "Elsie Vaalbooi." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/elsie-vaalbooi/.
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