A beginners guide to speaking south african slang tripsavvy. It has some of the best surfing spots in the world. In 20, a satirical blog originally titled zef kinners briefly became a viral success in south africa and then faced legal claims after it was started as a student school project, posting photos of people the blog considered to exemplify zef. The term township also has a distinct legal meaning in south africa s system of land title, which carries no racial connotations. Spelled with a k, as in the korn song of the same title. List of south african slang words project gutenberg self. Inspired by the incredible country in which they live, and the miraculous history from which they come, south africans produce words of wisdom to inspire. If youre planning a trip to south africa, learning a little slang helps you to break the ice, make new friends and connect with the local culture.
South african slang and other afrikanerisms birds of. During the apartheid era laws prohibited nonwhites from consuming any alcohol except traditional sorghum beer, and taverns selling hardtack became the centre of social activity. Thanks to the variety of languages spoken in south africa, locals tend to borrow words from each language, resulting in slang words or phrases known as south africanisms. It was adopted as a derogatory term after 1948 when the apartheid system was established. This is probably south africa s most popular and bestknown food. In south africa it refers in particular to unlicensed bars in the townships, and has become a mainstream word. Although it is widely spoken across almost all of mzansi, it is only the secondmost popular. South african slang you need to master before your trip. Fanakalo is a bridging language of communication in multilingual and multinational settings on south african mines writers spell this pidgin as either fanagalo or fanakalo. While most south african slang is made up of adopted nonenglish words e. A predominantly north american slang nickname for britons, especially those from england. Biltong is one of the south african foods similar to jerky. Coetzee, cry, the beloved country by alan paton, life and times of michael k by j.
Youll find info on which are the official languages and which are the most popular home languages and what people will say when they great you and teach you some real south africa slang words. Make sure you roll the r when pronouncing this word. The enter key will mark the currently selected day as the desired one and close the calendar. Funny south african jokes and puns will make you laugh. Many different types of meat are used in its making, ranging from beef through game meats to fillets. Languages in south africa typical slang words south. Bunny chow is a curry served in a hollowedout loaf of bread. If you are south african, afrikaans, zulu, xosa, etc. In south africa, the word was loosely used to refer to black south africans and blacks in suriname. Also, check out our jacob zuma and nigerian jokes in our jokes categories. A south african explores the madness in his country, his tribe and himself, this book was a bestseller in south africa and elsewhere when it came out in 1990.
When apartheid ended and the african national congress under nelson mandela came into power in south africa in 1994, the national holidays were changed to days that would be meaningful to all south africans. South african slang everyone should know imagnary house. Stories from a south african childhood by trevor noah, waiting for the barbarians by. Boerewors is usually braaied and eaten on a hot dog roll with tomato sauce and mustard. Theres obviously no need to know african american slang if your native language is english and you are in japan, which should have been your first clue that you were doing everything wrong. This comes from the khoisan people of the kalahari desert, whose language bears no relation to english or afrikaans. The numbers gang or the numbers gangs and associated with different numbers in different prisons is a prison gang with one of the most fearsome reputations in south africa.
South africans speak english, but that doesnt mean youll always. South africa has 11 official languages, but the easiest place to start is with south african english. Big cities like cape town, johannesburg, pretoriathe capital, and coolest of all, durban. Learn to understand the locals with our comprehensive guide to mzanzi taal. Based on dave duttons reyt funny book of the same name united kingdom english for the american novice a listing of british words and phrases, from an americans perspective, including some slang, with definitions in american. If youre visiting south africa any time soon, its useful to know a few turns of phrase to help you along the way. A travellers guide to south african slang st communications. A white prisoner calls a black prisoner a big dummy nigger.
English has been spoken in south africa for over 200 years, evolving into a distinct dialect with a vocabulary strongly influenced by indigenous languages. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. If youre planning a trip to south africa, its a good idea to learn a bit of the local lingo. The south african english does not only sound different t han the english you know from english speaking countries such as england, the usa or. Hello, please and thank you in 11 south african languages. South african slang and other afrikanerisms birds of eden free. South african slang is quite interesting, we have so many unique words and phrases. Az of south african slang dont know your babbelas from your tekkies. South africa, contrary to popular to belief, is very modernized in certain areas. The slang term kasie, a popular short version of lokasie is also used. Which was written in the 70s and deconstructs south african pronunciation and slang. The navigation of the calendar is circular, to move between the elements use tab, once inside the table of the desired month, the arrow keys may be used to move between days. English has been spoken in south africa for over 200 years, at least since the british seized the. For example, a lift is an elevator and traffic lights are referred to as robots its true.
Arrogant female blacks who flaunt their money around and demand the finest things in life. The slur became an offensive word during the war of succession with england when all. South african airways flight suspension policy across network read more foreign travellers stranded in south africa. This list of afrikanerisms comprises slang words and phrases influenced by afrikaans.
The two biggest cities in south africa are cape town and johannesburg. The term is so well used here that it has almost lost its derogatory nature and is as noted in post here just another slang term for a south african. Townships for nonwhites were also called locations or lokasies in afrikaans, and are often still referred to by that name in smaller towns. Meaning farmers sausage, this term describes a savory sausage that was developed by the afrikaners approximately 200 years ago. Big dummy nigger comes from the movie the green mile. Nelson mandela wrote a book about his life, what is the name of it. Fanakalo is the correct spelling in zulu or xhosa orthography. On this page, we will tell you about languages in south africa and which ones are the most spoken languages in this country. In south african english context, howzit is more a greeting of hello rather than how are you. Brand south africa south african english has a flavour all its own, borrowing freely from afrikaans, which is similar to dutch and flemish, as well as from the countrys many african languages. Its a bit out of date, but all the phrases are still in use and understood mostly. Pom, pommy in australia, south africa and new zealand usually denotes an english person.
It is usually eaten with the fingers, not a knife and fork. Ill teach you all the slang used in my country, in a relaxing whisper, of course. I live in auckland and am south african and i jokingly refer to myself, or my fellow south africans as a saffer. To protest about bullfighting in spain, the eating of dogs in south korea, or the slaughter of baby seals in canada while continuing to eat eggs from hens who have spent their lives crammed into cages, or veal from calves who have been deprived of their mothers, their proper diet, and the freedom to lie down with their legs extended, is like denouncing apartheid in south africa while asking. By a member of one of afrikanerdoms leading apartheid families, it goes into the heart of darkness of a country in turmoil. If youre unable to return to your home country, we encourage you to contact your embassy or consulate to inform your government of your location. To help out travellers from foreign climes as well as the odd sheltered south african heres a directory of common, and not so common, south africanisms. Cracking the south african english dialect language.
Having a lekker time with robynne learning some south african slang. Learn how to make yourself understood at the world cup 2010 with our indispensible guide. Master these and more south african slang phrases before your trip to. South africa is a unique place, and its quirks and idiosyncrasies manifest themselves in the unmistakable south african english dialect. South african portuguese slang maburro slang for a white afrikaans person, usually derogatory but sometimes used affectionately depending on context. If you are travelling to south africa, or you are just interested in knowing a little more about the land of mandela, it is. South african slang words our guide will help you to understand the most common south african slang words, those words you surely will hear and learn to use when visiting or living in cape town. Located near plettenberg bay on the garden route, south africa. Learn some south african slang greet a south african.