Heyta! Nispruce? Hi! Are you well?

Not perfect Xhosa or Zulu, we know, but funky and fun - words that are seldom written down but often spoken, especially by Zolani Makhasi, our new assistant lecturer and part-time researcher, who also happens to speak Sotho, Zulu, Portugese and a bit of Japanese!

YHU! ISIXHOSA SAKHO SIHLE! Wow! Your Xhosa is good!

On Good Friday Tessa went to her local Seven Eleven (or, as Xhosa speakers call it, Sevinlevin) to buy some hot cross buns. She asked the Xhosa speaking baker, Iibans zi-redi? Are the buns ready? Not the most formally correct Xhosa, we know, but the baker was delighted and said Yhu! IsiXhosa sakho sihle! Wow! Your Xhosa is good!

African language speakers often use English and Afrikaans words when they are speaking informally. Can you guess what the following phrases mean? (Try and pronounce them as you would an African language.)

1. Ndipressedekile.
2. Ukleva.
3. Ukutu.
4. Sinelaki.
5. Ndibizi.
6. Itaf.
7. Uswit.
8. Bafila hepi.
9. Uyaslimisha.
10. Uyashawuta.

Answers (Note that U- can refer to s/he or you (singular) depending on how it is pronounced.)

1. I am pressed (for money).
2. You are clever.
3. She is in two (eg. Grade 2).
4. We are lucky.
5. I am busy.
6. It is tough.
7. You are sweet.
8. They feel happy.
9. She is slimming.
10. He is shouting.

MANDELA AND MBEKI

Thandi Nxumalo, an African language researcher based in Johannesburg, recently gave us these wonderful snippets about these illustrious names:

• to thabo mbeki someone = to snub someone (as Thabo Mbeki did to Winnie Mandela at the Orlando Stadium)
  
• to mandela someone = to boss someone around
  

  We are still waiting for:

• to de lille someone
  
• to leon someone
  
• to zuma someone
  

AIDS IN AFRICAN LANGUAGES

Tessa has recently completed some research on the way HIV/Aids is referred to by African language speakers. Following the tradition of name avoidance ukuhlonipha, very often speakers do not refer to someone as having HIV/Aids, but will say Unamagama ... S/he has words ... or Unamagama amane S/he has four words and sometimes Unamagama amakhulu S/he has big words.

HIV/Aids is also referred to as ilotto as in Udlala ilotto S/he is playing the lotto or isikhafu esibomvu the red scarf as in Uxwaye isikhafu esibomvu She is wearing the red scarf.

Because HIV is a three-letter acronym, some speakers make any three-letter acronym synonymous with the illness, eg. Uyimemba yeTKZ S/he is a member of TKZ - (TKZ is a well-known kwaito group) or even Uyimemba yePAC S/he is a member of the PAC.

On African language radio stations HIV/Aids is frequently referred to as UGawulayo The Chopper-Down - Xhosa, UQedisizwe The Finisher of the Nation - Zulu, UMbulalasizwe The Killer of the Nation - Xhosa and UMabulalabhuqe The Indiscriminate Killer - Zulu.

Condoms

Some of the names given to condoms are:

idyasi jacket
isingxobo covering used for a gun
i-ambrela umberella
igambhutsi gumboots
ikawusi sock
iplastiki plastic

>> Back to other newsletters