That's Zulu for hello, and I know this, not because I have been doing anything exciting like learning Zulu, but because it is the name of the inflight magazine of South African airlines!
There are 11 official languages in South Africa! Zulu is the first language of 24% of the population, although most Zulu speakers can also speak English.
Afrikaans is the third most common first language, but again, most of them can also speak English too.
English comes in fifth as the first language, but luckily for us is the official language used in commerce, trade, business, and most things concerning us. We have chosen an English medium school for William, but there are plenty of Afrikaan medium schools to choose from if he misbehaves.
Most South Africans speak a minimum of 2 languages fluently. Very impressive. And very impressive radio DJs who switch from English to Afrikaans and then throw in a bit of Zulu for the crowd!
LOCAL LINGO
If you're reading this, you are either from South Africa, or you know someone who is (duh?), so I don't need to tell you that the South Africans' English is a strange breed indeed. The accent as you know is quite distinctive and has taken a lot of its influence from Afrikaans.
Since our arrival we've been slowly adjusting to the lilting tones all around us. Strangely enough, it's been a little difficult to pick up the gist of conversations over the phone or in noisy places.
Not surprisingly, our broad Australian accents are also producing some rather dumbfounded looks. No one seems particularly interested in where we've come from and the comment I've received most often is "What are you doing here? We're all trying to get over there."
Some South Africanisms you will recognise and their meanings...
"Howzit?" - Hi, or g'day. The standard response to this is "Goodandyou". This response is said as it is written - there are NO spaces between the words!
"Just now" - don't let this one confuse you. If someone says this to you, it does not mean now at all, but later, as in "I'll see you just now" actually means "I'll see you later". Or, as William's hockey coach said to one of the boys who had lost his stick, "We'll find your hockey stick just now. Come and use this one." Which really meant, "I hear your loss but I'm not wasting time looking for something which is probably at home under your bed, just take the bloody stick I'm giving you and get out on the field."
"Izzit" - Is that so? Really?
"Shame" - another confusing one. It's not a shame at all, it's cute or adorable. Can sometimes be used sympathetically as in "Really? Oh no!"
"Do you want me to come with?" - come with... come with... come with, what? Come with me? Come with you? Come with something? Come with 6 bottles of Windhoek and some boerewors? No, just come with.....full stop.
"My boy" - an affectionate salutation used by adults to all boys. "How are you my boy?" or "Come here my boy". There is no similar term used for girls. They have names.
"Bakkie" - a ute
"4 by 4" - they don't 4WD here, they 4 by 4.
"Lekker" - something nice or delicious or good. One of our going away cards said, "Have a lekker time in South Africa"
"Braai" - so this is a BBQ, although with coals or wood (no gas bottles here). The South Africans seem to use braai as a verb almost as much as a noun. So when you get together with friends on the weekend you're often invited to braai. Whether this hearkens to days gone by, in the somewhat violent history of South Africa, when you may actually have barbequed your friends, I don't know. Either way, to be invited for a braai or to braai is much the same thing, and you should come away with a stomach full of meat rather than charred extremities.
And so...
....from us to you!
"Howzit? We are having a lekker time here in Richards Bay. Shame. We are going to return our hire car and buy a new 4x4 just now. We've decided not to get a bakkie, even though it would be good to fit the braai in the back. The car shop is in Umhlanga (Oomshlunger), just outside of Durban, where there are some great shopping malls too. Do you want to come with?"
