One of the things that I really like about Cape Town is the language. Not only are the multitude of accents endearing, but the way many locals address you (at least around my office) can be quite heartwarming. Cape Town is a pretty friendly place.
One of the ladies who I always greet in the mornings with a, “How are you today?” Will usually respond with an enthusiastic, “I am blessed, very blessed today.” And I absolutely love her.
Another thing that I’ve noticed is that instead of following up a “thank you” with a “you’re welcome,” most people instead say, “my pleasure.” My favorite is, “My pleasure, my angel.”
Of course there are some other terms that are different from American English or American slang that I find interesting too:
Stoplights = Robots
Sweater = Jumper
Sneakers = Tekkies
Soccer = also Soccer, but usually referred to as "Bufina bufina"
Farm animal payment to a family so that your son can marry one's daughter = labola (only in really traditional, older African cultures, but yes it still exists)
I'm not quite sure yet if I should use the saying, "God bless you" when someone sneezes...so I'll let you know once I find out.
My favorite is a phrase in Xhosa (pronounced as a click +osa): Kumnandi ukuba lapha. It's nice to be here.
No comments:
Post a Comment