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ABSTRACT
An analysis of Herero toponyms sheds new light on linguistic, cultural and other correspondences in the vocabularies of a variety of peoples inhabiting Southern Africa over many thousands of years. Evolutionary processes as primary toponymic formatives were determined by environmental and cultural conditions. Semantic and phonological comparison of Herero place-name elements with recorded Stone Age hunter-gatherer lexemes indicates cognates: linguistic modification manifested orthographically reflecting the results of language contact. Numerous Herero place-name elements correspond to Bushman words in sound and meaning, while click replacements and other sound shifts are also evident. Cultural diversity between hunter-gatherers and Iron Age pastoralists initially precluded terminological cognates relating to animal husbandry, agriculture, and the like.