Halala!

SPEAK ZULU WITH US - BEGINNERS LAUNCHED

We are proud to announce that all our hard work has finally come to fruition and that an exciting new African Voices product is now on the market - Speak Zulu With Us for Beginners. Our Zulu course has all the same features that you enjoy on Speak Xhosa With Us - but has the added advantage of a dictionary with a search word function (we listened to your suggestions!). In addition we have made it easier to move around the course, both within a lesson and around the entire program.

Course Background

Writing of the Zulu course began in early 1998. The authors, all former lecturers in the Department of African

Languages at the University of Cape Town, drew on their experiences as language teachers to develop a course that is both accessible and academically sound.

Derek Gowlett
MA (African Languages) WITS
Derek received his MA in African Languages at the University of the Witwatersrand and a Diploma in Applied Linguistics at the University of Edinburgh. He has taught Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho and Lozi, and has written numerous academic articles on comparative African Linguistics and Literature.

Khethiwe Ngwenya
Ba Dip Prim Ed UCT
Khethiwe grew up in a small farming community outside Newcastle in KwaZulu-Natal. After completing a BA in Primary Education at the University of Cape Town (receiving the Class Medal for African Languages) Khethiwe taught in KwaZulu-Natal and then returned to Cape Town to pursue work as a freelance lecturer, writer and editor for Juta Publishing and Cambridge University Press.

Tessa Dowling
PhD (African Languages) UCT
Tessa should be well known to those of you using our Xhosa course. Having gained invaluable experience during the Xhosa course development, Tessa acted as advisor and co-ordinator during development and adaptation of the Zulu course.

NGUNI LANGUAGES

Did you know that Xhosa and Zulu are very closely related - both are members of the Nguni group of languages (part of Niger-Congo family). Languages in the Nguni group are:

Ndebele (Zimbabwe)
- 1.5% of South African Population
Swati (Swaziland, Mpumalanga)
- 2.5% of South African Population
Xhosa (South Africa)
- 17.9% of South African Population
Zulu (South Africa)
- 22.9% of South African Population

Thus 44.8% of South Africa's total population speak an Nguni language as a first language (as opposed to 9% with English as a first language.)

Similarities in Nguni Languages

Take the simple sentence meaning: The people want to cook at home.

Ndebele
Abantu bafuna ukuphekela ekhaya.
Swati
Bantfu bafuna kuphekela ekhaya.
Xhosa
Abantu bafuna ukuphekela ekhaya.
Zulu
Abantu bafuna ukuphekela ekhaya.

Or What is your name?

Ungubani igama lakho? Ndebele
Ngubani ligama lakho? Swati
Ungubani igama lakho? Zulu
Ngubani igama lakho? Xhosa

ASPECTS OF ZULU CULTURE

To continue our Zulu theme in celebration of the launch of our Zulu CD-ROM Course we have decided to bring you some interesting information relating to traditional Zulu culture.

Zulu Beadwork

The combinations of patterns and colours in Zulu beadwork may bring out certain messages as well as giving information as to what area the wearer comes from.

In courtship, colour is very significant. For example, beadwork with pink and white may indicate My love is as big as my poverty. White next to black can show difficulty in love. Black and blue show fidelity in marriage. Red and black show the desire to marry soon.

The ipasi beadwork (which gets its name from the word for pass referring to the old passbooks), is a type of choker chain which a young woman will give to her lover to indicate that he can enjoy certain favours from her.

See the book Zulu by Roger and Pat de la Harpe, Barry Leitch and Sue Derwent, published by Struik, 1998, for some excellent photographs of Zulu beadwork.

QUESTIONS WE OFTEN GET ASKED

Is Zulu easier to learn than Xhosa?

It might be that the additional three clicks in Xhosa (nkc, nkq, nkx) have led people to believe that Xhosa is more difficult. However, apart from these clicks, where there is a simplification of grammar in one aspect of Zulu, you will find that in others the Xhosa is far easier, thereby making them equivalent when learning them as a second language.

How long will it take me to become fluent in Xhosa or Zulu?

Like any other major achievement, this all depends on hard work! If you have a disciplined approach and can set aside even 20 minutes a day for practice you will be moving towards fluency.
Another thing that you can do to improve fluency is to tune into radio Xhosa or Zulu on your walkman when doing something mindless like exercising at the gym, walking or washing the dishes. Even if you do not catch all the words, the exposure to the language will help you to progress.

Do the Xhosa and Zulu languages have a written literature?

Yes, ever since the spoken languages were reduced to a written form in the early 19th Century, Xhosa and Zulu writers have produced various works of fiction from poetry to modern novels.

Some famous Xhosa writers:

• Peter Mtuze
• A.C. Jordan
• S.E.K. Mqhayi

• B.W. Vilakazi
• R.R.R Dhlomo
• C.L.S. Nyembezi

We wouldn’t suggest that you attempt these authors in their unabridged versions, but you could try and get hold of the abridged, annotated versions of their works via Lovedale Press in Alice, Eastern Cape for some interesting reading.

Bona

This magazine is a good resource for learners of Xhosa and Zulu. It is also published in English, allowing you access to a direct translation - an excellent way to expand your vocabulary and improve your understanding.

What does “La-d-u-u-u-u-u-ma!” mean?

It means Goal!
The Zulu word for resound/thunder is
-duma. The la of laduma refers to ibhola ball, which in Zulu is a noun in Class 5 (the ili- group). This particular way of referring to a goal being made was started by Zulu radio commentators and was adopted by Xhosa announcers.
(Do you remember what thunder is in Xhosa? Check in Lesson 13 of the CD-ROM.)

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