A B Page 1 of 10 South African English Is Lekker!
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South African English is lekker! - SouthAfrica.info Page 1 of 10 Close Window | Print this story South Africans speak English, that doesn't mean you'll always understand us. Our robots are nothing like R2D2, just now doesn't mean immediately, and babbelas is not a shampoo. SA English has a flavour all its own, borrowing freely from Afrikaans - which is similar to Dutch and Flemish - as well as from the country's many African languages, with some words coming from colonial-era Malay and Portuguese immigrants. Note: In many words derived from Afrikaans, the letter "g" is pronounced in the same way as the "ch" in the Scottish "loch" or the German "achtung" - a kind of growl at the back of the throat. In the pronunciation guides below, the spelling for this sound is given as "gh". A abba - Carry a child secured to one's back with a blanket. From the Khoi-San. amasi (pronounced um-ah-see) - A popular drink of thick sour milk. From the isiZulu. An alternative name is maas . apartheid (ap-art-hate) - Literally "apart-ness" in Afrikaans, apartheid was the policy of racial separation, and the resulting oppression of the black majority, implemented by the National Party from 1948 to 1990. A short history of South Africa ag (agh) - Generally used at the beginning of a sentence, to express resignation or irritation, as in: "Ag no man! What did you do that for?" B babbelas (bub-buh-luss) - A hangover. bagel (bay-gell) - An overly groomed materialistic young man, and the male version of a kugel . bakgat (buck-ghut) - Well done, cool, awesome. bakkie (buck-ee) - A pick-up truck. bergie (bear-ghee) - From the Afrikaans berg , mountain, originally referring to vagrants who sheltered in the forests of Cape Town's Table Mountain and now a mainstream word for anyone who is down and out. biltong (bill-tong) - This South African favourite is dried and salted meat, similar to beef jerky, although it can be made from ostrich, kudu or any other red meat. South African cuisine bioscope - A cinema or movie theatre, originally a defunct international English word that has survived longer in South Africa because of the influence of the Afrikaans bioskoop . biscuit - In South Africa a cookie is known as a biscuit . The word is also a term of affection, as in "Hey, you biscuit". bliksem - To beat up, hit or punch - or a mischievous person. http://www.southafrica.info/pls/procs/iac.page?p_t1=2781&p_t2=7382&p_t3=0&p_t... 2010/11/04 South African English is lekker! - SouthAfrica.info Page 2 of 10 blooming (blimmin) - A variation on very, as in: "That new bakkie is blimmin big." bobotie (buh-boor-tee) - A dish of Malay origin, made with minced meat and spices, and topped with an egg sauce. boerewors (boor-uh-vors) - Literally, farmer's sausage. A savoury sausage developed by the Boers - today's Afrikaners - some 200 years ago, boerewors is South African food at its most traditional. boet (like book, with a t) - A term of affection, from the Afrikaans for brother . boma (bow-mah) - An open thatched structure used for dinners, entertainment and parties. bonsella - Surprise gift, something extra, or a bribe. From isiZulu. bosberaad (borse-bah-raad)- A strategy meeting or conference, usually held in a remote bushveld location such as a game farm. braai (br-eye) - An outdoor barbecue, where meat such as steak, chicken and boerewors are cooked, served with pap and bredie. bredie (brear-dee) - A traditional South African mutton stew, first brought to the country by Malay immigrants. It now refers to any kind of stew. bru (brew) - A term of affection, shortened from Afrikaans broer , meaning "brother". An example would be "Hey, my bru, howzit ?" bunny chow - Delicious and cheap food on the go, bunny chow is curry served in a hollowed-out half-loaf of bread, generally sold in greasy-spoon cafés . Perfect for eating on the side of the road while backpacking across South Africa. bushveld (bush-felt) - Taken from the Afrikaans bosveld ("bush field"), the bushveld is a terrain of thick scrubby trees and bush in dense thickets, with grassy groundcover between. C café (kaf-ay, kaff-ee or kayff) - The ubiquitous small neighbourhood convenience store, often found on street corners and stocking cigarettes, cold drinks and newspapers. china - To most people China is the country with the largest population in the world, but to a South African it can mean something entirely different. China means good friend, as in "This oke's my china". It's one of the few Cockney rhyming slang words to survive in the country, coming from "china plate" = "mate". chommie - Friend, from the English chum . cooldrink, colddrink - This is the common term