Remembering Miriam Makeba

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Miriam Makeba, the South African singer who was in exile during apartheid, is largely responsible, for giving the world a taste of her language isiXhosa through her songs.  She also sang in some languages found in the African continent.  She has a street named after her in Johannesburg.

I went for a meeting in Winnipeg the other day and the receptionist asked me about double and triple consonants that populate my language isiZulu.  I said I didn’t know how many they are, but isiXhosa, Miriam Makeba’s language has much more.
Here are some examples for the language isiZulu.
Original
English translation
Ingqondo
The mind
Iqiniso
The truth
Nqamula
cut
Xova
mix
Iqatha
Piece of meat
Gxuma
Jump (girls like playing jump rope)
Ingqathu
Rope (jump rope)
Xhuma
Join together
Xhawula
Shake hands
Gqoka
Put on clothes
Ngqongqoza
knock
Igquma
A hill
Ixoxo
frog
Ingxoxo
conversation
Ingqungquthela
Conference/summit
Ngo-Mgqibelo
On Saturday
Umgqomo
container (water)
Ingqathu
rope
Umqombothi
beer
Quleka
faint
Nonqaba waka Msimang is the author of Sweetness the novel.
www.dorrancebookstore.com

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