LANGUAGE South Africa andNamibia. It’s alsousedas alinguafrancainboth may notspeakanother commonlanguage. Xhosa andZulu, HereroandNamaa)who between members ofdifferentgroups(eg isoftenusedforcommunication AFRIKAANS only about2%ofNamibians. widely spoken,butisthefirstlanguage of guese istheEuropeanlanguageofchoice. alongtheAngolaborder,Portu- ethnic back-grounds. language ofmillionspeoplediverse as thelanguageofapartheid,it’sfirst the regionand,althoughit’softendismissed have fewcommunicationproblems. tuguese). English-speakingvisitorsshould country exceptMozambique(whereit’sPor- official languageineverySouthernAfrican Due tocolonialinfluences,Englishisan CONTENTS Language 772 © LonelyPlanetPublications In partsofNamibia,Germanisalso In Mozambiqueandpartsofnorthern Afrikaans isalsowidelyusedthroughout uu(sZl) 782 782 782 781 781 781 Zulu (isiZulu) 780 Xhosa (isiXhosa) 777 779 Venda (Tshivenda) 778 Tswana (Setswana) 778 Tsonga (Xitsonga) Swati (siSwati) Southern Sotho(Sesotho) 775 Shona 779 Owambo (Oshiwambo) Sotho(Sepedi) Northern Ndebele (isiNdebele) Lozi 777 775 !Kung San Herero/Himba 776 Damara/Nama 776 Chewa (Chichewa) Bantu &KhoisanLanguages 774 Portuguese Afrikaans 772

Please. Good night. Good evening. Good afternoon. Good morning. Hello. &Conversation Greetings tj ooi/oei oë oe ei ee ae aai r u o i e a Pronunciation wife daughter/girl son/boy from ... youfrom? are Where Do youspeak Where? How many/much? How? What? No. Yes. Pardon. Good, thankyou. you(very Thank I onlyunderstanda Do youspeak you? How are whenword stressfallson arolled‘rr’sound whenwordstressfallson asthe‘u’in‘pup’ asthe‘o’in‘fort’,butveryshort asthe‘e’in‘angel’withlipspouted asthe‘ch’in‘chunk’ asthe‘ay’in‘play’ little Afrikaans. Afrikaans? English? much). asin‘deer’ as ‘ah’ asthe‘oe’in‘doer’ asthe‘u’in‘put’ asthe‘y’soundin‘why’ Nee. Ja. vrou Hoe? Hallo. Wat? asthe‘ooey’in‘phooey’ Asseblief. van ... Waar? Ekskuus. seun in ‘ago’ ‘hit’; whenunstressed,it’sasthe‘a’ in ‘ago’ ‘net’; whenunstressed,it’sasthe‘a’ Goeienag. Hoe gaan dit? dogter PraatUAfrikaans? PraatUEngels? Goeienaand. Goeiemôre. Goeiemiddag. (Baie) Dankie. Goed dankie. Afrikaans. Hoeveel? Ekverstaannet’nbietjie Waarvandaan kom U? e i , it’sasin , it’sasin lonelyplanet.com town bureau tourist rooms post office police station police pharmacy/chemist office inquiries information exit emergency city centre city church bank gallery art Shopping &Services expensive cheap bad nice/good/pleasant brother sister father mother husband Xhosa (isiXhosa),Zulu(isiZulu). Tswana (Setswana),Venda(Tshivenda), sotho), Swati(siSwati),Tsonga(Xitsonga), Owambo (Otjiwambo),SouthernSotho(Se- bele (Sindebele),NorthernSotho(Sepedi), Herero/Himba (Otjiherero/Otjihimba),Nde- indigenous titlesinbrackets:Chichewa, guages ofSouthernAfrica,withtheir lish designationsforthepredominantlan- speaking. prefix regardlessofthelanguageyou’re languages, suchasChichewa,retainthe prefixes areusuallyomitted.However,some speak Français’.WhenspeakingEnglishthe say ‘IcanspeakisiZulu’islikesaying when actuallyspeakingthatlanguage.To mean ‘language’,butthey’reonlyused the prefixes(‘Chi’,‘Se’,‘Isi’,‘Otji’etc)simply people (fromLesotho)isSesotho.Usually, For example,thelanguageofBasotho languages cancauseconfusionforvisitors. The actualtitleofseveralSouthernAfrican NAMING RITES stad sleg uitgang bank dorp suster kantoor Following arethecurrentofficialEng- goedkoop polisie kamers pa kerk ma broer eggenoot navrae duur poskantoor middestad kunsgalery nood inligting polisiestasie toeristeburo apteek lekker Tuesday Monday public holiday daily/weekly yesterday tomorrow today soon am When? Time &Days river mountain marsh lake trail hiking game reserve ford field/plain caravan park beach bay In theCountry at thecorner right left from to ticket return ticket one-way departure arrival utility/pick-up traffic light track street station road highway freeway car avenue Transport I’m lost. thepolice! Call adoctor! Call Help! EMERGENCIES –AFRIKAANS / na kar baai links pm drif meer pad, weg nou-nou rivier van regs spoor vandag strand straat vlei aankoms Wanneer? stasie vm/nm laan Maandag (Ma) Dinsdag (Di) vrymaak snelweg berg gister môre vertrek veld wandelpad verkeerslig retoer kaartjie daagliks/weekblad woonwapark opdiehoek AFRIKAANS ••Emergencies AFRIKAANS wildtuin openbare vakansiedag bakkie enkel kaartjie Ek isveloorer. Roep diepolisie! Roep ‘ndoktor! Help!

