Editing Sekele language (section)

{{short description|Language}}
{{More footnotes needed|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Sekele
|altname=Northern ǃKung
|nativename=
|pronunciation=
|states=[[Namibia]], [[Angola]]
|region=[[Okavango Region|Okavango]] and [[Ovamboland|Ovamboland Territory]]
|speakers={{sigfig|15,070|1}}
|date=2013–2019
|ref=e25
|familycolor=Khoisan
|fam1=[[Kxʼa languages|Kxʼa]]
|fam2=[[ǃKung language|ǃKung]]
|dia1=ǃʼOǃKung
|dia2=[[Ekoka ǃKung]]
|dia3=Kavango ǃKung
|iso3=vaj
|lc1= knw |ld1=[[Ekoka ǃKung]]
|glotto=vase1234
|glottorefname=Northern Ju
|glotto2=kung1261
|glottorefname2=North-Central Ju
}}

'''Sekele''' is the northern [[Spoken language|language]] of the [[ǃKung language|ǃKung]] [[dialect continuum]]. It was widespread in southern [[Angola]] before the [[Angolan Civil War]],<ref>{{harvnb|Gordon|Grimes|2005|p=151}}</ref> but those varieties are now spoken principally among a [[diaspora]] in northern [[Namibia]]. There are also a number of [[dialect]]s spoken in far northern Namibia.

Sekele is known by a number of names. "Sekele" itself derives from ''Vasekele'', the Angolan [[Bantu languages|Bantu]] name. It is also known as Northern ǃKung, Northern ǃXuun, and Northern Ju. Two of the Angolan varieties have gone by the outdated term ǃʼOǃKung (or ''ǃʼO ǃuŋ'' {{IPA|vaj|ǃˀoːǃʰũ|}}, "Forest ǃKung") and Maligo (short for "Sekele Maligo"). There are several Namibian dialects, of which the best-known is [[Ekoka ǃKung|Ekoka]].