The
Khoekhoe language ,
Khoekhoegowab, also known by the ethnic term
Nama and formerly as
Hottentot, is the most widespread of those non-
Bantu languages of southern Africa that contain "click" sounds and have therefore been loosely classified as
Khoisan. It belongs to the
Khoe language family, and is spoken in
Namibia,
Botswana, and
South Africa by three ethnic groups, the
Nama,
Damara, and .