Bundu is a Bantu word meaning “a largely uninhabited wild region far from town.” It was adopted into South African slang and ultimately into British English, and appears in the phrase out in the bundus, with the same meaning. Although it sounds like...
It’s the art of constructive feedback: If you’re a teacher with a mountain of papers to grade, you may find yourself puzzling over which kinds of notes in the margins work best. Martha and Grant discuss strategies for effective paper...
Looking ahead to the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa, Martha and Grant discuss some terms you might hear there. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “South African English” You’re listening to A Way with Words...
garagiste n.— «Then there was the rich red fruity wine with lashings of vanilla and oak from Hofstraat Winery’s Renosterbos Shiraz’. It was inspiring, for the creator is a “garagiste” (a term used to describe home winemakers who...
jackrolling n.— «In a related survey conducted among 1,500 schoolchildren in the Soweto township, a quarter of all the boys interviewed said that “jackrolling”—a South African term for recreational gang rape—was fun.» —“South...
claim v. phr.— «Little pumped his fist to “claim” that ride, surfer parlance for a physical gesture at the end of a good ride that told the others he had won that small battle with nature.» —“South African wins Mavericks...
