African slang...news paper cutting from Deccan Herald (I)

Language tips

Key to unlock the African lingo!

JOHANNESBURG:

Even though English is South Africa's official first language, many World Cup visitors may find it hard navigating the local lingo, a bewildering mixture of Afrikaans, Zulu and nine other native tongues.

The first part of the A-Z of slang, featuring A to H offers a rough guide for soccer fans worried about getting lost in South Africa's linguistic jungle. A: Ayoba. A made-up word meaning "cool", and given continent-wide currency after its appropriation as a World Cup slogan by MTN, Africa's biggest mobile phone company. B: Braai. Cooking meat on a fire is one of the few things that appeals equally to all South Africans, no matter their colour. Expect to go hungry if you refer to it as a barbecue. C: China. No, not the country, which failed to qualify for the World Cup. China, as in "Howzit, my old China?", means "friend", much as it does in London's East End, its probable port of origin. "Chommie" takes "China" to the next level. D: Dagga. Marijuana. Even though weed grows like a, er, weed in many parts of temperate South Africa, it is still illegal. That said, expect more than the odd whiff at soccer fan parks, where you will also meet the "diski dance", a series of township soccer-inspired moves, and the "dumpie", a squat bottle of beer. E:  Eish! A catch-all expression of surprise or mild annoyance. Not allowed to appear in print without an exclamation mark. F:  Fundi. Every language has to have a word for the armchair soccer know-it-all. In South Africa, the Zulu word for "teacher" fills the void. G: Gatvol. "Fed up" in Afrikaans. With the 'v' pronounced like an 'f', it's very similar to the English "gutful". As in "Eish! man. I'm gatvol of this fundi. He has no idea what he's talking about." H: Howzit. Guttural shortening of "How is it going?" and the standard South African greeting. Spoken by true exponents with minimal movement of the lips. Response should simply be another "Howzit" -- unless you are an excessively polite and verbose Englishman, in which case you can stick to "I'm fine, thanks. How are you?". "Hola" and "Heita" are popular alternatives, especially if you want to be ayoba on the streets of Soweto.