773 LANGUAGE LANGUAGE Good day. Hi. Hello. &Essentials Conversation abbreviations ‘m’and‘f’respectively. and femininearenotedinthisguide bythe obrigado, ively –tosay‘thankyou’,aman willsay word endings,usually‘-o’and‘-a’ respect- things aloteasierfortheuninitiated! words andphrasesbelowthatshouldmake ing. Guideshavebeenincludedwiththe Portuguese pronunciationtakessome learn- PORTUGUESE 1000 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Numbers Sunday Saturday Friday Thursday Wednesday 774 nege ag sewe ses vyf vier drie twee een agtien sewentien sestien vyftien veertien dertien twaalf elf tien negentig tagtig sewentig sestig vyftig veertig dertig een twintig negentien en twintig Portuguese usesmasculineandfeminine honderd PORTUGUESE ••Emergencies PORTUGUESE duisend Vrydag (Vr) Sondag (So) Saterdag (Sa) Donderdag (Do) awoman, Woensdag (Wo) Bom dia. Olá/Chao. Bom dia. obrigada bong o· bong la . Masculine /chow dee· dee· a a

What’s your Excuse me. welcome. You’re you(very Thank Please. No. Yes. Fine, andyou? you? How are youlater. See Goodbye. hotel campground Procuro ... fora... I’m looking num po Podeporfavorescrever papel? itdown? Could youpleasewrite I (don’t)understand. Do youspeakEnglish? How muchisit? you are Where

I’m from... My nameis...

from? name? much). mhtl uma cheap hotel um hotel um parquedecampismo fa· (Não) Entendo. Fala inglês? (before askingaquestion/makingrequest)

hm .! sham the police Chame ...! ...! Call Go away! thetoilets? are Where I’m lost. Help! EMERGENCIES –PORTUGUESE Sim. a policía ong Vai-te embora! Onde ficam mmdc um médico a doctor Estou perdido/a. Socorro! os lavabos? pensão

oos hm? ko· Como sechama? Desculpe. De nada. (Muito) Faz favor. Não. ko too· Tudo bem,etu? Como está? Até logo. Adeus/Chao. unoé kwang Quanto é? Sou (da/do/de)... sha· De ondeé? Chamo-me ... (m/f) Obrigado/a.

(nowng) eng· proo· oong oo· oong park·dekang· oo noom pa· ·de·porr fa· la eeng· soo·

vai·te eng· shto perr· ·ma pen·

a poo·lee· oos la· oong koo ·de ko (m/f) o·bree· ... ·roo·... ·rroo me fee· tel glesh va pel lonelyplanet.com dee seeng de des· de ( fash fa· nowng a· a· so (da/do/de)... sowng ·dee·koo ·boos bo mweeng· vorr kam teng see te dyoos ·moo shta moo se ong na· ·ra ·doo/da

doo koolp moo·me ... lo· ·a es·kre· ·doo da ·too e goo ·de e vorr /chow

beng etoo peezh ga too) sha· ·doo/da verr ·moo ma (Senhores/Senhoras)

single kree double Queria umquartode... a...room. I’d like lonelyplanet.com train passengertruck converted bus (ferry) boat Qual o...quevaipara...? Which ...goesto...? left/right straight ahead How farisit? youshowme(onthemap)? Can Ondefica...? is...? Where by travellers cheque po by credit card Posso pagarcom...? Ipay...? Can a the toilet/bathroom (Men/Women) the post office oo· the police station uma farmácia a pharmacy/chemist ong the market a bank Onde fica...? is...? Where twin individual casal comboio chapa/chapa-cem sha autocarro/ barr barco (detravessia) à esquerda/àdireita em frente Qual adistânciadaqui? Pode mostrar-me she cheque deviagem cartão decrédito o correio o postodepolícia o mercado um banco duplo doo machibombo (no mapa)? aad ah casa debanho (noo (se· a eng frengt kwal adees· pod moos· kwal oo...kevai ongd ing·dee·vee· ka· kom· ow·too· karr· oo coo· oo oo merr· oong a skerr ·soo pa· ma·shee· kaa· ·de ·a oong zal ma pos ·ke devee· ·pa/sha·pa· nyo· ·ploo fee ·koo (detra· towng ·da/a dee· boy ma ban fee za de

·too·de poo· far· ·ka ... ray kaa· resh/se· ·pa) garr ka ·oo ·ka ... trarrm ·koo ma ·oo bom· kwarr tan de ·doo rroo/ ba· dwal kom... ·sya ·see·a da· oo kre seng ray· nyoo

bo nyo· pa ·too de... ve· ·zheng ·dee·too ·ra ... lee ta sya) rash) BANTU &KHOISANLANGUAGES ••Chewa(Chichewa) ·see·a kee

to... A ticket according tocontext,so onesingleword guage: wordprefixes andsuffixeschange mutually intelligible. Itisacomplexlan- language spoken inZambia–thetwoare and isalsoavery close relativeoftheNyanja Chewa isthenationallanguageof Malawi CHEWA (CHICHEWA) guage, usuallyAfrikaans. at leastoneBantuandEuropean lan- languages, areoftenmutuallyintelligible. guages, aswellSothoandTswana gion, includingZuluandNdebelelan- roots, severalBantulanguagesinthere- Damara, oraSandialect.Duetocommon language, whichmaybeKhoi-Khoi(Nama), Herero, Chewaetclanguage–oraKhoisan would includeaZulu,Tswana,Owambo, speak eitheraBantulanguage–which As afirstlanguage,mostSouthernAfricans LANGUAGES BANTU & 1000 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 tomorrow today now When? What timedoesitgetto...? What timedoesitleave? Is thisthe(bus)to...? Um bilhetepara... Que horaschegaa...? Que horassai? Este (chapa)vai Many nativeKhoisanspeakersalso speak aa.. pa para ...? mil onze dez nove meel oito oy sete seis cinco seeng quatro kwa três dois/duas um/uma zero ze amanhã hoje agora Quando? kwang oong bee· ke ke esht ( (m/f) o o (m/f) ·ras ·ras sai ·ra ...? sha

she ·pa) vai

lyet pa ·ga a... doys/dwash ongz nov set saysh tresh a·ma· ozh a· oong/ desh go ·roo ·too ·ra ... ·troo ·ra ·koo nyang oo

