Oxford’s Tech Resurrects ‘Dead’ |xam Language: A Colonial Reckoning

Carving History: |xam Language Revived at Oxford

By Darius Spearman (africanelements)

Support African Elements at patreon.com/africanelements and hear recent news in a single playlist. Additionally, you can gain early access to ad-free video content.

Rhodes House Honors Indigenous Voices

The |xam language—a critically endangered dialect of South Africa’s Khoisan people—has been etched into Oxford University’s Rhodes House. This installation serves as both a memorial to colonial-era suffering and a bold act of linguistic reclamation. The stone inscription reads “|xam ke e : xarra ke” (People come together in the face of adversity) using the language’s distinct click consonants (Tolerance.ca). Oxford’s move reflects growing institutional efforts to confront colonial pasts while amplifying marginalized narratives.

Rhodes House itself is layered with irony. Built as a tribute to Cecil Rhodes—a colonialist who profited from African exploitation—it now hosts this counter-narrative. Importantly, the |xam project goes beyond symbolism. It aligns with Oxford’s language technology initiatives, which aim to preserve endangered dialects through digital tools. Yet critics argue that universities must center Indigenous knowledge custodians rather than merely curating relics (Tolerance.ca).

How Technology Reawakens Dormant Tongues

Oxford’s Phonetics Lab employs tools like FlexSR, machine learning software that deciphers rare phonological patterns. Originally designed for European languages, these systems now adapt to clicks and tonal shifts in |xam. For instance, a “!” symbol denotes an alveolar click, while “|” represents a dental click. This tech could let new generations “hear” ancestral words last spoken a century ago (Oxford Research).

However, digitizing |xam raises ethical questions. Should a university control access to Indigenous knowledge? Khoisan leaders emphasize collaborative frameworks. “These are not dead languages but sleeping ones,” says Dr. June Bam-Hutchison, a South African linguist. “Their revival must be community-driven.” Meanwhile, Oxford has certified language tests like the Oxford Test of English Advanced, which could be expanded to include African dialects.

Global Movements for Linguistic Justice

Oxford’s |xam project mirrors global efforts like Hawaii’s ʻŌlelo revitalization and New Zealand’s Māori language schools. These initiatives blend academic rigor with cultural practice—language nests where elders teach idioms alongside history. Yet funding gaps persist. While Oxford secured £1.2M for AI language tools, grassroots Khoisan projects rely on crowdfunding (Tolerance.ca).

A pivotal question remains: Can stone inscriptions and algorithms sustain living traditions? “Technology is a bridge, not the destination,” argues Prof. Shose Kessi of the University of Cape Town. “True revival happens when youth speak |xam at home again.” For now, Rhodes House’s engravings stand as a fraught but hopeful emblem—a colonial site repurposed to echo silenced voices.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Darius Spearman has been a professor of Black Studies at San Diego City College since 2007. He is the author of several books, including Between The Color Lines: A History of African Americans on the California Frontier Through 1890. You can visit Darius online at africanelements.org.