Weekly Challlenge – A Manner of Speaking

I have been looking for an opportunity to capture the beauty of the colorful and crude dialect used by a large portion of the Cape community for a long time.

Thinking about the response I would get from my readers and what they are looking for, I have, however, never been able to find the correct platform to publish it in. Needless to say, I am very excited about the WordPress Weekly Challenge – Manner of Speaking!

The dialect is one to be cherished and I hope I can do it justice!

“Da loep die kjind – hoezit jou ma se kjind?!”
(A man spots someone he knows and says to himself: there he goes! To the friend he says Hello)

“Nei my broe, o’s kap an”
(No it’s all good, no complaints)

“Wa straat djy so vroe-more?”
(What are you doing out and about so early?)

“Nei man, djy check dis soe: Tina is wie innie hospitaal, die longe willie meerie, nou moet die man ma virrie kinners sorre – dis nou iers keffie toe virrie brekfis anners is social op n man se case. Hoe lykit met n entjie?”
(Tina was admitted to hospital for her lungs again so I am off to the shop to get breakfast for the kids. I better get to it or Social Services will be breathing down my neck. Do you have a cigarette for me?)

“Nei broe, die lanie is fresh out. Ik wil nou jys by die mobil stop ma toes die treffics wie agte my”
(Sorry my friend, I don’t have any. I was just about to double park at the corner shop, but the Metro Police was right behind me, so I had to drive past.)

“Is sweet broe, ma wag, my pote moet pat vat, son trek water”
(Don’t worry about it! I better get going, it’s getting late.)

“Blessings brother en se ma vir Tina ik sy bete ansterk, die jonges kort ha bydi hys”
“OK my friend, tell Tina to get well soon, you need her at home.)

“Is broe, is. n Man se huis kan mossie stan sonner n moederie”
(That’s true, a home is nothing without the mother.)

I don’t know how to best translate this in a way which would correctly describe the feeling that they manage to put into a simple conversation. Even when translated to Afrikaans, I would need to ad a lot more to give you the full picture. I guess that is why the Cape Colored Dialect is such an important part of our history.

What a beautiful country we live in!