·doo ·ma

775 LANGUAGE LANGUAGE callingatgate) the Khoisan groupand, as withtheother desert regions.Their languagesbelongto lands takeinmost ofNamibia’swildest The Damaraand Nama peoples’traditional DAMARA/NAMA 5 4 3 2 1 pressed inEnglish. prices. Similarly,timeisnearlyalwaysex- normally useEnglishfornumbersand Chichewa speakerstalkingtogetherwill Numbers Good/Fine/OK. And you? I’m fine. you? How are No. you/ Thank Please. Good night. Goodbye. Goodbye. Come in/Welcome. Hello, anybodyin? Hello. term. means ‘whiteperson’,butisn’taderogatory male equivalentis way toaddressanyMalawianman.Thefe- Bambo &Essentials Conversation even afewwordsspokenbyforeigner. lawians andZambianswillbepleasedtohear Chichewa, you’llbeunderstood.MostMa- these wordsandphrasesmaynotbe‘proper’ given here,butdorememberthatalthough equivalent. Themostcommonformsare cannot alwaysbegivenforitsEnglish 776 Yes. youvery Thank when staying) when leaving)

zitsano zinayi zitatu ziwili chimonzi much. Excuse me. Kaya inu? Iyayi. Inde. BANTU&KHOISANLANGUAGES ••Damara/Nama Moni. Chonde. literallymeans‘father’butisapolite Ndili bwino. Kaya-iwe? Pitani Tsala bwino. bwino. Zikomo. Gonani bwino. Muli bwanji? Chabwino. Zikomo kwambile/kwambiri. Odi. Lowani. amai (knocking ondooror or (toseveralpeople) (tooneperson) mai (lit:‘staywell’, (lit:‘gowell’, . Mazungu

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Numbers isthe...? Where How muchisthis? Goodbye. Yes. I’m from... My nameis... What’s yourname? Pardon Do youspeakEnglish? you. Thank you? How are Good Morning. &Essentials Conversation p778). tricky ‘click’elements(seeHowtoClick, San dialects,theyfeatureseveralofthe Pardon. Well, thankyou. Fine. you? How are you. Thank Please. Good night. Good evening. madam. Good afternoon, Good morning,sir. Hello. &Essentials Conversation to communicateinHerero/Himba. are delightedwhenforeignvisitorsattempt ple speakEnglish.Mostpeople,however, kaans remainsalinguafrancaandfewpeo- areas ofnorthcentralNamibia,whereAfri- travelling aroundKaokolandandremote similar, andwillbeespeciallyusefulwhen The HereroandHimbalanguagesarequite HERERO/HIMBA khoese //khaisa hu !nani goro haga !nona /gam /gui disi ii mati !gaise hare eio matisa? !gai//oas maha ... ha? nexuematigomarienigan? mati du/onha engelsa!goaidura? !gure Makuvi. Mbiri naua,okuhepa. Naua. Kora? Okuhepa. Arikana. Ongurova ombua. Wa tokerua. Wa uhara,serekaze. Wa penduka,mutengua. Tjike. tita gea... ti/ons gea... (whenstaying) (whenleaving)or lonelyplanet.com lonelyplanet.com 4 3 2 1 Numbers rooms road river trail hiking game reserve caravan park brother older sister/ brother younger sister/ father mother husband wife sons daughters Owambo Herero/Himba English Do youspeak...? youfrom? are Where No. Yes.

(long/short)

Amimbirinawa. Hello/Good day. greatly appreciateyourefforts. slightly differentdialect.Again,peoplewill The Himbalivinginremoteareasspeaka REMOTE HIMBA Goodbye. Where isthe...? Do youknowthe How muchdoyou No. Yes. Fine, thanks. How are you? Good evening. one/many) (channel) road to...? want forthis? Kako. Eee. (okare/okasupi)

Kara/Karee Kara/Karee nawa. ndjijenda ...? Muwepe nduka?/Kora? Huenda. ... iripi? Moro. Motjiua ondjira iine indatu imbari iimue omatuuo ondjiira omuramba okaira komakaenderouopehi orumbo rovipuka omasuviro uozokaravana erumbi omuangu tate mama omurumendu nguakupa omukazendu nguakupua ovanatje ovazandu ovanatje ovakazona Otjiwambo Otjihimba Otjingirisa U hungira...? Ove uazapi? Kako. Ii. Imbi mokosisavingapi? Nawa. (polite) (to BANTU &KHOISANLANGUAGES ••!KungSan

higher social standing) Please. And you? I’m fine. you? How are Come in/Welcome. Goodbye. Good afternoon/ Good morning. Hello. mwana When greetingaclosefriend,use &Essentials Conversation Zambia. and isspokenthroughoutmuchofwestern Lozi isthemostcommonCapriviandialect, LOZI Goodbye, gowell. much. youvery Thank you. Thank My nameis... you? How are What’s yourname? Good Morning. Hello. sound instead. you forignoringtheclicksandusinga‘k’ resented by!k,aslocalswillusuallyforgive phrase listthatfollows,allclicksarerep- around northwesternBotswana. eastern BushmanlandinNamibiaand !Kung people,whoareconcentratedin Perhaps themostusefuldialectisthatof outsiders tolearn(seeHowClick,p778). surely amongtheworld’smostdifficultfor San groupsinNamibiaandBotswanaare The click-riddenlanguagesoftheseveral !KUNG SAN 10 9 8 7 6 5 Good night.

evening. To simplifymatters,intherudimentary Eeni, sha or Lumela. !kao Sha N’iteng’/N’apila/N’azuha. or Siala foo/Siala hande. Wen’abo?/Wenaucwang’? !ka Ki busihu Lumela, wena Ucwang’/W’a pila/W’azuha? !ka tseya/tsiya? tuwa U zuhile. Ki manzibuana !kingse!kau Kena. !kangyatsedia/tsidia? !kin!ka omurongo imuvyu hambondatu hambomabari hamboumue indano !kang yatse/tsi... (man/woman speaking) (to aman/woman) (to aman/woman) (onlyusedwithpeople of . Lumela,

777 LANGUAGE LANGUAGE with Shona. of languagesand is notmutuallyintelligible country. It’sderived fromtheZulugroup western andsouthwestern partsofthe is spokenprimarily inMatabelelandthe The languageofZimbabwe’sNdebele people NDEBELE (ISINDEBELE) 20 10 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Numbers How much? Do youspeakEnglish? No. Yes. OK. youvery Thank Excuse me. you. Thank 778 Good/Fine.

