How to Speak "South African"

Well, my time in South Africa has come to an end.  My flight leaves tonight at 11:30pm (5:30pm Michigan time) and I will be arriving in Detroit at 4:00pm on Tuesday!  I am so excited to see everyone when I get back, but I am sad to leave this country and all of my new friends behind.  I will update about my last few days when I get back to Michigan, but for now, here is a fun little blog about South African lingo.

Let me start by saying that “South African” is not a language... I am not that naïve.  This country has 11 official languages, with the most prominent in the Cape Town area being English, Afrikaans, and isiXhosa.  However, the everyday language of South Africa often combines these languages and other slang lingo that you may find somewhat humorous:

• Any food that is tasty or an event that you might describe as “cool” or “sweet” is lekker.  As in “That party was lekker!”  Or, as one student asked Kristin and I, “Is it lekker to be American?” 
• Traffic lights are called robots.  As in “He just went through a red robot!” 
• The appropriate response instead of “Really?” is “Izit?” (Is it) with a falling intonation.  As in “We saw baboons on the side of the road!” “Izit?” Yes, it really is. 
• It is more common to hear “must” than “need to” or “have to.”  As in, “Ok we must go.” 
• A common reaction of surprise, such as “Wow!” or “No way,” is “Yo!”  As in “Look at this picture of Miss holding a snake.” “Yooooooo!” 
• Instead of saying “Aw that’s too bad,” South Africans often say “Shame!”  As in, “Well, they were late to their ziplining appointment, so they didn’t get to go.” “Shame!” 
• Rather than “going to get something,” South Africans “fetch” things.  As in, “Go fetch me that pan.” 
• You don’t text – you SMS.  As in “SMS me when you know the time.” 
• Candy is usually called sweets. 
• The subject of math is called maths – plural. 
• It’s not uncommon to refer to someone as man.  As in, “No, man! It’s not time for interval, sit back down!” or "No, man! I'd never go bungy jumping!"
• A koki is a marker or felt-tip pen, kind of like a sharpie. 
• “Just now” means later, not “right now.”  As in “I’ll call you back just now.”  You’ll be waiting a while. 
• French fries are chips.  And every single meal comes with chips.  Actual chips, like Americans think of them, are crisps. 
• My students call the number zero, “naught.”  This is hard to get used to when teaching. 
• In math, the place values are referred to as units, tens, hundreds, etc.  I am used to saying ones, tens, hundreds.  Again, confusing when teaching. 
• Lastly, how would you pronounce the U2 singer, Bono’s, name?  If I’m not mistaken, Americans say “BON-o.”  Well, in South Africa, it’s “BONE-o!”

So, if you ever come to Cape Town, stick to this guide and you’ll fit right in!  My next post will be from Michigan!  Goodbye for now!