Many languages, one nation
Yes, the World Cup is here, bringing with it the dulcet tones of the vuvuzela, the hopes of a nation, and pubs full of catatonic men. Still, whatever your team, South Africa is fascinating for more than just its football.
South Africa is a nation rich with languages – as Wil’s colourful post showed, it has 11 official tongues and a multitude of dialects, third in quantity only to India and Bolivia. Zulu and Afrikaans are the two best known of these languages, although another language, Xhosa (or isiXhosa in the language itself, the ‘isi’ being a prefix relating to language), is the second most spoken language at home in South Africa, with about 9 million speakers.
The language is written in Latin script, but contains some distinctly un-western sounds – there are 18 different types of click sound, although this is comparatively modest if you consider that ǃXóõ (no, I don’t know how to pronounce it), a Botswanan language, has 83 in total!)
There is a linguistic mix within the country, a combination of east and west, of politics, history and culture that makes it unusual and endlessly diverse.
Here are some of my favourite South Africanisms from Afrikaans:
‘howzit’ – ‘how’s it going?’ (greeting)
robot – traffic lights
bioscope – cinema (apparently a little old fashioned, a great word nonetheless)
bokkie – a term of endearment, like ‘honey’ or ‘dear’
chrisco – a disco with Christian music (I admire the specificity)
klankie – bad smell
yoh – an expression of surprise
And to think, that’s just a taste. If you feel like learning a few words in either Zulu, Xhosa or Afrikaans, then here a few links to get you on your way:
Zulu dictionary and language resources: http://isizulu.net/
Afrikaans Dictionary: http://www.freelang.net/online/afrikaans.php and language resources: http://www.openlanguages.net/afrikaans
Xhosa dictionary with links to other resources: http://www.xhosadictionary.com/links.php
Siyakubonana!*
Today’s photo is by Leigh-Ann-Auerswald.
(* That’s ‘See you’ in Xhosa.)