z’eketa-lizohokalikang’wi z’eneorbune z’et’aluorbulalu z’epeliorbubeli supile z’e il’ingw’i keta-lizoho much. mashumiamabelilikiti lishumi just renderalltheclicksasa‘k’sound. of themouth(representedby by drawingthetonguedownfromroof (represented by sound inE front teeth(representedby quickly drawingthetongueawayfrom a bottle.Theotherthreeclicksaremadeby tonelikethatwhenpullingacorkfrom low when encouragingahorse,butwithhol- ways clicksound,similartothesoundmade san originandshouldberenderedasaside- include anexclamationpoint( to producedifferentsounds.Namesthat tongue againstdifferentpartsofthemouth elements thatmakethemdifficulttolearn. bele languages)arecharacterisedby‘click’ languages, includingtheXhosaandNde- Khoisan dialects(aswellasseveralBantu HOW TOCLICK Muniswalele. Awa. Ku lukile. Ee. BANTU&KHOISANLANGUAGES ••Ndebele(Isindebele) If thelingualgymnasticsprovetoomuch, The clicksaremadebycompressingthe Ki hande. Ni swalele. N’itumezi. Ki bukai? nglish toindicatedisapproval N’itumezihahulu. // ); andasharppopformed Wa bulela sikuwa? (informal) / ); thetutting ! ≠ ) areofKhoi- (polite) ).

useful phrasesintheSouthAfricanvariety. The ‘Other’Ndebele,opposite,forsome bele) arequitedistinctlanguages.Seethe South Africa(alsoknownasSouthernNde- 1 Numbers isthe Where How much? sir/madam I’m from... My nameis... What’s yourname? you. Thank Please. No. Yes. Goodbye. Goodbye. I’m well. you? How are Good evening. Good afternoon. Good morning. Welcome. Hello. Hello. &Essentials Conversation I comefrom ... My nameis... What’s yourname? you. Thank Please. No. Yes. Goodbye. Hello. northeastern provinces. Northern SothoisspokeninSouth Africa’s SOTHO(SEPEDI) NORTHERN 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 okukodwa okuyisitshiyangalo okuyisitshiyangalo okuyisikhombisa okuyisithupha okuyisihlanu okune okutathu lunye okubili mbila (station)? okuli tshumi The NdebeleofZimbabweandthat Hayi. Aowa. Ee. Yebo. Thobela. (reply) (onmeeting) Ke kgopela. Uxolo. Sikona. Sala gabotse. Siyalemukela. Uhambe Lisale kuhle. kuhle. umnimzana/inkosikazi Siyabonga kakulu. Keyaleboga. Yimalini? Yebo. Singapi (isiteshi)? Linjani/Kunjani? Litshone njani. Livukenjani. Litshonile. Kemanglebitsola gago? Ibizo lakho ngubani? Ke bowakwa ... Lebitso lakake... Ngivela e... Elami igamangingu... Sawubona/Salibonani. lonelyplanet.com (whenstaying) (whenleaving) lonelyplanet.com post office police station pharmacy hospital bank youplease Can I’m lost. I don’tknow. I’m sorry. Excuse me. Maybe. No. Yes. How muchisthis? Do youspeakEnglish? Please. you. Thank I’m fine. you? How are Good Evening. Good Morning. &Essentials Conversation both BantuandKhoisanorigin. guage bymanynon-OwamboNamibiansof sult, it’sspokenasasecondorthirdlan- choice oftherulingSwapoparty.Asare- ians thananyotherlanguage,andalsothe dialect –isthefirsttongueofmoreNamib- Owambo –andspecificallytheKwanyama (OSHIWAMBO) OWAMBO Where isthe...? Where

help me. Hello. prove useful: Zimbabwe. Hereareafewphrasesthatmay ble withtheNdebelelanguagespokenin Northern Sothobutisnotmutuallyintelligi- It sharesmanylinguisticfeatureswith spoken inthecountry’snortheasternregion. The NdebelelanguageofSouthAfricais THE ‘OTHER’ NDEBELE I comefrom... My nameis... What’s yourname? Thank you. Please. No. Yes. Goodbye. Aawe. Eeno.

ombaanga Ombili. andiya manga. Ombili, onda puka. Ondilinawa.

Ondeshipanda. oshipangelo Ombili manga. Tangi. oaputeka opoosa

Ombili mwaa sho. Owulipongiini? Watokelwapo. Wa lalapo. Etovuluwupukululendje? opolisi Openipuna ...?

Ingapitashikotha?

OhopopiOshiingilisa?

Ungubani ibizolakho? Lotsha. Awa. Ngiyathokaza. Ngibawa. I-ye. Ngibuya e... Ibizo lamingu... Khamaba kuhle/Sala kuhle. kuhle/Sala Khamaba BANTU &KHOISANLANGUAGES ••Owambo(Oshiwambo) sv tya dya English. Differencesofnote: letters arepronouncedastheywould bein by phoneticEnglishtransliteration,somost Shona, likeNdebele,wasfirstwrittendown Pronunciation one person,thesecond,tomorethanone. section, thefirstisusedwhenspeakingto same wordorexpressioninthefollowing digenous languages. a foreignerattemptfewwordsinthein- lish wellwillbepleasantlysurprisedtohear Even thoseZimbabweanswhospeakEng- phrases inShonaorNdebele;seeopposite). ited, soithelpstoknowafewwordsand rural dwellers’Englishvocabularyislim- at leastalittleknowledgeofEnglish,many to theHararearea. other media,isZezuru,whichindigenous The ‘high’dialect,usedinbroadcastsand the centralandeasternpartsofZimbabwe. languages. It’sspokenalmostuniversallyin Shona isanamalgamationofseveralBantu SHONA 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Numbers beer wine sodapop drink, soft toilet telephone m/n zv omugoyi hetatu heyali hamano ntano ne ndatu mbali yimwe say‘s’withyour tongueneartheroof likethe‘s-v’soundin ‘isvery’ omulongo Where twotranslationsaregivenforthe Although mosturbanZimbabweanshave as‘chka’, saidquickly pronounced ‘jga’,asneartoone beforeconsonantsatthestartofa ombiila owaina kandjugo syllable aspossible ‘m’ or‘n’ hummingsound word, they’repronounced asalight of themouth ngodhi pumbwa okanar-nunate

