Part Two, March 2009
By Jo Jordan
Jo.Jordan[at]lingoproz.co.za
The next challenge to you may be understanding the street slang that is so very prolific in South Africa.
Each language group has its own colourful expressions uniquely their own. To walk the minefield takes caution and a mettle detector.
Let’s start with Afrikaans. It is spoken in small pockets throughout South Africa by various groups of people. Composed from mostly Dutch origin, it contains words from English, Xhosa, Khoi, Asian Malay, Malagasy, San, Portuguese and French. In the ‘old’ South Africa, it was the hated and forced second language. Still today, it is spoken by most white South Africans as a second language and many black South Africans as their third language.
But the most entertaining aspect of ‘Die Taal’, as it is affectionately called, are the fascinating, sometimes hilarious, Afrikanerisms that have appeared over the years in several of the national groups.
If you want a drink in a bar in any part of South Africa, ask for a dop – For example: “Can I have a dop (a drink)?” You might then be asked what kind of dop – make your choice wisely – never, ever, accept Witblitz or Mampoer – it means white lightning and just might strip your oesophagus … trust me.
If you want to head back to the hotel/motel/bed & breakfast/hostel, tell your South African hosts that you want to go back to the porzie. It will tell them you want to go to your temporary escape from the jol or party you might be attending.
If you really like something, tell the person you’re with that it’s kief. That word oddly comes from the Afrikaans word for poison (gif) and it means something is great. But please, if you’re in Durban, don’t ask for ‘gif’ because that is local stuff that could land you in jail. Okay, to make it a little less obscure, Durban gif is better known in SA as dagga or marijuana. You have been warned!
Perhaps, to steer you away from murky waters, rather use the Afrikaans word kwaai to describe something you like. For example, “That jol was kwaai!” See what I did there? Two localisms included in one sentence. You’re going to blow them away!
And lastly, jawelnofine – This is a word that literally means “yes, well, no, fine”, all scrunched up and covers just about everything. So, go on, get out there and talk the talk!
