Wednesday, October 7, 2009

South African English

I am learning some new English phrases, living in South Africa. Let me enlighten you and see what you think:
~"to let" means something is "for rent"
~your costume is not for Halloween, it's what you wear to swim (your bathing suit)
~a robot is a traffic light
~dustbin men pick up our garbage every Friday (after some homeless people go through)
~one does not bar-b-que in South Africa, you have a braai (bry)
~the number sign (#) is now known as the hash sign
~to "text" is to "SMS"
~round-about's don't exist here, instead they drive around circles

P.S. - I am also learning the differences between Canadian and American English. My American friends thought I had a third eye when I talked about the garborator.

1 comment:

  1. There are Grade 9 English teachers who would LOVE a list (or maybe even a recording with accent!) of the differences you mention! It's actually part of the coursework.....

    Marilyn

    ReplyDelete

ESSE QUAM VIDERI - to be, rather than to appear
"Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God."
~Robert W. Pierce