779 LANGUAGE LANGUAGE It isalso spokenbytheBasotho peoplein guages inLesotho (Englishbeingtheother). Southern Sothois oneoftwoofficiallan- SOUTHERN SOTHO (SESOTHO) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Numbers How much? I’m from... My nameis... What’s yourname? No. Yes. you. Thank Please. Goodbye. Goodbye. Good evening. Good afternoon. Good morning. I’m well. you? How are Welcome. Hello. Hello. &Essentials Conversation 780 pfumbamwe tsere nomwe tanhatu shanu ina tatu piri potsi gumi I’m from... Where are youfrom? My nameis... What’s yourname? Thank you(very much). Goodbye. And you? Fine. How are you? Hello. English Tumbuka Yao English aswell.Nevertheless,afewsimplewordsinTumbukaandYaowillbemostwelcome. and Yao(inthesouth).NearlyallTumbukapeoplealsospeakChewa,many After Chewa,thetwootherprincipalindigenouslanguagesofMalawiareTumbuka(innorth) TUMBUKA &YAO INMALAWI Aiw. Ehe. BANTU&KHOISANLANGUAGES ••SouthernSotho(Sesotho) (reply) Mhoro/Mhoroi. Ndapota.

Ndiripo.

Titambire. (if leaving) (if staying) Ndatenda/Masvita. I marii? Ahoi.

Makadii/Makadi-ni? Manheru.

Mangwanani. Masikati.

Chisarai zvakanaka. Fambai zvakanaka. Unonzianizitarako? Ndinobva ku... Ndini ...

ioiuniwnai Mwe linachi? Zinolinu ndimwenjani? iaaenie.. Unelinaliangu... Zinalane ndine... Pawemi. Siagara gani ngwaula. Mukukhalankhu? Ncutama Mukukhalankhu? qua? kuaku.. Gutamaku...... khu Nkhula ay ma Qualinimye? Manyi imwa? Nilimakola. Ndiri chenene. Yewo (chomene). Asante (sana). Asante Yewo (chomene). Muliwuli? Iliwuli? Yewo. Quamboni. Re tsohile hantle. Re phela hantle. Greetings brother.Greetings Peace mother. mother.Greetings Peace father. father.Greetings Hello. trek inremoteareas. to visitLesotho,especiallyifyouwant some wordsandphrasesifyou’replanning Gauteng inSouthAfrica.It’susefultoknow the FreeState,North-WestProvinceand joang? changeable. Someone couldaskyou These questionsand answersarequiteinter- Re teng. I gotupwell. well. I live Le kae? I’m here. How didyougetup? How doyoulive? you? How are responses): saying ‘Howareyou?’(followedbysuitable There arethreecommonlyusedwaysof Peace sister. sister.Greetings Peace brother. Letsohelejoang? Lephelajoang? Dumela. andyou couldanswer Ke teng. Ke phela hantle. Khotso ausi. Khotso ntate. Ke tsohile hantle. O kae? Khotso ’me. Khotso abuti. Lumela ausi. Ophelajoang? Lumela ntate. Lumela ’me. Lumela abuti. Otsohelejoang? (sg) (pl) (sg) (pl)

lonelyplanet.com Ke teng (sg) (pl) (sg) (pl) (sg) (pl) (sg) (pl) O phela .

Salang hantle. Stay well. following expressions: you comefrom?).Whenparting,usethe kae? kae?

lonelyplanet.com Hello. of Mozambique. Hluhluwe inKwaZulu-Natal)and inparts Tsonga isspokeninSouthAfrica (north of (XITSONGA) TSONGA How much? greeting) I’m from... My nameis... What’s yourname? Sorry. No. Yes. We thankyou. I thankyou. Please. Goodbye. Goodbye. I’m fine. you? How are Hello. Hello. are yougoing?). Often youwillbeasked the customtogreeteveryoneyoumeet. mutually intelligible. similar toZulu,andthetwolanguagesare Swaziland (theotherisEnglish).It’svery Swati isoneoftwoofficiallanguagesin SWATI (SISWATI) ‘ha dee·o’. have any’,theansweris Tsamaeang hantle. ‘dee·pom·pong’. Ifyouwanttosay‘Idon’t (money) or le·bo·wa’. Theherdboysoftenaskfor ‘Thank you’is Go well. one person) When trekking,peoplealwaysask Yebo Riperile. Inhelekani. Cha. Yebo. ortheplural (Whereareyougoing?)and Lucolo. Avusheni. (tomorethan (tooneperson) Ngicela. Tsamaea hantle. isoftensaidasacasualgreeting.It’s Kulungile. (ifleaving) Sala hantle. (if staying) Malini? Ngiyabonga. lipompong Kunjani? Siyabonga. kea leboha Sanibona. Sala kahle. Hamba kahle. Ngubanilibitolakho? Sawubona. Le tsoakae? Ngingewekubuya e... Libitolami ngingu... (sweets),pronounced (alsoanall-purpose ha dio ha , pronounced‘ke·ya U yaphi? (evening) (morning) (afternoon) (lit:‘Iseeyou’) (lit: ‘staywell’) (sg) (lit:‘gowell’) (Wherehave (pl) , pronounced (sg) (pl) (Where O tsoa chelete BANTU &KHOISANLANGUAGES ••Swati(Siswati) Lea

How much isit? I don’tunderstand. Does anyonehere Do youspeakEnglish? wake Come onin! up?’) (afternoon/evening) you? How are (morning) you? How are OK/No problem. Pardon me. Excuse me/Sorry. you. Thank Please. No. Yes. Goodbye. Goodbye. Hello! Hello. Hello. &Essentials Conversation aspirated ‘t’. Scottich loch;thispronouncedasaslightly can generallyunderstandoneanother. Sotho languages,andthespeakersofeach cabulary betweenTswanaandthetwo State). Thereareclearsimilaritiesinvo- North-West ProvinceandinwesternFree the easternareasofNorthernCape,in swana andinsomepartsofSouthAfrica(in Tswana iswidelyspokenthroughoutBot- (SETSWANA) TSWANA I comefrom... My nameis... What’s yourname? you. Thank Please. No. Yes. Goodbye.