for a soda, such as Coca-Cola. Ask for a soda in South Africa and you will receive a club soda. D dassie - The rock hyrax, a small herbivore that lives in mountainous habitats and is reputed to be the species mostly closely related to the elephant. The name comes from the Afrikaans das , meaning "badger". South Africa's wildlife wonders deurmekaar (dee-oor-muh-car) - An Afrikaans for confused, disorganised or stupid, as in "He's a bit deurmekaar. http://www.southafrica.info/pls/procs/iac.page?p_t1=2781&p_t2=7382&p_t3=0&p_t... 2010/11/04 South African English is lekker! - SouthAfrica.info Page 3 of 10 dinges (ding-us) - A thing, thingamabob, whatzit, whatchamacallit or whatsizname: "When is dinges coming around?" doek (like book) - A head scarf worn to protect a woman's hair. dolos - Interlocking blocks of concrete in an H-shape, with one arm rotated through 90º. The dolos is a South African invention used to protect seawalls and preserve beaches from erosion. The name comes from an Afrikaans word for the knuckle bones in an animal's leg. The plural is dolosse . South Africa's wave-breaking dolosse donga - A natural ditch resulting from severe soil erosion. From the isiZulu for "wall". donner (dor-nuh) - Beat up. From the Afrikaans donder , meaning thunder. dop (dawp) - An alcoholic drink: "Can I pour you a dop?" It can also mean failure: "I dopped the test." dorp - A small town on the platteland . droewors (droo-uh-vors) - Dried boerewors , similar to biltong . dummy - A baby's pacifier. dumpie - A South African beer served in a brown 340ml bottle. Durbs - The city of Durban. Head for the Durban beachfront dwaal (dwarl) - Lack of concentration or focus: "Sorry, I was in a bit of a dwaal. Could you repeat that?" E eina (ay-nuh or ay-nar) - Ouch! Can also mean "sore". eish (aysh) - Used to express surprise, wonder, frustration or outrage: "Eish! That cut was eina!" F Fixed up - Used to mean "that's good" or "sorted". Example: "Let's meet at the restaurant." The reply: "Fixed up." flog - No whips implied. South Africans use flog to mean sell, as in "I've had enough of this old car. I think it's time I flogged it." frikkadel (frik-kuh-dell) - A traditional meatball. fundi (foon-dee) - Expert. From the Nguni umfundisi , meaning teacher or preacher. fynbos (fayn-baws) - "Fine bush" in Afrikaans, fynbos is a vegetation type unique to the Cape Floral Region - a Unesco World Heritage Site - made up of some 6 000 plant species, including many types of protea. Gallery: South Africa's plant life G http://www.southafrica.info/pls/procs/iac.page?p_t1=2781&p_t2=7382&p_t3=0&p_t... 2010/11/04 South African English is lekker! - SouthAfrica.info Page 4 of 10 gatvol (ghut-foll) - Taken from Afrikaans, this means fed up , as in " Jislaaik , china , I'm gatvol of working in this hot sun." Translation: "Gee, my friend, I'm fed up with working in this hot sun." gogga, goggo (gho-gha or gho-gho) - Insect, bug. From the Khoikhoi xo-xon . gogo (goh-goh) - Grandmother or elderly woman, from isiZulu. graze - Eat. H hang of - Very or big, as in: "It's hang of a difficult" or "I had a hang of a problem". hanepoot (haa-nah-poort) - A sweet wine made from the muscat blanc d'Alexandrie grape cultivar. hap (hup) - Taste, bite, as in "Take a hap of this". hey - The popular expression hey can be used as a standalone question meaning "pardon" or "what" - "Hey? What did you say?" Or it can be used to prompt affirmation or agreement, as in "It was a great film, hey?" homelands - The spurious "independent" states in which black South Africans were forced to take citizenship under the policy of apartheid . Also known as bantustans . howzit - A traditional South African greeting that translates roughly as "How are you?", "How are things?" or simply "Hello". I indaba (in-daa-bah) - A conference or expo, from the isiZulu word meaning "a matter for discussion". inyanga - A traditional herbalist and healer. is it (as one word: izit) - An expression frequently used in conversation and equivalent to "Is that so?" J ja (yaa) - Yes. jawelnofine - Literally, "yes, well, no, fine", all scrunched into a single word and similar to the rhetorical expression "How about that?" jislaaik (yis-like) - An expression of outrage or surprise: "Jislaaik, I just saw Elvis!" jol (jawl) - A versatile word with many meanings, including party, disco, having fun, or just thing . Jozi (jo-zee) - The city of Johannesburg, South Africa's largest city, which is also known as Joburg or Joeys. Joburg on the move just now - If a South African tells you they will do something "just now", they mean they'll do it in the near future - not immediately: "I'll do the dishes just now." K http://www.southafrica.info/pls/procs/iac.page?p_t1=2781&p_t2=7382&p_t3=0&p_t..