a2z4u&me - The Letter D

(I know, I’m terribly behind on this, everyone else is on H!! But here goes D):

D is for Dialect

The South African English dialect is a very interesting one. Many words have been added to it from the various other languages and cultures found here. While one could probably write a book about it (and I’m sure several exist) I will just mention a few that come to mind.

First a few words about pronunciation.

1. South Africans do not generally pronounce an “R” that follows a verb. So words like ‘mother’ and ‘father’ are pronounced as ‘mothuh’ and ‘fathuh’, and ‘park’ is said ‘pahk’. (Faux American accents seem to be used more and more, especially among certain culture groups, however it is considered to be rather tacky).

2. Words which are derived from Afrikaans often keep their Afrikaans pronunciation. The long A sound (like aah) I will write as ‘aah’, and an ‘R’ will indicate the harshly rolled ‘RRR’ as is used in Afrikaans.

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South African greetings are usually much the same as other English-speaking countries, with ‘Hi’ or ‘Hello’ being frequently used. But if you want to be very South African, then ‘Howzit’ is what you need to say! Howzit is a contraction of the phrase “How is it?” and is used as a general greeting and way of asking how you are. One answers back with a “Howzit” or just plain “Hi”.

Probably the most common Afrikaans word that has found its way into the English language is ‘Ja’ which of course is ‘yes’, pronounced “Yaah”. Most English speakers use it (it used to drive my extremely English grandparents crazy!)

‘Lekker’ is another word of Afrikaans word that has become part of everyday English. Pronounced much the same as ‘lacquer’, or rather, ‘lackuh’, it means ‘nice’. You can have a lekker time, or food could be described as being lekker.

A braai (barbeque) is sooo South African.  Lots of meat cooking over the perfect fire, the drinks of your choice and good company create one of the most South African experiences you can have.  Men do the braaiing, while the women provide the salads, pap (corn porridge) and other accompaniments.  The best fires use wood or charcoal (rather than gas), and the fire has to be just right before the meat is put on.  Learning to braai could almost be considered a rite of passage for young men and boys.  Braai rhymes with fry, and depending on how English you are, could have a normal ‘r’ sound or the proper Afrikaans ‘RR’.  A braai is NEVER referred to as a barbeque!!  It would be almost politically incorrect, and I’m sure it wouldn’t taste the same!  In fact, I would be wary of any South African inviting someone to a barbeque (unless of course they were overseas, in which case they’re probably trying hard to fit in!)  But if a South African on home turf talks about a barbeque, well, I'd be careful -  they might be the type of person your mother warned you never to talk to!!

Veld (also from Afrikaans), pronounced ‘felt’ refers to the grasslands found here, which mostly look like this:

Boerewors!! Now here’s a good one! Literally translated from Afrikaans it means "farmers’ sausage". It is made of minced meat (mostly beef) seasoned with herbs and spices etc and stuffed into skins. It is sold in a spiral like this:

Few people, and I mean VERY few people ever refer to this as sausage – it is WORS! Pronounced “VoRRs” . It could almost rhyme with ‘course’ – just roll that ‘R’! Oh, and ‘boere’ is pronounced “boo-ruh” or “boo-Ruh”

Boerewors is often cut up into decent lengths once cooked, and served in a roll with tomato sauce and mustard, much like a hotdog. These are known as ‘wors rolls’ or in some parts ‘boerie rolls’ (I go for the former...)

The last word I’m going to include here is gogga. It comes from the Khoikhoi language, and both ‘g’ sounds are pronounced like the ‘ch’ in ‘Bach’ or ‘Achmed’. It refers to any insect or creepy-crawly thing, for example,

“There are goggas all over my house!”
It can also be used as a pet name for one’s children, (or even one’s spouse.....)

Well, that’s it for now, I hope that if any of you should ever come to South Africa you would understand the locals a little bit more!

You can find more A2Z posts on Patty's blog.