I understand. man) house) no problem’. siame the endofasentenceorconversationis useful phrase,whichisnormallyplacedat greeting agroup,say people appreciatetheirliberalusage.When are consideredcomplimentsandBatswana speak English? The greetings The letter Nnyaa. A hi swona. Ee. Hi swona. Dumelang. Dumela mma/rra. Ko ko! , meaningtheequivalentof‘allright, Tsweetswee. Nakombela. Sala Tsamaya sentle. sentle. Salani kahle. Kea leboga. I nkomu. Kekopatsela. Tsena! O A tlhotse o jang? tsogile? Keatlhaloganya. Ke bokae? g Go siame ispronouncedasa‘ch’in Intshwarele. Agona leobuaSekgoa? dumela mma Umanivitorawena? Ga ke tlhaloganye. A o bua Sekgoa? Ndzihuma e... Vito raminai... dumelang (arrival outsideagateor (lit:‘howdidyou (to group) (to onestaying) or (lit: ‘Iwantroad’) (to oneleaving) dumela rra (to woman/ . Another 781 go

LANGUAGE LANGUAGE bank same name.It’sthedominantindigenous Xhosa isthelanguageofpeople ofthe XHOSA (ISIXHOSA) I comefrom... My nameis... What’s yourname? you. Thank Please. No. Yes. Goodbye. Hello. of SouthAfrica’sNorthernProvince. Venda isspokeninthenortheasternregion VENDA (TSHIVENDA) 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 Numbers camping ground guesthouse hotel tourist office public toilet post office market for... I’m looking isa/the...? Where 782 © LonelyPlanetPublications

Ndi madekwana Ndi masiari. boroba boroba bosupa borataro botlhano bone borara bongwe bobedi bobedi bongwe lefela a/the ... lesome A si zwone. Ndi zwone. BANTU&KHOISANLANGUAGES ••Venda (Tshivenda) Ndi matseloni. ntloyapolokelo Ndikhouhumbela. hotele mmaraka Khavhasalezwavhudi. Ndo livhuwa. poso matloabaeng matlwanaaboitiketso ntloyabajanala Kebatla... Ekokae...? lefelolagorobalamotenteng Zinalavhondinnyi? Ndi bva... Zina langandi... (afternoon) (morning) (evening)

Goodbye. Hello. question, add clicks (seeHowtoClick,p778).Toaska Nguni languages,Zuluusesavarietyof of thesamename.Aswithseveralother Zulu isspokeninSouthAfricabythepeople ZULU (ISIZULU) Is thistheroad I’m lost. I’m from... youfrom? are Where No. Yes. Yes, I’mwell. youwell? Are Do youspeakEnglish? you. Thank Please. Goodnight. Goodbye. Hello. spect usedwhenaddressinganolderman. through theregion. although you’llmeetXhosaspeakersall language inEasternCapeSouthAfrica, water food right left doesthis Where No. Yes. you. Thank Please. Is itfar? Which istheroad How muchisit? to ...? road go? to ...? Hayi. Cha. ekhohlo Yebo. Ewe. ukudla ekumene Sawubona. Molo. amanzi Jabulisa. Nceda. Kukude yini? Ndilahlekile. Sala kahle. Sala kakuhle. Enkosi. Ngiyabonga. Rhonanai. Ewe, ndiphilile kanye. Uphililenanamhlanje? Yindlelaeya...yinile? Idla ntoni na? na Iqondaphi lendlela na? Iphiindlelayokuyaku...? totheendofasentence. Uvelaphinaokanyengaphina? Uyakwazi ukuthetha siNgesi? Ndivela ... Bawo isatermofre- lonelyplanet.com © Lonely Planet Publications 783 Glossary

Although English is widely spoken in most means ‘fortified stockade’; in Zimbabwe, Botswana, Na- Southern African countries, native speak- mibia and much of South Africa, it’s normally just a sunken ers from Australasia, North America and campfire circle; it may be derived from the colonial term the UK will notice that many words that BOMA (British Overseas Military Administration), applied to have developed different meanings lo- any government building, such as offices or forts cally. There are also many unusual terms boomslang – dangerous 2m-long tree snake that have been borrowed from Afrikaans, braai – a barbecue; a Southern African institution, Portuguese or indigenous languages. This particularly among whites glossary includes some of these particular braawors – barbecue sausages ‘Afro-English’ words, as well as some other brötchen – little bread rolls available in Namibia general terms and abbreviations that may bushveld – flat grassy plain covered in thorn scrub not be understood. In African English, repetition for empha- camarões – Mozambican term for prawns sis is common: something that burnt you camião – truck in Mozambique would be ‘hot hot’; fields after the rains are campeamento principal – Mozambican term for main ‘green green’; a crowded minibus with no entrance more room is ‘full full’, and so on. capulanas – colourful sarongs worn by Mozambican For useful words and phrases in local women around their waist languages, see p772 . capuzinio – mission in Mozambique casal – room with a double bed, for married couples, in 4WD – four-wheel drive; locally called 4x4 Mozambique cascata – Mozambican term for waterfall apartheid – literally, the state of being apart; a political chapa – word for converted passenger truck or minivan in system in which peoples were officially segregated Mozambique or Malawi according to their race chibuku – local style mass-produced beer, stored in tanks asimilados – Mozambican term for Africans who served in buckets, or available in takeaway cartons (mostly assimilated to European ways in Zimbabwe and Malawi) and plastic bottles known as assegais – spears; used against the colonialists in scuds; it’s good for a quick euphoria and a debilitating Zimbabwe babalass (hangover) chili bites – spicy biltong, seasoned with piri piri baixa – commercial area in Mozambique chiperone – damp misty weather that affects southern bakkie – pronounced ‘bucky’; utility or pick-up truck Malawi barchan dunes – migrating crescent-shaped sand dunes Comrade – a Marxist title used mainly by the media, Basarwa – Batswana name for the San people referring to black Zimbabweans, especially government Batswana – citizens of Botswana officials; also Cde bemanti – Swazi learned men Concession – a communal land area governmentally biltong – a chewy dried meat that can be anything from designated for use by a given commercial entity for a set beef to kudu or ostrich amount of time – usually five years; a popular concept in bobotie – traditional Malay dish; delicately flavoured both Namibia and Botswana curry with a topping of beaten egg baked to a crust, served coupé – two-person compartment on a train with stewed fruits and chutney cuca shops – small shops in northern Namibia; named Boer – farmer in Afrikaans; a historic name for the for the Angolan beer once sold in them Afrikaner people boerewors – Afrikaner farmer’s sausage of varying daga hut – a traditional African round house consisting GLOSSARY quality of a wooden frame, mud and straw walls, and thatched bogobe – sorghum porridge, a staple in Botswana roof (mainly in Zimbabwe) bojalwa – an inexpensive sorghum beer drunk in dagga – pronounced da-kha; Southern African term for Botswana that is also brewed commercially marijuana boma – in Zambia, Malawi and some other countries, dambo – area of grass, reeds or swamp alongside a river this is a local word for ‘town’; in East Africa the same word course 784 GLOSSARY GLOSSARY 785

