GQOM

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"I know one tappet like that" - Exploring a South African stereotype

tappet /’tæpət/ | also occurs as tappit, teppit /’tɛpət/ | slang, stereotype, pejorative | noun 1. a. a (usually working class) car (cf. petrolhead, petrolkop) or car customisation or racing enthusiast; or b. more generally, a working class, usually white Afrikaner, South African considered to be common, uncouth, gauche, and/or stupid; or c. more generally, the society and/or culture said to be…

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More going on than you think – “dala” in South African English

The isiXhosa verb "dala" is regularly used in South African English these days, having arrived by a somewhat circuitous route. It as a generally agreed upon meaning; yet, looking more closely, one notices that there is a lot more happening under the hood.

dala noun 1. thing, going on, happening, do | compare “gedoente” (DSAE), s2: “a thing; a creation” | verb 2. do | often occurs in the phrase “dala what you must” i.e. do what you must, get it done, make it happen; do it your own way | compare “make a plan” (DSAE): “To devise a way of doing something, especially of overcoming some difficulty; maak ’n plan” || from Kaaps and/or Sabela [prison…

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All-time most-viewed articles at GQOM: 1–5

A round-up of the most popular articles on GQOM over the last five years. Here's 1-5. Discover amapiano, eish, fong kong, gqwirhiness, kota, msunery, Mzansi, ngudu, quart, skaftin, smallanyana, sterring, umgowo, and Zamalek, among dozens more.

1.  The origin of “Mzansi”—a detective story It means “South” in isiXhosa (yes, that one, the South African language you heard spoken in Wakanda in The Black Panther)—and it’s been an informal name for Africa’s southernmost country for going on a generation now. By the turn of the century, the isiZulu spelling of the word had become dominant over the isiXhosa one (Mzantsi), and since then it’s…

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English with African roots: “balance me”—explain to me, help me understand

The phrase "balance me" shows a wholly different kind of use in Africa than it does in the rest of the world. Why should this be the case? How is it different? And what does "balance me" even mean in English in SA?

balance verb | help (someone) to understand, explain to (someone) | usually occurs as “balance me” (help me understand, explain to me) | possibly a calque from isiXhosa and isiZulu, ukulinganisela (to make things equal for someone or something), based on ukulinganisa (to make things equal; to show, demonstrate to someone) “Balance me”1—nothing to see here, really. A phrase—not even a lexical…

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All-time most-viewed articles at GQOM: 6–10

Ranks 6 to 10 of the most popular articles on GQOM over the last five years. Manga manga, umrabulo, and kop and gat - plus a host of English-language words and phrases from Black SA English, and a few loaned adverbs thrown in to spice up things.

6. ​Lies, all lies – ‘manga manga’ in SA English Manga manga did the rounds a few years back – it’s been used in everything from advertising to parliament. And one can see why: at the heart of manga manga is deceit, dissimulation, disingenuousness, and just plain lying. First recorded in the 1970s, today it often occurs as “manga manga business.” (GQOM Classics) 7. South Africa’s culture of…

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All-time most-viewed articles at GQOM: 11–15

A round-up of the most popular articles on GQOM over the last five years. Here's 11-15. Find out more about khumsha, papgeld, papsak, paraat, plak, taalbul, tekere, tjank, toeka, zap sign, and zol.

11. To khumsha—to speak English In modern parlance, to khumsha means to speak English. This post traces some of the history of khumsha, touching on its original senses of “speak on behalf of another, interpret,” as well as the shadow sense of dissimulation that may still haunt it today, and demonstrates its use in English in South Africa since the turn of the century.    12. T – The Persistance…

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Throwing a zap: how to talk about showing someone the middle finger in South Africa—the zap sign

You know what I mean: the zap sign — a gesture that sends an unequivocal message of "F*** you." Elsewhere referred to as "giving the middle finger" or "flipping the bird." A historical lexicographic treatment of the phrase in South African English

zap sign | noun | 1. the offensive gesture of raising the middle finger to someone or something to indicate dislike, disagreement, or anger; usually occurs as pull, show, or throw (Afrikaans: gooi) a zap sign | 2. (such phrases used figuratively) disparage, dismiss, treat with scorn or contempt, oppose zap | 1. noun | (see zap sign) | 2. verb | to pull a zap sign Thinking about “zap…

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"So paraat he stands at attention all night." — Persistence/Heritage 2.3

Afrikaans military slang from the bad old days of the 80s. The communists were on our doorstep, after all. A historical lexicographic treatment of the word in English in South Africa

Go to Persistence/Heritage overview paraat | ˌpʌˈra:t, ˌpəˈra:t | adj. | (originally military slang) 1. ready, prepared; 2. aware, (on the) alert, attentive, vigilant; 3. proper, disciplined; 4. proud; 5. keen, eager, gung-ho | from Afrikaans paraat (ready, prepared) Citations providing indications of the range of meanings of the term and of its military origin: a) Paraat, a state of mind…

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“He murders all his brain cells with the papsak.” — Persistence/Heritage 2.2

