A different kind of English

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One of the reasons we had selected South Africa as a place to pioneer was because English was spoken here. Despite its being our first lanbuage, however, we learn more English every day: South African English. The English spoken here has a heavy Afrikaans accent to it, and most local people speak a several local languages. Local people often have trouble with English, which can make education difficult because English is the official language used in schools, most of the time. We can’t help but admire them for the fact that English is often their third, fourth or fifth language. It is not uncommon to find people that can speak all 11 of the official languages of South Africa. In spite of the British influence in this country, we believe our American English is closer to British English than that used by the South Africans. Our English is so very different from theirs and it is usually an easy giveaway that we are not from this place. We are usually asked if we are Canadian. Canadians, being from another Commonwealth, are more likely here than those of us from the U.S. Here is a story that Bob wrote using some of the new terms we've learned:

A STORY USING SOUTH AFRICAN TERMS

Our young friend, Vusi, had recently finished his matric and was planning on visiting his gogo to celebrate after having grafted so hard at school. Because he had done so well on his examinations, his baba and mama had bought him a new bakkie. When he got it he was so excited that he tossed the log in the cubby, started it up and didn’t notice the piki tups in the drive. Before he had realized what he had done, his new bakkie had to make a trip to the panelbeaters. He would be using it a lot when he started varsity next school year. However, the first trip he would take in his new bakkie would be to visit his gogo.

Later that week he got up early Saturday morning to help his tata replace the geezer. After they had finished, he completed his abolutions even using earbuds, and then went to pick up his bakkie from the panelbeater’s. After retrieving it, he tossed his gear into the boot and he was finally was on his way to visit his gogo. He got to the first roundabout on his way there when he realized that he had forgotten the lunch his mama had prepared for him to take on the trip. He had not gone far, so he returned to where he stayed to get it. It included chips, naartjes, biltong and a serviette. After packing them into a checkers, Vusi was finally on his way! Once he had gotten onto the N, he realized that he needed petrol and made a stop at the ultra city to tank up. He had to wait in the queue for a time so he bought a coke at the tuck shop while he waited.

He was excited about seeing his gogo and had diarised his visit because she was moving into a new flat that she had let, and he knew he would be able to help her move in. Finding her new place was a bit of a problem. After a time he realized that he had made an error and he had to make a u-turn at the next robot because he had gone too far.

Once he found his gogo’s flat, he was delighted to see her and her new place. Before helping her move her furniture in, he hoovered the entire flat and grafted hard to clean her scullery. Because she knew he was coming, she had planned to have a braai for him later that day. He then helped her move appliances and made sure to check the earth leakage on each. He wanted his gogo to be safe so he made sure all the appliances were properly earthed. The flat was much closer to her work so she did not have to depend on the mini bus taxis; she now belonged to a lift club.

That night at the braai, two of his cousins, Lebu and Jabu, stopped by to join him and their gogo. Vusi had not seen them for a time so they all had a good evening eating and talking. His gogo had cooked boerwurst, baby marrow, patty pans, Israeli cucumbers and meilie pap. It was all quite lekker, and it was late before Vusi started home after spending a wonderful day. He was satisfied with what he had done, and he had a wonderful visit with his gogo.

Can you translate Vusi’s story?

Abolution = Bathe
Baba/Tata = Father
Baby marrow = Small zucchini squash
Bakkie = Small pickup truck
Biltong = Jerky
Boerwurst = South African sausage
Boot = Back end of a vehicle; trunk
Braai = Bar-b-que
Checkers = A plastic shopping bag
Chips = French fries
Cubby = Glove compartment
Diarised = Scheduled on a calendar/diary
Earthed = Grounded
Earbuds = Cotton swabs or Q-tips
Flat = Apartment
Geezer = Hot water heater
Gogo = Grandmother
Grafting = Working
Israeli cucumbers = Small zucchini
Lekker = Good tasting
Let = Rent
Lift club = Car pool
Log = Car title
Mama = Mother
Matric = High school diploma/graduation
Miele pap = boiled corn meal
Naartjes = Oranges/tangerines
N or The N = National highway system
Panelbeaters = Auto body shop
Patty pans = Small yellow squash
Petrol = Gasoline
Piki tups = Trash containers
Queue = A waiting line
Robot = Stop light/traffic light
Scullery = A separate room for washing dishes
Serviette = Napkin
Tuck shop = Snack shop
Ultra city = Gas station/convenience store on the highway
Varsity = University
Where you stay = Home

I think the most noticeable difference that I can recall during our early days in South Africa occurred when I was preparing resumes and CD art portfolios to hand out to prospective employers. I went to the business office hoping to find a shear for cutting paper. When I asked about a shear I was told that I had to talk to the maintenance and grounds staff. For the life of me I could not understand why I would need to see the maintenance and grounds people to cut some paper. As I began to explain a little more as to what exactly I was looking for, the woman who I was speaking with face lit up with understanding. “Oh, you need a guillotine,” she said. Imagine how an 18th Century French Revolution device used for executions became a tool for cutting paper. I guess there is a physical similarity in the tools, albeit one that hadn’t occurred to me.

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Comments

[lamlee]

Terms
The following and indeed several others are English English and not particularly South African English.

[Our Year of Two Summers]

Terms
Yes, some of these terms originated as British English, and since South Africa was under British rule for decades, there is definitely an influence from British language and culture - more pronounced in some geographic areas than others. In addition, some of the terms come from Zulu and other African languages and some from Afrikaans, and like the British terms they have become quite established in the South African English lexicon.

[Greg]

Observer
Hi there. Interesting blog. Just a small correction. Boerewurst is in fact spelled "boerewors" i.e. farmer's sausage, . Often you will find people selling "wors rolls" outside a Pick 'n Pay or at rugby games. (Delish!) The word "boere" is often used as a slang word for the police by whites and blacks alike, but these days "boere" is often used to refer to whites of a distinctly right wing leaning. Terror Lekota, Minister of Defense, famously took up the chant "Kill the boer, kill the farmer!" at a post '94 rally, which is probably why there is a growing sense amongst rural whites that the high number of farm murders is not, as has been argued by the government, merely incidental crime, but an orchestrtated campaign by the government to wage war on their mortal enemy, the "boer". Far fetched? Paranoid? Who knows. It has however led to some startling conspiracy theories, the most risible of all being the prophecy of a twentieth century "seer" called Siener Van Rensburg who predicted that once Mandela dies, all the whites will be slaughtered! Since fear of the black man runs so deep in the heart of certain whites here, white right wingers are preparing themselves by stashing food supplies etc. And waiting for the dreaded day... What a way to live. Anyway, nice blog. Enjoy your stay further.

[Our Year of Two Summers]

Observer - thanks
Thank you for the spelling correction - and for the additional details! It appears that every so often someone raises the alarm that Mandela has died and it is time for the "uprising;" recently a hoax of that type spread rapidly by SMS in Jo'burg, followed by articles in the newspaper regarding the whole theory and the followers of Siener van Rensburg. Hard to tell how many there are, but it doesn't appear to be many - like with most extremist groups, probably a few fearful voices speaking loudly.

[Gale]

Lekker
And "lekker" is a Germanic term, probably from the Dutch heritage in S. Africa. That influenced Afrikaans, right? I know the word from my days in Germany. When I was an au pair in Berlin, the kids used to say "Lecker, lecker, in mein Becher!" meaning "Mmmm...yummy in my cup!"