dassies – herbivorous gopherlike mammals of two number of subjects; therefore, it could mean ‘Is it?’, ‘Are mabele – sorghum, a traditional Batswana meal mujejeje – rocks that resonate when struck species: Procavia capensis, also called the rock hyrax; and you?’, ‘Is he?’, ‘Are they?’, ‘Is she?’, ‘Are we?’ etc; also ‘How machibombo – large bus in Mozambique multa – a fine in Mozambique Dendrohyrax arborea or tree hyrax; they’re in fact not izzit?’ for ‘How’s it going?’ madila – thickened sour milk drunk in Botswana musika – a Zimbabwean market outside the town centre; rodents, but are thought to be the closest living relatives joala – sorghum beer in Lesotho mageu – a light and nonintoxicating drink made from also called renkini in Ndebele of the elephant Jugendstil – German Art Nouveau architecture mielies or sorghum mash, drunk in Botswana muti – traditional medicine dhow – sailing vessel that dates from ancient times prevalent in Namibia, especially in Swakopmund and parts mahango – millet; a staple of the Owambo diet and used difaqane – forced migration by several Southern of Windhoek and Lüderitz for brewing a favourite alcoholic beverage nalikwanda – huge wooden canoe, painted with black African tribes in the face of Zulu aggression; also known just now – refers to some time in the future but implies a majika – traditional rhythmic sound and white stripes, that carries the litunga as mfeqane certain degree of imminence; it could be half an hour from makalani – a type of palm tree that grows in the Nama – popular name for Namibians of Khoikhoi, donga – steep-sided gully caused by soil erosion now or two days from now Kalahari region; also mokolane Topnaar or Baster heritage dorp – a small country settlement in South Africa makhosi – Zulu chiefs não faz mal – ‘no problem’ in Portuguese; useful in both drankwinkel – literally ‘drink shop’; a Namibian or South kalindula – rumba-inspired music of Zambia makishi – a dance performed in Zambia featuring male Mozambique and African off-licence or bottle shop kampango – catfish in Malawi dancers wearing masks of stylised human faces, grass !nara – type of melon that grows in desert areas; a drift – a river ford; most are normally dry kapenta – an anchovylike fish (Limnothrissa mioda) skirts and anklets dietary staple of the Topnaar people dumpi – a 375ml bottle of beer caught in Lake Kariba and favoured by Zimbabweans makwaela – a dance characterised by a cappella singing nartjie – pronounced ‘narkie’; South African tangerine duplo – term for a room with twin beds used in karakul – variety of Central Asian sheep, which produce and sophisticated foot percussion performed in southern ncheni – lake tiger fish in Malawi Mozambique high-grade wool and pelts; raised in Namibia and parts of Mozambique Ngwenyama – the Lion; term given to the King of dwalas – bald knoblike domes of smooth rock Botswana malva – apricot pudding of Dutch origin Swaziland kerk – church in Afrikaans mapiko – masked dance of the Makonde people n!oresi – traditional San lands; literally, ‘lands where eh – (rhymes with ‘hay’) all purpose ending to sentences, kgadi – alcoholic drink found in Botswana; a brew of marimba – African xylophone, made from strips of one’s heart is’ even very short ones such as ‘Thanks, eh?’ brown sugar and berries or fungus resonant wood with various-sized gourds for sound boxes now now – definitely not now, but sometime sooner eumbo – immaculate Owambo kraal; much like a small kgosi – chief in Botswana (Setswana language) marrabenta – typical Mozambican music, inspired by than ‘just now’ village enclosed within a pale fence kgotla – village meeting place (Botswana) traditional majika rhythms nshima – filling maize porridge–like substance eaten euphorbia – several species of cactuslike succulents; Khoisan – language grouping taking in all Southern mataku – watermelon wine in Zambia most are poisonous to humans African indigenous languages, including San and Khoikhoi matola – Malawian term for pick-up or van carrying nxum – the San people’s ‘life force’ (Nama), as well as the language of the Damara (a Bantu passengers nyama – meat or meat gravy fynbos – fine bush, primarily proteas, heaths and ericas people who speak a Khoikhoi dialect) mbanje – cannabis in Zimbabwe kizomba – musical style popular in Namibia mbira – thumb piano; it consists of five to 24 narrow iron oke – term for bloke or guy, mainly heard in South Africa gap it – make a quick exit; often refers to emigration kloof – a ravine or small valley keys mounted in rows on a wooden sound board ondjongo – dance performed by Himba cattle owners to from troubled African countries kloofing – canyoning into and out of kloofs mbongi – holders and performers of a Xhosa group’s oral demonstrate the care and ownership of their animals garni – a hotel in Namibia that lacks a full dining room, kokerboom – quiver tree; grows mainly in southern history; a cross between a bard and a court jester oshana – normally dry river channel in northern Namibia but does offer a simple breakfast Namibia and the Northern Cape province mealie pap – maize porridge, which is a dietary staple and northwestern Botswana gemütlichkeit – a distinctly German appreciation of konditorei – German pastry shops; found in larger throughout the region; also called mielie pap oshikundu – tasty alcoholic beverage made from ma- comfort and hospitality Namibian towns mfeqane – see difaqane hango; popular in traditional areas of northern Namibia kopje – pronounced ‘koppie’; a small hill or rocky outcrop mielie pap – see mealie pap outjina (for women) and otjipirangi (for men) – Herero half-bus – Malawian term for a bus with about 30 seats – on an otherwise flat plain mielies – cobs of maize dance in which a plank is strapped to one foot in order to to distinguish it from big buses or minibuses kotu – king’s court in Zambia miombo – dry open woodland, also called Brachystegia deliver a hollow, rhythmic percussion heks – entrance gates, farm gates kraal – Afrikaans version of the Portuguese word ‘curral’; woodland; it’s composed mainly of mopane and acacia high season – in most of Southern Africa, this refers to an enclosure for livestock, a fortified village of mud huts, or bushveld pan – dry flat area of grassland or salt, often a seasonal the dry season, from late June to late September; in South an Owambo homestead mojito – Cuban cocktail made of mint, run, lime juice, lake-bed Africa’s Cape regions, it refers to the dry season from late kwacha – currency in Malawi and Zambia sugar and soda pap en wors – maize porridge and sausage November to early April kwasa kwasa – Congo-style rhumba music mokolane – see makalani participation safari – an inexpensive safari in which highveld – high-altitude grassland mokoro – dugout canoe used in the Okavango Delta and clients pitch their own tents, pack the vehicle and share Homelands – formerly self-governing black states laager – wagon circle other riverine areas; the mokoro is propelled by a well- cooking duties (Transkei, Ciskei, Bophuthatswana, Venda etc), which were lagosta – crayfish in Mozambique balanced poler who stands in the stern pensão – inexpensive hotel in Mozambique part of the apartheid regime’s plan for a separate black lapa – large, thatched common area; used for mopane – hardwood tree native to Southen Africa (also peri-peri – see piri-piri and white South Africa socialising called ironwood), highly resistant to drought pint – small bottle of beer or can of oil (or similar) usually lekolulo – a flutelike instrument played by herd boys in mopane worms – the caterpillar of the moth around 300mL to 375mL (not necessarily equal to a British

