After three weeks in the nonstop language class that is life at Londolozi, I was feeling confident.
I’d started throwing the occasional ja (“yahhhh”) into regular conversation. My heys were becoming howzits. I knew flashlights were torches and barbecues were braais. I had managed to greet an Afrikaans-speaking construction foreman with a self-assured “Goeie môre,” and I’d even picked up enough Shangaan to have a complete conversation with the always smiling but linguistically intimidating Colbert Ndluli:
“Avuxeni, Colbs, kunjani?”
“Ndikona, kunjani Michael?”
“Ndikona, nkomu.”
“Nkomo swwwwinene. Hakuna matata. [Bird noise].”
I was still baffled by Colbert’s Scops Owl impressions, but by now I was dishing out kunjanis left and right, the ndikonas and nkomus flowing freely. In other words, I was feeling pretty proud of myself.
Colbert’s Scops Owl impression is 100% convincing.
Then one day, ranger Guy Brunskill walked past. “Howzit bru,” he said, flashing a thumbs-up. “Have a kiff arvi.”
I stopped in my tracks. “Sorry, Guy, what was that?” He said it again. Is he speaking Italian? I stared at him blankly, rummaging around the back of my brain for some sort of nonchalant, vaguely South African response that would keep our conversation flowing and my confidence intact.
“Yeah, sure bru, lekker man, uh, howzit? … What?”
Ever perceptive, Guy saw that I’d short-circuited. “A k-i-f-f a-r-v-i,” he explained slowly. “A good afternoon.”
At this point, it occurred to me that even though I was fully fluent in Shangaan and Afrikaans (ha!), I still had a long way to go in getting the hang of the local lingo, so I started keeping a log of all the South Africanisms that get tossed around here by the Londolozi staff. It’s far from a complete dictionary, but hey, it’s a start, bru.
Londolozi staff on the weekly clean-up: walking around the staff village picking up any litter that might have accidentally found its way out there. They are speaking English, but often it’s a language a foreigner will struggle to understand.
Without further ado, enjoy this lekker post, and have a kiff arvi.
Boet – short for boetie, or buddy. A favorite of Mama Linnah’s.
Jol – a party, it turns out. Both a noun and a verb. In the immortal words of ranger Dean De La Rey,
“Did you jol? Cause we jolled last night at the jol. It was such a jol.”
Yebo – Zulu for “yes.” Can be a greeting or a sendoff. YEH-bo!
Oke – bloke. Possibly camp manager Cry Sithole’s favourite word of all time.
China – mate, as in friend. To quote Londolozi operations manager and ace slang-slinger Will Ford:
Howzit, my china?
Gees – pronounced hhhHEE’uss. Afrikaans for a vibe/spirit, as in to have spirit (I think).
Gooi – another Afrikaans word with a rolling g, meaning to throw (“Gooi that branch out of the road.”)
Now-now / just now / now – respectively, these mean “right now,” either “recently” or “soon,” and, by my understanding, “absolutely whenever.” Let’s just say, if a South African says “I’ll see you now,” don’t hold your breath. “I’ll see you now-now,” though? That’s another story. I only figured this all out just now.
Is it? – to the unacquainted, this one’s a head-scratcher. Used widely as a verbal question mark with little concern for whether there is a single “it” or whether that “it” actually “is.” For instance:
Ranger 1: Can you believe this? I’ve just seen a warthog driving a Landie past Vomba Dam.
Ranger 2: Is it? That is hectic! (see below)
A hectic leopard sighting.
Hectic – this one I have yet to wrap my mind around. In American English, hectic means frantic, crazed, or rushed. In South Africa, hectic means, as far as I can gather, literally whatever you need it to mean. That piece of chocolate cake too big? Hectic. Massive thunderstorm rolling in? That’s hectic. Two leopards fighting on the back of a submerged hippo? That is HECTIC! Use with caution, or with reckless abandon.
Either way, trust me: it’ll be hectic.
Only in this wonderful country will you find a “language” as unique as ours. We are truly a rainbow nation.
Ah communicating with people that think they understand you, I once explained to an American that I was picked as the hooker for my school’s rugby team … I was rewarded with a very worried look
Very interesting. 👍
Another great blog Michael. Jislaaik is another of my all time favourites. An incredibly versatile expression.
Love this! And the image of a warthog driving a Landie is priceless. Needs to be put on paper!
Always ready for more Afrikaans and Shangaan and local combinations …
being from Belgium .My husband Guido always brings his notes written phonetically
OMG Michael! What a riot! Maybe your “dictionary” should be in all the rooms for the guests to practice with before venturing out on their first encounter with the Londolozi staff! 😉
This is HECTIC! I especially love the “nows” Americans don’t get that at all!
Michael, what a wonderful blog, I loved the photo of family at Londolozi!
Will save this for the next visit!
Epic! Please let this be volume 1 of many. I always enjoy more conversations with Colbert.
This certainly brought a smile to me as I’ve struggled with both the Shangaan and Afrikaans expressions and slang. I am printing this to have for my next trip…… great writing!!
Got to love the nature of SA slang!!
This made me laugh! I live in the UK now and have confused my English born friends with this vocabulary especially the ‘just now’ phrase meaning ‘later’ for me and ‘now now’ for my friends.
Hilarious, my favorites, although you do not get them in the bush are Robots (Traffic Lights) and Circles (Roundabouts). Try asking someone directions and you get “you go over the circle and right at the robot”. Wow understand that!