How did Khoisan languages influence Xhosa?

The Xhosa language, a member of the Bantu language family, was profoundly influenced by long-term contact with Khoisan languages in southern Africa. This interaction resulted in significant changes to the Xhosa sound structure and vocabulary.12

Most notably, Xhosa adopted click consonants into its phonological system. While clicks are a primary feature of Khoisan languages, they are not native to the Bantu language family; their presence in Xhosa is a direct result of linguistic borrowing through cultural contact. The Xhosa sound system currently incorporates three distinct types of these borrowed click sounds. This integration occurred as Xhosa-speaking peoples moved southward and encountered Khoisan-speaking hunter-gatherer groups, leading to a lasting impact on the language's phonetic inventory.3452