Editing Sandawe language (section)

{{Short description|Language isolate of central Tanzania}}
{{Cleanup lang|article|date=August 2021|iso=sad}}{{Infobox language
|name=Sandawe
|nativename={{lang|sad|Sàndàwé kì’ìng}}
|pronunciation={{IPA|[sàndàwékìʔìŋ]}}
|states=[[Tanzania]]
|region=[[East African Rift|Rift Valley]]
|ethnicity=[[Sandawe people|Sandawe]]
|speakers=60,000
|date=2013
|ref=e19
|familycolor=Khoisan
|family=[[Language isolate]], possibly related to the [[Khoe–Kwadi languages]]
|iso2=sad
|iso3=sad
| map = Sandawe_map.svg
| mapcaption = Distribution of the Sandawe language (grey) in Tanzania
|notice=IPA
|glotto=sand1273
|glottorefname=Sandawe
}}

'''Sandawe''' is a language spoken by about 60,000 [[Sandawe people]] in the [[Dodoma Region]] of [[Tanzania]]. Sandawe's use of [[click consonants]], a rare feature shared with only two other languages of East Africa, [[Hadza language|Hadza]] and [[Dahalo language|Dahalo]], had been the basis of its classification as a member of the defunct [[Khoisan languages|Khoisan family]] of Southern Africa since [[Albert Drexel]] in the 1920s. It has been suggested, however, that Sandawe may be related to the [[Khoe languages|Khoe family]], regardless of the validity of Khoisan as a whole (Güldemann 2010). A discussion of the linguistic classification of Sandawe can be found in Sands (1998).

Language use is vigorous among both adults and children, with people in some areas monolingual. Sandawe has two dialects, northwest and southeast. Differences include speaking speed, vowel dropping, some [[word taboo]], and minor lexical and grammatical differences. Some [[Alagwa people|Alagwa]] have shifted to Sandawe, and are considered a Sandawe clan.

[[SIL International]] began work on Sandawe in 1996 and to date (2004), Daniel and [[Elisabeth Hunziker]] and [[Helen Eaton]] continue to work on the analysis of the language. They have so far produced a phonological description, a dialect survey report and several papers on aspects of grammar. Sandawe is also currently (since 2002) studied by Sander Steeman of [[Leiden University]].