Emma

She loved red wine. She also loved the sound, and action, of her name. There was a link. The people closest to he called her Em, but the tail of her name also carried satisfaction. The sip as two lips press together, followed by the exhalation as they released… satisfied.

Emma sipped her red wine. She sat thinking about the people she loved. She was home alone. Lived alone. But she was not alone. The taste of each and every one of those people who had said her name lingered. A warm glow.

Those moments when she sat with a glass, and someone she loved, were her favourite. When she was alone, like tonight, she would close her eyes and visit people. Kuier. Her favourite word. An Afrikaans word. Kitchen Dutch. A language that was born in heartache, and yet still symbolised so much beauty for her.

Emma’s mother was Afrikaans. She had died when Emma was young. Emma couldn’t really remember her, but she had written a large pile of journals. In Afrikaans. Em would visit her mother by reading the pages in which she had poured out her heart.

Her mother had been a lover of life, and people. She had grown up in a very confusing time. A time when the love of her parents had been forbidden. Emma’s grandfather had grown up in Swaziland on a farm. Her grandmother lived nearby, but it could have been another planet.

Korthand

Vooroordeel is 'n nuttige kortskrif vir beginners. Wanneer iemand sê, 'Ek kan nie die klavier speel nie', beteken dit nie: 'Dit is onmoontlik vir my om die klavier te speel.' Wat hulle werklik bedoel, is: 'Ek het nooit die nodige moeite gedoen om te leer hoe om die klavier te speel nie.' Die speel van die klavier is soos om 'n taal te leer. Dit is moeilik. Dit verg konteks. Dit verg koördinasie tussen die hande, die oë, die geheue en die emosies. Rassisme is effektief dieselfde ding. 'Al X mense lyk dieselfde' is kortliks, 'Ek het nog nie geleer om die individue te kan sien nie. Ek het nie genoeg konteks en begrip om buite die wêreld waar ek grootgeword het, te sien nie. '

Dieper Begrip

As jy jou ore oplei, kan jy hoor dat die grense tussen tale vaag is. Engels is 'n duidelike voorbeeld. Baie min mense op Mud Island praat soos die Koningin. Ek is 'n Engelsspreker van die eerste taal (met 'n Suid-Afrikaanse aksent) en daar is baie stede waar ek sukkel om te verstaan. Glasgow is die mees voor die hand liggende voorbeeld. Dit is wanneer hulle die 'dieselfde' woord sê. Wannee jy na Duits, of Nederlands, of Sweeds, of Frans luister, sal daar woorde wees wat die tale skakel. Daar is selfs woorde wat Spaans en Sanskrit (Naranja - Oranje) verbind. 'Lycka' in Sweeds beteken 'joy/happiness or geluk'. Dit is maklik om die verband met Lekker in Afrikaans te sien. Iets wat lekker is, bring beslis vreugde en geluk. Om ander tale te leer, kan wees om 'n voorwerp rondom en om te draai. Om 'n wyer uitsig te kry. 'N Dieper begrip.

Lekker Sop

Die beste ding oor Afrikaans voordat dit 'n amptelike taal geword het, was dat dit 'n kombuistaal was. Net soos Engels voor dit gestandaardiseer was. Net soos isiXhosa aan die rand van die Bantoe-migrasies. Al hierdie tale het op die geure van ander tale getrek. Ek hou van die idee dat ons taal weer na die kombuis gaan neem. Soos sop. Jy benodig aftreksel (wat Engels kan wees aangesien dit 'n globale taal is), maar dan maak jy die sop deur stukkies by te voeg. Die meeste tale was Nasionale skeppings. Ontwerp vir Apartheidstyl Nasies. As ons vorentoe beweeg, sal dit wonderlik wees om tale te ontwerp wat ontwerp is om te luister en te vier. Tale ontwerp vir 'n lewe wat die moeite werd is om te lewe.

Waterblommetjie-sop

Klink Goed

Ek is altyd baie impressed by mense wat meer as een taal kan praat. ‘n Groot part van my identitie kom van my liefde van woorde. Ek weet dat ek kan dikwels te veel praat, maar die mees van die tyd kan ek my punt duur kry. In Engels. Die laaste keer wat ek moet in Afrikaans skryf of praat was by skool. Ek weet dat ek nie so slim in Afrikaans klink. Ek kry ‘n bietjie kwaad wanneer ek sien mense wat grappe maak oor iemand’s sleg Engels. Die kans dat Engels die persoon’s derde of vierde taal is, is hoog. Dit is ook miskien hoekom Engels mense probeer nie om in ander taale te praat. Ons maak baie foute. Miskien is dit a goeie ding om gewoon te kry met nie so slim te klink.

