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| A definite "Eish!" moment |
Asking people what they like about South Africa, you get a variety of answers. The answers range from weather, the friendly people, nature and going past to the Big 5.
Mine is - apart from rugby, biltong, braai, Mrs. Balls (our favourite chutney!), bobotie, sunshine, and African thunderstorms - our Africanisms. Now you may ask "Africanisms?". Every place and region in the world have their own slang words. The same goes for South Africa. Here are a few of my favourite ones:
- abba - Carry a child secured to one's back with a blanket. From the Khoi-San
- eish! - used to express surprise, wonder, frustration or anger
- fundi - expert (from Nguni 'umfundisi' meaning teacher or preacher) - used in mainstream South African English
- mamparra - stupid, silly
- gogo - grandmother, elderly woman (from Zulu, ugogo)
- haw! - expression of disbelief (pronounced ‘how’)
- hhayibo! - wow! (from Zulu, 'definitely not'; pronounced 'how-bahw')
- shongololo (also spelt shongalolo) - millipede (from Zulu and Xhosa, ukushonga, 'to roll up')
- spaza - an informal trading-post/convenience store found in townships and remote areas
- toyi-toyi - protest-dancing; used in mainstream South African English
- tsotsi - gangster, layabout, no gooder
- ubuntu - compassion or kindness, humanity
- yebo - Zulu meaning yes
- wena - Zulu meaning "you". (Pronounced ‘when-ah’) Commonly used in a sentence "Haw wena!"
- chop – idiot
- doff - stupid. "Are you doff?"
- just now - sometime in the near future, not necessarily immediately. Expresses an intention to act soon, but not necessarily immediately. (as in 20–90 minutes time)
- now now - an immediate but not literal declaration of impending action, may be past or future tense. From the Afrikaans expression "nou nou". (as in 5–60 minutes)
- lift - elevator
- zaamie - a sandwich
- buck - the main unit of currency of South Africa the Rand
- china - friend, mate (from Cockney rhyming slang china [plate] = "mate"), alternatively, as above coming from the Bantu word umshana
- chow - to eat
- shebeen - illegal drinking-establishment (from Irish sibín), synonymous with speakeasy. In South Africa it refers in particular to unlicensed bars in the townships, and has become a mainstream word. During the apartheid era laws prohibited non-whites from consuming any alcohol except traditional sorghum beer, and taverns selling 'hard-tack' became the centre of social activity.
- lekker - "nice" [from Afrikaans]. As in "This is a lekker bunny chow to chow my china!"
- lappie(pronounced “luppee”)- "cloth", "dish towel" "face cloth"
- bunny chow - type of food, made with a loaf of bread filled with a curry stew.
- bakgat - cool; expression of appreciation for something very well accomplished
- slap tjips - (pronounced as "slup chips") French fries, usually soft, oily and soaked in vinegar, usually bought in a brown paper bag. Slap is Afrikaans for "limp".
- sosatie - a kebab on a stick, used as mainstream word in South African English
- vellies - veldskoene, traditional Afrikaans outdoors shoes made from hide
- aitsa - is usually used when exclaiming agreement like you would when saying "sweet!", "nice!", "lekker!", and "got it!" .
- gogga - bug (from Khoe xo-xo, creeping things, here the g is pronounced like ch in Scottish loch)
Want to find your own favourite favourites? Go visit http://www.southafrica.info/travel/advice/saenglish.htm