Notorious in several quarters for the havoc it plays with mind and health, the South African papsak is peak infamy. A historical lexicographic treatment of the word in English in South Africa

Go to Persistence/Heritage overview papsak | ˈpʌpˌsʌk | n. | cheap wine sold in a foil bag; the foil bag in which the wine is sold | also used attributively and figuratively (see below) | from Afrikaans pap (soft) + sak (bag) 2002      A woman wearing a doek … lay dazed on the ground, an empty papsak draped over her. 2003      A container of wine, known locally as a “papsak,” is sold for as…

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"Papgeld. Bolova please pay maintenance." — Persistence/Heritage 2.1

The world over, baby daddies may suddenly get all shy when it's time to go beyond just talking about papgeld. A historical lexicographic treatment of the word in English in South Africa

Go to Persistence/Heritage overview papgeld | ˈpʌpˌxeld | n. (non-count) | child maintenance, child support (payment) | also occurs attributively, e.g. papgeld court, papgeld dodger | from Afrikaans pap (porridge, baby cereal) + geld (money) 1996   And when I make my way down the aisle, hand it over, your rands, your cents, your rent money, your furniture money, your fahfee money, your papgeld,…

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Persistence/Heritage 2: P—papgeld, papsak, paraat, plak

More new and recent words from Afrikaans in South African English: a tour through papgeld, papsak, paraat, and plak

This is the second module on new or recent informal, colloquial, and slang lexical items in SA English that are sourced from Afrikaans words and phrases. The first post featured items beginning with T. This one features some beginning with P (see the list of words below). Material is new or recent in the sense that the items are not recorded in the 1996 DSAE and are in current use. I have…

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The mysterious case of toeka | The Persistence of Heritage

Phrases like “van toeka af” have been used in SA for a long time to refer to the distant past. How “toeka” came into Afrikaans in the first place remains a mystery. In English since the 20th century, it may have detoured via Tsotsitaal.

toeka | ˈtʊkə | n. | a long time ago, the very beginning, the distant past, the olden days, ancient times; usually occurs in phrases like “van toeka af” (from/since toeka) and “toeka se dae” (the days of toeka) | from Afrikaans, possibly via Tsotsitaal and Is’camtho; originally, probably from Nama huga or Malay toea (tua) The word “toeka” and the phrases in which it is found have been in use in…

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(go) tekere | The Persistence of Heritage: Words from Afrikaans in SA English

(go) tekere | The Persistence of Heritage: Words from Afrikaans in SA English

(go) tekere (gəʊ) tə’kɪərə | adv. | behave in a raucous manner, cause a ruckus, make a racket, cause a scene, whether in a belligerent or a well-meaning manner; be wildly agitated or over-excited or act in an out-of-control fashion | from Afrikaans, keer (kɪər), turn (around, back), from Dutch | also occurs as “te kere” How does one go tekere? What does it mean? The phrase “go tekere” is…

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The Persistence of Heritage: New and Recent Words from Afrikaans in SA English (1—T)

The Persistence of Heritage: New and Recent Words from Afrikaans in SA English (1—T)

(List of entries for T follows below) In this and subsequent posts—on the pages listed and linked below—I record and describe a number of words and phrases from Afrikaans that now also occur in English in South Africa. This continues the idea of treating new and recent SA English lexical items according to their source language, as was the practice in Talking Back 1 and Talking Back 2, where the…

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taalbul (n.) | Words from Afrikaans in SA English: The Persistence of Heritage

taalbul (n.) | Words from Afrikaans in SA English: The Persistence of Heritage

taalbul ‘tɑːlbœl, ‘tɑːlbəl | n. | rare | a champion (stalwart, advocate) of the Afrikaans language, possibly fanatical | from Afrikaans: taal “language” + bul “bull” (figuratively, “champion;” consider, e.g. “bull market”) Though this word has been used in English in South Africa for more than 35 years, the consistent presence of quotation marks or italics suggests that it has not yet been…

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tjank (v., n.) | The Persistence of Heritage: Words from Afrikaans in SA English

What do you think of when you hear the word "tjank"? A jackal howling at the full moon in the Karoo veld? A rugby player bawling on the touchline after losing a tournament final? A child wailing for an ice-cream cone dropped on the ground? It's all here

tjank ʈʃʌnk | v. | 1. wail, weep, cry, howl, blubber; 2. whine, bleat | n. | moaning, whining complaint | from Afrikaans: wail, howl (like a jackal or dog) A Wikipedia page of South African slang words provides the following example of “tjank” used in a sentence that also contains other South African English slang words: “Yissis chick, quit chunking over that gebe.” (“Jesus, chick, quit crying…

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Trending at GQOM: mjolo and a host of other words you can get to know

Trending at GQOM: mjolo and a host of other words you can get to know

A year ago, just as South Africa was entering Covid-19-enforced lockdown, GQOM published the second part of a two-part series on new and recent words and phrases in Black South African English (BSAE) that contain elements from more than one language, usually English and another—most often Zulu or Xhosa. The first part of the series, “Talking Back 1”—black South Africans talking back to the…

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