Flemish Ears

I enjoy talking Afrikaans to Flemish people. They assume the bits they don't understand are because of language differences rather than my really bad Durban Boy accent and limited vocabulary. If I don't know the Afrikaans word, I can just throw in the English word. Again, the Flemish person won't know this is because I didn't know the word. They are just excited that they can tell what I am trying to say. Flemish is the variety of Dutch spoken by those living in the Northern part of Belgium called Flanders. Actual Afrikaners know how bad my Afrikaans is. The irony is that until post-Boer War German-inspired National Socialism got in the way... Afrikaans was a kitchen language. It took the flavours from all the people who were mixing on the Southern tip of Africa from sea-based migration with local people. Afrikaans is the home language of 75% of mixed-race South Africans. Similarly isiXhosa was heavily influenced by people on the frontiers of the land-based migration. These two languages had their ears open. I like the idea of language going back to the kitchen. Far less emphasis on standardisation, and far more emphasis on getting excited by what people are trying to say.

Flanders

Stokvel 2.0

A fellow Basic Income fan describes it as 'the Stokvel that went to Harvard'. A Stokvel is a by-invitation club that pools money and then assists each member of the community in turn. The word derives from the stock fairs of English Settlers in the Eastern Cape. Post Napoleon, the English pushed into Southern Africa to establish settlements on the frontiers between the isiXhosa and the Dutch colony. There is a beautiful twist that the word now has an Afrikaans (African Dutch) flavour and the concept is used by approximately 1/3 black South African adults. Stokvels have a commonly agreed constitution, dictating contributions, how the money is paid out, and the roles and responsibilities of the members. A Community Wealth Fund that paid 150 basic incomes to its members would be a self-financed Stokvel.

Eastern Cape

Conversation

I love conversation. When I am chatting to someone about something we both care about. I used to love debate, but I am less and less fond of two people trying to find holes in each others arguments. Partly because I think we are so bad at expressing ourselves. If you look for holes, you will find them. First, you should look for what the person is saying, why they are saying it, and where you have common language. That is why I prefer conversation. It isn't about defeat. It is just two people, without fear, exploring an idea. In Afrikaans, they call that a Kuier. It requires time and desire. There is no other way to truly see someone. There is no other way to connect.

Coffee and Conversation

Perspektief

Ek het gister terug van Suid Afrika na Engeland gekom. Ek het in 2008 na London verskuif om naby my nuwe niggie te woon, en om die groot wereld te sien. Ek was baie gelukkig om vir a maatskappy met Suid Afrikaanse wortels te werk. My werk het ook my dikwels terug huis toe geneem. Met social media, het ek ook naby my vriende gevoel. Ek het baie van my vriende meer dikwels gesien omdat ek so ver weg gewoon het. Wanneer ek in Kaapstad, Jozi of Durbs was, het hulle poging gemaak om my te sien. Wanneer ek daar gewoon het, het mense gedink dat daar altyd 'nog 'n kansie' sal wees.

Die ding wat het verander is my vergelykings. Ons se wereld is opgemaak van wat ons sien. Omdat ek in London woon, sien ek ander dinge. Dit maak die dinge in Suid Afrika anders lyk. Daar is ook armoed in London, maar dit lyk anders. Om een te sien, dan op 'n vliegtuig te klim, en dan 'n ander te sien maak beide anders lyk. Ek dink perspektief is baie kragtig. Dit is maklik om net in ons eie borrels te woon. Om nou end dan net na die mense buite ons borrels te loer. Maar onse woon in 'n wereld met 7.4 miljard mense, en elke een van hulle is belangrik. Net net vir julle eie voordeel. Vir ons voordeel. 

Probleme het soortgelyke smaake. As ons vir ander mense omgee, maak dit onse eie wereld beter. 

Ek smaak Perspektief soos Jam, en ek smaak Jam baie.

Direct Translation from (bad) Afrikaans to English using Google Translate (without Editing)

Yesterday I returned from South Africa came to England. I moved to London in 2008 to live near my new niece, and to see the big world. I was very happy to work for a company with South African roots. My work often took home me. With social media, I felt close to my friends. I have many of my friends have seen more often because I have so far lived. When I was in Cape Town, Jozi or Durbs, they made effort to see me. When I lived there, people thought that there always has to be a lull in the fishing.

The thing that has changed is my comparisons. We say the world is made up of what we see. Because I live in London, I saw other things. It does things in South Africa look different. There are also armoed in London, but it looks different. To see one, then to board a plane, and then to see another make both look different. I think perspective is very powerful. It's easy to just live in our own bubbles. For now end then glanced at the people outside our bubble. But our lives in a world with 7.4 billion people, and each of them is important. Just only for your own benefit. For our benefit.

