Chapter 1
The birth of the twelve tongued nation
Chapter 2
The linguistic melting pot of the streets
Chapter 3
One anthem, five languages
Chapter 4
Making twelve languages work in real life
Ch 2 · The linguistic melting pot of the streets
BETA
thabo Decode street slang to discover how South Africa's eleven languages blend on the streets.
thabo Code-switching helps people navigate South Africa's multilingual society and express complex emotions that do not easily translate into English.
Quiz
What is the linguistic term for alternating between two or more languages in a single conversation?
thabo South African pop music and movies celebrate Tsotsitaal as a symbol of urban cool.
Quiz
In which decade did the urban slang known as Tsotsitaal first emerge in South African townships?
Fun Fact
The language of braai: The word 'braai' is an Afrikaans term for barbecue that is universally used by all South Africans, regardless of their native language.
Quiz
If a South African driver tells you to turn left at the 'robot,' what are they referring to?
Glossary
tsotsitaal (noun)
A slang language spoken in South African townships that combines Afrikaans grammar with various indigenous African vocabularies. Soweto residents developed the dialect as a shared tongue during the mid-twentieth century.
A slang language spoken in South African townships that combines Afrikaans grammar with various indigenous African vocabularies. Soweto residents developed the dialect as a shared tongue during the mid-twentieth century.
Quiz
Which three letters of the alphabet are used to represent the primary click sounds in written isiXhosa?
Quiz
From which ancient indigenous group did Bantu languages like Xhosa and Zulu adopt click sounds?