How to Speak South African

Everyone speaks English here, but the English contains a mix of languages and some invented words. Here are a few of the words that we commonly encounter:

•  A traffic light is called a robot; a sidewalk is called a pavement.
•  Some car parts are referred to by their British english names, e.g. "boot" for trunk and "bonnet" for engine.  However, a pickup truck is called a bakkie.  This word, pronounced like "lucky," is Afrikaans, I think.   Many people own bakkies in South Africa, particularly in the more rural areas.
• "Ag" is a multi-purpose word; it can stand alone or is used for emphasis, like "ach" in German.  "Ag, I don't know."
•  "Just now."  While seemingly clear, this phrase is actually used to mean "eventually."  If someone says he will do it "just now,"  be warned that it might be in 10 minutes, 10 hours, or never.
•  One that we run into often is "diary," used for a personal calendar.  Diary can also become a verb, so someone will say about a meeting you're scheduling, "I will diarize that." 

One phrase I love to hear: whenever I say "thank you" to someone, the response is very often "pleasure."  Shortened from "my pleasure," it has a lyrical sound.  I hope you can imagine it.

Finally, I am learning a few Xhosa sentences.  Xhosa speakers use "clicks" in their language for three of the letters:  x, c, and q.  Jim found us this great website for learning Xhosa.  Take a moment to go there and hear it spoken.  Consider it your first Xhosa lesson!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZlp-croVYw