Language

What up hillbillies and hobos, today’s topic for discussion is going to be language! Believe it or not this is kind of a big thing in my universe, and you won’t have any idea of how much until you live in a place where your native language doesn’t do jack diddily for the locals. Let us start out with Setswana, since that is the lingua franca, and then we can move on to English.

Setswana is a wonderful language and I am having fun trying to come to grips with even a rudimentary grasp of it. With all 14 different noun classes, things can be a real hoot! But who are we kidding? I don’t actually take into account all 14 classes, most of the time I pick one or two and just hope people understand what I am saying; it’s easier for me and just tickles the ladies I work with. But there are a few nouns that I feel particularly attached to, and ones I am now going to warn you about should you choose to take up one of the many colorful languages of the Tswana peoples.

Seytuna- this is a name and in most circumstances means “flower”, then again there are those few times when it also means....take a moment to guess right here, what could a word for flower also mean? If you said “gun” you win a prize! You did say gun right? Who wouldn’t have guessed that flower and gun are the same word??

Madi- one of the few words in the Setswana vocabulary that kinda sounds like its English translation. Madi means “money” in English and most often comes up in my day via small children holding out their hands and saying “mpha madi” which means “give me money.” In case you wanted to know, “no” works in pretty much any language. But what else could this word mean? What is the first thing that comes to mind when I say “African _____ diamonds”? Blood! Yes, madi also means “blood” which is kinda interesting when you know that the Botswana pula (currency of Bots) means “rain.”

Lastly, and this is my absolute favorite, we have lebele- Lebele is a common grain in Botswana and when you are saying it, it should sound like “lay-bell-eh” with the final “eh” going down in pitch. If you pitch that last “eh” up though you are saying “breast.” In a country where homosexual acts are illegal you can imagine how tricky it is when one is attempting to say things like “Ke rata ja lebele” which can mean “I like to eat grain” or “I like to eat boob.”

Now let us move on to English. And we aren’t talking about good ole Americana English, we are talking about the wonderful world of Motswana Accent English! My first hilarious example comes from none other than “why don’t you buy something for me because you are white” dude! I was walking to the library, minding my business, waving and saying hello to the neighbors when Why Don’t You Buy Me Something Dude approached. He then proceeded to tell me how much he needed me to buy him, what I could only interpret as “a Grandfather.” Now most of the time I can figure these out, but for the life of me I have no idea what this young man was saying. The conversation went something like this:

Guy: Hallo! Hi, yes, I have no money, I need grandfather. You will buy?

Me: Ummmmm, hi. You need what?

Guy: I need grandfather, from shop, kwa (he points behind himself at the hardware store)

Me: What? Ga ke tlhalogani (I don’t understand) You need a grandfather?

Guy: Yes grandfather, I need

Me: *very perplexed look*

Guy: Only 5 pula, I need grandfather, you buy me. Give me 2 pula

Me: I’m sorry, I don’t know what you are saying. Ga ke na madi (I have no money)

Man do I love communicating!

As enthusiastic as I am to speak Setswana, there are many children in Rams who are just as enthusiastic to speak “sekoga” or English. There are a few young ones that see me and instantly want to show off their skills. In doing so they essentially word vomit every scrap of English they have stored up in their heads. While shouting out to me from their yards, they sometimes sound like this:

Child: HELLO!

Me: Dumela!

Child: HI! THANK YOU! HOW IS YOUR MORNING? (It is 5pm)

Me: It is nice, how is your morning?

Child: (pause) THANK YOU! MY NAME IS PILOT! YOU ARE MY BEST FRIEND!

Me: Ke bidiwa Tlotlo, dumela Pilot! (My name is Tlotlo, hello Pilot)

Pilot: (pause) HELLO! ...(having run out of English)...mpha sweets! (Give me candy)

Me: Ga ke bua Setswana, ga ke tlhalogani (I don’t speak Setswana, I don’t understand you)

Pilot: (As I am walking away) HELLO!

Me: Go siame! (good bye!)

Oh what good times there are to be had in the Peace Corps J

Rata Thata,

Claire