Problems similar smaake. If we care about other people, making it our own world better.

I taste perspective as Jam, and I taste Jam lot.

Spel en Grammar

Ek het verleede jaar na Holland toe gegaan. Dit was lekker om Afrikaans te praat. Een rede was dat hulle het nie geweet net hoe sleg my Afrikaans was. Wanneer hulle my nie kan verstaan, het hulle gedink dat dit was net omdat Afrikaans en Hollands nie die selfde is. My Afrikaans is nie goed nie. Daar is definitief baie spel foute en ek weet nie a fraksie van die woorde wat ek ken in Engels. Ek voel nie asof ek die beste van myself kan maak. 

Wanneer 'n groep van mense Afrikaans praat, luister ek versigtig en stil. In Engels, ek moet hard probeer om net te luister. Ek praat veel. In Afrikaans, elke woord kom stadig uit. Ek probeer om nou isiXhosa te leer. Die interesante ding is dat as jy baie 'goed' praat, dink mense dat jy van die rural Ooste Kaap kom. Die mense in die stad praat isiXhosa wat sit a 'i' voor baie ander taal se woorde. Die belangrike ding is om mense te verstaan.

Dit maak my lag 'n bietjie. As jy probeer om te show off met jou goeie Xhosa, dan sal mense dink dat jy 'n bietjie backwards is. Eusebius McKaiser dink dat dit tyd is om te 'decolonise Afrikaans'. Ek is keen om sy battle call te antwoord. Afrikaans en Xhosa is taale van die mense. Engels ook! Daar is geen 'korek Engels'. Die Queen praat net een soort engels. 

Die rede hoekom ek so lekker Afrikaans gepraat is met die mense van Holland en die Flemish is dat hulle het groot geglimlag. Wanneer ek probeer om isiXhosa te probeer praat, het mense ook groot geglimlag. Ek moet net 'kunjani' se, en die klein kinders het gese, 'Hawu, umlungu uthetha isiXhosa'. Net een woord!

Die laaste week was nie lekker vir my hart. Ek glo in 'n wereld sonder grense. Ek glo in 'n wereld waar almal het 'n kans en almal is belangrik. Ek woon in London. 'n Stad wat vir my belang na die wereld. Ek dink een maneer om te wys dat ons van ons geskiedneis geleer het, om te wys dat ons kan leer, is om mekaar se taale te leer. Nie al daardie vrek moeilik rele, maar genoeg woorde om te kuier. Genoeg woorde om te kyk vir die dinge wat belangrik is.

Om nie 'n spel en grammar check te doen op elke ding wat mense se. Ek sal probeer om meer mense te kry om in ander taal guest posts te skryf. Dit lyk nie asof ons vir die politicians kan wag om grense te laat sterf. Ons moet die werk doen om dit self te doen.

Direct Unedited Google Translate: (Bad) Afrikaans to English

I verleede year went to Holland. It was nice to speak Afrikaans. One reason was that they did not know just how bad I was Afrikaans. When they can not get me, they thought it was just because Afrikaans and Dutch are the same. My African is not good. There is definitely a lot of spelling mistakes and I do not know a fraction of the words I know in English. I do not feel like I can make the best of myself.

When a group of people speaking Afrikaans, I listen carefully and quietly. In English, I have tried to just listen. I talk a lot. In Afrikaans, every word coming out slowly. I'm trying to learn now isiXhosa. The interesting thing is that if you have lots of 'good' talk, people think you come from the rural Eastern Cape. The people in the city speak isiXhosa sitting a "i" for many other language words. The important thing is to understand people.

It makes me laugh a little. If you try to show off your good Xhosa, then people will think you are a little backward. Eusebius McKaiser think that it is time to 'decolonise Afrikaans'. I am keen to answer his battle call. Afrikaans and Xhosa taale of the people. English too! There is no 'is filled in correctly English. The Queen speaks only one kind of English.

The reason why I'm talking so nice African with the people of Holland and Flemish is that they have big smiles. When I try to try to speak isiXhosa, people also smiled big. I just need 'Kunjani's, and the grandchildren said, "Hawu, umlungu uthetha isiXhosa'. Just one word!

The last week was not good for my heart. I believe in a world without borders. I believe in a world where everyone has a chance and everybody is important. I live in London. A city that for me, to the world. I think one maneer to show that we have learned from our geskiedneis, to show that we can learn, is to learn each other's taale. Not all those die hard relay, but enough words to socialize. Enough words to look for the things that are important.

Not to make a game and grammar check on everything that people say. I will try to get more people to write in another language guest posts. It does not look like we're the politicians can wait to kill boundaries. We must do the work to do it yourself.