Comments on: Kellogg’s, braais and a monkey’s wedding

By: Freestone, Margaret

Freestone, Margaret — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:23:07 +0000

Have you ever tried to SMS in the UK? I had a lot of puzzled looks until my daughter said:’ Oh, you mean TEXT!’

By: Lala Woods

Lala Woods — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 08:51:23 +0000

Although I’m a refugee from East Africa (Kenya) we have many words in common with SA, takkies for one, and I have great difficulty in finding an English equivalent for many of the words sometimes. In Kenya we used a lot of Swahili words in our everyday conversations and it’s really difficult to stop the habit. I have never fathomed why people don’t understand me when I’ve said it’s a Monkeys’ Wedding, when there is rain and sunshine together. I thought everyone knew what it meant. lol

By: Lucy Beal

Lucy Beal — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:19:44 +0000

I came back from the Cape in 1983 aged 6. Reading this made me smile as I too used the same words for things. I’ve never been back home since, sadly, though my parents have visited. But look forward to a time when I can. Am really proud that both my children, Yorkshire born and Gloucestershire raised still use their Mum’s “odd” word! Goggos being their favourite! I lost my accent pretty sharpish with the B side of Spitting Image’s Chicken Song being around at the time…….. but a few words remain!

By: Susan Mund-Hoym

Susan Mund-Hoym — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 21:46:39 +0000

THANK YOU for a heartwarming article! Living in Germany for over 23 years, the situations which you described are oh so familiar to me. And having taught English for the past 7 years to mainly German adults, I can only say they are delighted – in the middle of a business English lesson – when a South Africanism slips out, which at that moment requires a detailed explanation.

By: Heather Kleynhans

Heather Kleynhans — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 10:20:57 +0000

In South Africa in 2010, new words are being absorbed from sources other than Afrikaans. One such word, derived from the years of Black “struggle”, is “cadre”. A million years ago when I was in school, this word described a cell or group of people involved in some common political purpose. It is now used as interchangeable with the formerly Communist “comrade” – “He is an ANC cadre” where perhaps I would have used the word “supporter”.
The word “pupil” is now obsolete, replaced by “learner”, and over the next few months I will start to list the “politically correct” versions which are now used more and more in news programmes, newspapers and magazines. There was a certain cosiness or comfort about the absorption of descriptive Afrikaans words into English – what is happening now is not so much the adoption of words from Zulu or Sotho but from colder political sources. I do not mind being called “gogo” which unlike “goggo” is not an insect but a grandmother, but I am not comfortable with being called an “educator” rather than a teacher.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 08:24:28 +0000

Thanks for the article. A couple of discrepancies though- creepy crawlies are called nunus not dudus or as you quite rightly said goggos, a word not invented by English speakers based on sound but originates from Zulu. Talking of creepy crawlies, it is worth mentioning the wonderful sounding shongololo which all other English speakers know as the millipede, a word which also originates from Zulu.
When it was time for bed my parents would say “go dudu” which evidently evolved from the French “faire doudou”. I’m not sure that this is typically South African though.

By: Priscila Laterza

Priscila Laterza — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 02:12:34 +0000

Dear Sarah, I was delighted by your article. It has been a long time since I have read such a juicy narrative. Your memories and recollections would turn into a great book.
Thanks for enlightening my day.
Priscila

By: martie van der vliet

martie van der vliet — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 20:34:22 +0000

This blog entry is great. I’ve been living in Italy for 6 years now and I often use words like “ja” and “vrot” and “ag” not to mention ” ag shame” much to the consternation of my Italian students. Would love to teach them more SA English words and phrases, but then I don’t think it’ll be aprreciated. Maybe lessons should be created showing the different versions of English and not only British/American , Although these two versions of English are the most common I think it could be interesting and even useful to students learning English as a foreign/second language. Especially now that English is the “official” global language in business.

By: Of drugs, scowls and books « Second Hand Shopper

Of drugs, scowls and books « Second Hand Shopper — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:21:41 +0000

[...] you’re all lovely!) have managed to provide posts about Irish English, Scottish English and South African English – I know some of my talented readers can pull an American English post out of the bag! [...]

By: Elemental Grace » Blog Archive » A Marriage of Two Very Different Cultures

Elemental Grace » Blog Archive » A Marriage of Two Very Different Cultures — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 18:39:43 +0000

[...] small hiccups and differences but it’d be an easy process for all that. Despite some of the linguistic quirks I’ve been talking about over on the Macmillan Dictionary blog (yeah, see that shameless plug? Follow the linky…) there is a something that gets left over, [...]