Through comparative linguistics and etymological analysis of a wide range of Southern African place names Peter Raper demonstrates how elements of Bushman languages live on in place names currently in everyday use. He explores the interplay between these ancient languages, Khoi-Khoi, various African languages (Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho and Tswana) and Afrikaans, and demonstrates how place names used by the Bushmen were adapted and transmitted between language communities.