Say What?...On The Road

I think it's time to do another post about South African language.

Here are some (funny but true) definitions for travelling on the roads that were published in "go", a travel magazine:

Bakkie ~ A pick-up truck or light utility vehicle.

Garage ~ The place you get your fuel, fill up the oil, have your tyres pumped and your windscreen washed, etc. There's also usually a small (or larger) shop where you can buy the basics. They are also called 'sevice stations' and can be anything from a pump or two next to the road to the large, fancier "Ultra City".

Petrol ~ When South Africans say "gas" we mean butane or something that comes in a cylinder. You fill your car with petrol, unless you're driving a diesel vehicle, in which case you ask for diesel.

Robot ~ No, not a little electronic tin man! We call a traffic light a robot. ( Why? I suppose because it takes the place of a real live traffic officer.. :-? )

Taxi ~ ( this needs a post on it's own :P ) This isn't your standard metered taxi or cab. When South Africans say "taxi" we mean the ubiquitous minibuses (often old Kombis) that are the mainstay of our public transport system. The routes they follow are not easy to discern and they disobey traffic rules with impunity (believing that they have 'right of way' at all times!). They are usually overloaded and sometimes besides human passengers, they also carry chickens and other livestock. Beware! (If you dare to hail one, stand next to a no-stopping sign and hold your hand out. A taxi will soon appear, and stop.)

Zebra crossing ~ A pedestrian crossing, so called because it resembles a zebra's stripes. If you use one, don't bargain on the traffic stopping for you.

And by the way, when you're in S.A. you drive on the left-hand side of the road. :)

Greetings from The Rainbow Nation

Culture in South Africa is about as diverse as it comes and S.A. is one of the most multi-cultural countries in the world - no wonder it is often called "The Rainbow Nation"!
To begin to try and describe these cultures is almost impossible! Most of the cultures are also interwoven with each other - in a little or a large way. There are many more cultures and languages here besides the main cultural groups and 11 official languages that I mentioned in my post on language and population. Also over the last ten years or so, S.A. has been flooded with immigrants and refugees - legal and illegal- from many other African countries. We read on the net the other day that the illegal immigrants now make up almost a 3rd of the total population in S.A.! A lot of the central and north African countries have French as a main language so we are hearing more and more of it here in the country.

We were looking up S.A. customs and etiquette on the net and came across some interesting (sometimes very amusing) sites for foreign tourists. :D We even wondered if some of the advise was true! As I said, it's impossible to describe all the cultures, but I suppose (I think!) there is some sort of standard for greetings and etiquette in South Africa when you are having to deal with people across different cultures. Anyway, if you are ever visiting South Africa, here is what some of the tourism agents suggest: :)

"It is extremely difficult to generalise at all on South African etiquette and culture due to the diversity. There are many different races and these races behave quite differently in how they greet each other. However the standard form of greeting is a handshake." (this can be a normal handshake or one where there's a whole lot of 'up and down, this way-that way'!)

 . "When dealing with foreigners, most South Africans shake hands while maintaining eye contact and smiling.
. Some women do not shake hands and merely nod their head, so it is best to wait for a woman to extend her hand.
. Women may sometimes kiss each other on the cheek. (or both cheeks if they are like our Lebanese/Greek grandmother)  :)
. Greetings are leisurely and include time for social discussion and exchanging pleasantries."
 
Besides the usual English greetings used all over the world, here are a few of the common greetings you will hear in S.A...

Haai-daar - (Hi-dar) - Hi there!  
Hello/Hallo - used by everyone.
Yello (pronounced: 'yeah-lo') - Hello
Howzit -  A traditional South African greeting that translates roughly as "How are you?", "How are things?" or simply "Hello".Goeie Dag - (G-oi-er Du-g) Afrikaans for "Good Day"
Sawubona - (sour-born-na) "Hello" in Zulu.
Unjani? (Oon-j-are-knee)-Zulu for "How are you?" 
Cheers - Goodbye/So long.                                                   .
Totsiens (totseens) - "Goodbye/Till we meet again" in Afrikaans.
Hamba Kahle (Hum-bah kashle) "Goodbye-go well" - Zulu greeting.
Sala Kahle (Sah-lah kashle)- "Goodbye-stay well" - Zulu greeting.
Mooi Bly - (Moi Blay) in Afrikaans it is a farewell greeting like "keep well".

Of course besides the culture differences there are also the religious differences which will also be a part of how people greet each other. Anyway, we hope you enjoyed the post and for now we will say, "Totsiens and Hamba Kahle"! :-h

In South Africa They Say...

As I mentioned in the post about population and language, we thought it would be fun to share some of the words and phrases used in S.A. and so here we're starting off with some of the most common expressions. Hope you'll enjoy it! :)
ag (pronounced 'agh') - This one of the most useful South African words. Pronounced like the "ach" in the German "achtung", it can be used to start a reply when you are asked a tricky question, as in: "Ag, I don't know." Or a sense of resignation: "Ag, I'll have some more food then." It can stand alone too as a signal of irritation or of pleasure.
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deurmekaar (deer-muh-car) - An Afrikaans word for confused, disorganised or muddled up as in "He's a bit deurmekaar today". (A very useful word, by the way!) :)
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eina (ay-nuh or ay-nar) - Ouch! Can also mean "sore". A mother might ask a child that has just tripped and fallen, "Did you get eina?"
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eish (aysh) - Used to express surprise, wonder, frustration or outrage: "Eish! That price is too high!" 
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hang of - Very or big, as in: "I had a hang of a problem".
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ja (yaa) - means 'Yes'. Very similar to "Ja" in German and Dutch.
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jawelnofine - Literally, "yes, well, no, fine", all scrunched into a single word and similar to "How about that?"
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just now - If a South African tells you they will do something "just now", they mean they'll do it in the near future - not immediately: "I'll go to the shop just now after I've finished having lunch."
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hey - Often used at the end of a sentence to emphasize the importance of what has just been said, it can also stand alone as a question. Instead of saying "excuse me?" or "pardon?" when you have not heard something directed at you, you can say: "Hey?" (Although this is not very polite!)
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howzit - A traditional South African greeting that translates roughly as "How are you?", "How are things?" or simply "Hello".
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Isit? - This is a great word in conversations. Comes from the two words "is" and "it", it can be used when you have nothing to contribute if someone tells you something that you are not quite sure about. It is appropriate to respond by saying: "Isit?" /:)
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lekker (lekk-irr with a rolling r) - Nice, good, great, cool or tasty.
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nê (neh) - Really? or is that so? Often used sarcastically.
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now-now - Shortly, in a bit: "I'll be there now-now." 'Now-now' is sooner than 'Just now'!
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shame - Broadly denotes sympathetic feeling. Someone admiring a baby, puppy or kitten might say: "Ag shame!" to emphasise its cuteness. Or if they heard that someone was ill they might say, "Oh shame, I'm sorry to hear that!" or simply "Shame!"
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yebo (jebaʊ) - a Zulu word for 'yes' or 'I agree'                              

A note about pronounciation:                                                                               In many words derived from Afrikaans, the letter "g" is pronounced in the same way as the "ch" in the Scottish "loch" or the German "achtung" - a kind of growl at the back of the throat. In the pronunciation guides above, the spelling for this sound is given as "gh".