Incwala – most sacred Swazi ceremony in which king Lesotho Gonimbrasiabelina, eaten as a local delicacy throughout or US pint) GLOSSARY gives permission to his people to eat the first crops of the liqhaga – grassware ‘bottles’ the region piri-piri – very hot pepper sauce of Portuguese-Angolan new year litunga – king in Zambia morama – underground tuber, source of water and pods origin; the basis for the Nando’s chain’s chicken concoc- inselberg – isolated ranges and hills; literally ‘island location – alternative Namibian and South African word have edible beans tions; also known as peri-peri

GLOSSARY mountains’ for township, usually affiliated with a rural town mpasa – lake salmon in Malawi plus-minus – meaning ‘about’; this scientific/ Izzit? – rhetorical question that most closely translates as lowveld – see bushveld msasa – small shrubby tree with compound leaves and mathematical term has entered common parlance – ‘Really?’ and is used without regard to gender, person or lupembe – wind instrument made from animal horn small fragrant flowers eg ‘the bus will come in plus-minus 10 minutes’ © Lonely Planet Publications 786 GLOSSARY

pondo – ‘pound’, occasionally used in Botswana to refer sungwa – a type of perch in Malawi to two pula swaartgevaar – Afrikaans for the ‘black threat’ potjie – pronounced poy-kee; a three-legged pot used to make stew over an open fire. The word also refers to the tambo – fermented millet and sugar drink, popular in stew itself, as well as a gathering in which a potjie forms rural areas of Namibia the main dish thomo – a stringed instrument played by women in potjiekos – meat and vegetable stew cooked in a potjie Lesotho praça – town square in Mozambique timbila – a form of xylophone played by Chope musicians praia – beach in Mozambique township – indigenous suburb, typically a high-density pula – the Botswanan currency; means ‘rain’ in Setswana black residential area pungwe – all-night drinking and music party in Trekboers – nomadic pastoralists descended from the Zimbabwe Dutch trouk – jail (Afrikaans) relish – sauce of meat, vegetables, beans etc eaten with tsama – bitter desert melon historically eaten by the San boiled mielie meal (nshima, sadza, mealie pap etc) people; it’s also eaten by livestock renkini – Ndebele version of musika tsotsi – hoodlum, thief rijsttafel – rice with side dishes; Dutch interpretation of tufo – traditional dance style from Ilha de Moçambique Indonesian makan besar tuk-tuk – Asian-style motorised three-wheel vehicle Rikki – small, open van; cross between a taxi and a found in Durban, South Africa shared taxi robot – no, not R2D2 – it’s just a traffic light uitlanders – pronounced ‘ait-landers’; foreigners rondavel – round, African-style hut Umhlanga – reed dance; sacred Swazi ceremony rooibos – literally ‘red bush’ in Afrikaans; herbal tea that umuzi – ‘beehive’ huts reputedly has therapeutic qualities upshwa – maize- or cassava-based staple in Mozambique rusvingo – Shona word for walled-in enclosures Uri – desert-adapted vehicle produced in Namibia

sadza – maize-meal porridge veld – pronounced ‘felt’; open grassland, normally in San – language-based name for indigenous people plateau regions formerly known as Bushmen vlei – pronounced ‘flay’; any low open landscape, sandveld – dry, sandy belt sometimes marshy sangoma – witchdoctor; herbalist Voortrekkers – fore-trekkers, pioneers scud – plastic drink bottle volkstaal – people’s language seif dunes – prominent linear sand dunes, as found in Volkstaat – people’s state the central Namib Desert vundu – Malawian catfish setolo-tolo – a Lesotho stringed instrument played with the mouth wag ‘n bietjie – pronounced ‘vak-n-bee-kee’; literally shame! – half-hearted expression of commiseration ‘wait a bit’; Afrikaans name for the buffalo thorn acacia shebeen – an illegal township drinking establishment walende – a drink distilled from the makalani palm that (which may also include a brothel) tastes like vodka sibhaca – type of Swazi dance wandelpad – short hiking trail Sperrgebiet – forbidden area; alluvial diamond region of waterblommetjie bredie – water-flower stew; meat southwestern Namibia served with the flower of the Cape pondweed Strandlopers – literally ‘beach walkers’; term used to welwitschia – bizarre cone-bearing shrub (Welwitschia describe the ancient inhabitants of the Namib region, who mirabilis) native to the northern Namib plains may have been ancestors of the San or Nama peoples; occasionally also refers to the brown desert hyena xima – maize- or cassava-based staple in Mozambique, sua – salt as in Sua Pan, Botswana usually served with a sauce of beans, vegetables or fish

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