Now Now or Just Now?

October 25, 2013

This weekend we were invited to a braai and to watch a rugby game at a friend's place. Sitting around with a few beers (and with the South Africans greatly outnumbering the Canadians), we started talking about some of the differences between Canadian English and South African English. I know it is common knowledge that every English-speaking country has slight differences in wording uses, names for things and slang. That being said, I thought it might be interesting to share some of the particulars between Canada and South Africa specifically because, well, that's my current point of reference.

For starters, in South Africa the trunk of a car is the boot and the hood is the bonnet, my purse is my handbag and my wallet is my purse, a car horn hoots rather thank honks, the elevator is the lift, and ballet flats are pumps. A traffic light is a robot, a pickup truck is a bakkie, running shoes are tekkies, a water heater is a geyser, a shopping bag is a packet, and a mortgage is a bond.

Given that English is just one of eleven official languages in this country, and is the mother tongue of less than 10% of the population, it only makes sense that even in English there are many non-English words woven into everyday speech. Braai for example, being the Afrikaans word for barbeque, and "yebo" meaning "yes" or "hello" in Zulu.

This is all supplementary to the fact that South Africans pronounce and annunciate differently than Canadians. It's true: "bad" sounds like "bed", "bed" like "bid", and t's are sharp- "but-ter" versus "budder". And when it comes to spelling and grammar rules, there are of course differences there as well. South Africans replace "z" with "s" (realise, recognise, and organise, for example). Also, dates are written (and spoken) with the day preceding the month: for example, "I'll see you 2 November".

Like everywhere on the planet, South Africans have their fair share of sayings, and since I never get away unscathed when I drop an innocent "about" into the conversation, I feel I've earned the right to share a few of these:

One of my personal favourites is that "now" is South Africa actually means anything but now. "Now", "now now" or "just now" could mean anywhere from 30 seconds to never...for example: if you're passing someone in the hallway, going the opposite direction, they might say "I'll meet with you just now", yet they are going the other way and are clearly not going to meet with you now.

"Shame!"- somewhere along the lines of "oh, that's too bad", or "I'm so sorry to hear that", but used much more frequently and in a wider array of circumstances.

"Hectic"- this one has many meanings, and can be used in both a positive and a negative context. It could be anything from wild, chaotic or impressive, to ridiculous or insane to downright awful or bored.

"Howzit?"- an abbreviated version of "How's it going?", but less as a question and more as a statement.

"Are you winning?"- somewhere along the lines of asking if things are working out well for you. Along the same vein, "first prize" is often used to represent the best case scenario. Perhaps everything is a competition…?

"Sharp" or "sharp sharp"- this is more of a closing statement or to end a conversation...while I cannot think of the Canadian equivalent, it seems to somehow fit where it's used, without actually replacing a word.

"As well"- this is used in the traditional sense of "I'll have some as well", but also as a bit of a filler, and with the emphasis on the as more than the well.

Throw a piercing Canadian accent into the mix, and well, as you might imagine, I've received more than a few blank stares when asking for something or telling a story…it's all part of the fun though, eh?