When are the white S. Africans going to learn African languages?

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gunner2za

i speak eng, afr,xhosa, zulu,dutch and can understand bit of german.......................what is your point

dWali

My mother tongue is an African language. I also speak English.

jovvijo

I want to learn Zulu!
(I'm a failure at clicking so Xhosa is now off my list!)

The words are so huge though and my ability to spell is more then some what lacking but I'm willing to give it a try!
(Mostly so that I can eaves-drop on my neighbours, but no one said there had to be a noble reason to learn right?)

Failing that I'll just learn a few choice swear words. That seems to get most folk by!

General Proud

i tried. i failed. let's leave it there.

a jew trying to speak zulu is not a pretty sight.

Great Blistering Barnacles

I already speak an African language, Afrikaans and I can also speak English. As far as benefit goes I don't see much use in me investing the time to learn another African language. In the industry I work and considering the people I work with it would probably be more beneficial for me to learn another european language like german or french.

poepies

Ha ha ha, Inno, Nou't ek lekker gelag!!!! I'll take it as a compliment!

I know I said I won't answer any of you stupid question, but this is actually a good question, hence the answer.....

I try to speak it, but I get confused when sometimes they speak Sotho, Zulu or even Fanagalo! (or whatever you might call it.) I can understand a bit though if you speak slowly and it is Sotho..... But one day, I will address you in an African Language. Wan tla logana (I don't know how to write it, but I guess you'll UNDERSTAND what I say?)

Nou's die vraag my ou, hoe goed is jou Afrikaans. Kan jy dit vlot praat, want deesdae kry 'n mens maar van julle ook wat weier om Afrikaans te praat.... So..... laat ek hoor, ek wag in spanning!

Brad Morris 9

They better learn quickly. It's an African country.

Vango

I DO speak an idigenous African language - Afrikaans, the second biggest language in SA and born and bred on African soil.
How's your Afrikaans?

Reb Da Rebel

Good point... (though I'm not generalizing)

There are a few, Bush, who couldnt be bothered... I promise. One person a while back even complained that some blacks shouldn't even speak English coz it sounds horrid. My arguement then was, isnt it a good thing that they're at least trying, and in doing so accomodating the white person who wont even hear them speak in Xhosa or Pedi?

I'm trying to learn Afrikaans (from this forum), although Poepies is teaching me how to get ino trouble when I mimick her... lol! But she just says the darndest things, I have to repeat them!!! I love how expressive she is... (",)

Plus I appreciate every other white person on this forum who at least makes an effort. Also the ordinary SOuth african out of the forum.

It would really be nice to hear a bit more try. Our engineer, who is white, loves reading the vernacular scripts, and I think through the years many of them have learnt from those scripts. It makes the recording process, and editing so much quicker and smoother coz I dont have to constantly tell him where to pu SFX and cut, edit, slot.... etc

Baie dankie (",)

bean

I used to speak zulu but in pretoria no-one understands it

roxxybean

i learned to speak a bit of tswana in high school but now that i live in the eastern cape i barely get to use it. i think i must look into taking some xhosa classes.

jack daniels

When i lived in Ficksburg i used to be quite fluent in Sotho because i was the general manager of a clothing factory across the border in Maputsoe ( Lesotho) but have lost most of it because of being based in the far east, but my son is learning Zulu in school in Durban and is quite fluent already, so there you have it not all whites are that unfeeling towards black people.

Angelpaws

As you might have noticed if you didn't have your head so far up your own @ss... I AM learning Zulu!!

And for once, I actually agree with you!! You get a lot more respect and co-operation when you address someone in their own language.
Vuga mfwetu - not all whiteys are racists. Some of us ARE making an effort.

I listen and participate on SAfm. There's one guy called Eddie who is regular on talk shows. He is a farmer from Fickburg in the Free State. He speaks fluent Sesotho. He sometimes speaks phrases I never knew before. This means I learnt some experssions from him.

Eddie Trent of the DA can speak fluent isiXhosa, the same goes with Helen Zille.

While there are some whites who would not even attempt, quite a large number try and some are fluent in those languages.

T.I

Good question.

-One Love-

these days i see it important to speak the language/s of our fellow black people in our area. some people just don't take the liberty in learning any of them. i was learning sotho in grd 6...i wouldn't mind learning that and zulu again.

Alf Garnett 8

Maybe if the ANC gave them a valid reason to do so they would. Consider that the business language of SA is English and that it is ANC Policy to get rid of Whites and they dont speak African languages in Europe,Aus,NZ or the US where they are headed.

Bull IV

I think you have raised a question again with complete disregard for the facts.
I know of several white South African who can speak a black language and several more who are attempting to learn the basics of those languages.
The majority of white South Africans who never learnt a black language in the past also encourage their children to learn.
You make it seem as though we are anti African culture and languages when we are not, that saddens me.
South Africas problems and ignorance regarding the cultures of others will take generations to repair, attempt some patience please.

thumba

The younger generation are learning African languages in school.I think it hard to teach old dogs new tricks. I am putting all my money on the next generation.They are our future . We would be fussing about this and that because most of us are from the old schools. Now in the last ten years look at schools they are mixing not all but they are mixing .Go positive and you will get results.

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