Listening in Zulu

-

Listen. Lalela.
Julia Mathunjwa (centre), one of the singers that made
South African music popular abroad. 
She was part of the  group Shikisha, which also provided back-up
for Miriam Makeba.
Friends don’t listen.  Kids do not listen to their parents.  The government doesn’t listen. Tourists in Botswana do not listen to the game park guide about close-up shots of lions.  Husbands and wives do not listen to each other. Peace shall reign only when one person listens and the other one goes on and on.  Sometimes the talker picks up that the listener has switched off.

“You are not listening to me.”

“I am dear.”

I must go to a listening workshop myself.  La-le-la means listen in the language isiZulu.  The first part of the verb is pronounced as in lark or laugh, the second part as in leg and the third part as in lark again.

ZULU
ENGLISH
Lalelani.
A boy’s name.  There might be discord in the family because members disagree on certain things.  The birth of a baby might encourage them to listen to each other.
La-le-la sisi.
Listen sister.
La-le-la bhuti.
Listen brother.
La-le-la-ni zingane.
Kids, listen up.
La-le-la-ni ma-Africa.
Africans, listen up.
La-le-la Angela Merkel.
Listen Angela Merkel.
La-le-la Emmanuel Macron.
Listen Emmanuel Macron.
La-le-la Kim Jong-un.
Listen Kim Jong-un.
La-le-la Donald Trump.
Listen Donald Trump.
Ngi-la-le-le.
I’m listening.
Ba-la-le-le.
They are listening.
Awu-la-leli José.
You don’t listen José.
Awu-la-le-li Samir.
You don’t listen Samir.
Si-la-le-le umculo.
We are listening to music.
Si-la-le-le u-pastor.
We are listening to the pastor.

Exercise:  You friend or partner doesn’t listen to you.  Tell him or her to listen.
Nonqaba waka Msimang is the author the South African novel, Sweetness.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Elections And Political Bullies

-
Image
Forget democracy.   It should be called political bullying. We are watching it in the prelude to the Canadian election on the 19 th of October, 2015.   Americans have also started their political bullying for the looming presidential election next year. So many trees wasted on books about democracy.   Some countries have big budgets for invading other countries ‘ to defend democracy’ but it is seldom practised in campaigning for elections.   Calling opponents names and printing flyers attacking each other is behaviour that will not be tolerated in kindergarten, but it is all legal, in campaigning.   It is irritating and such a let-down to the whole notion of democracy.   Grown-up men and women behaving like Grade One kids. It is also misleading because many voters believe it is real hatred.   Don’t let that fool you.   These politicians play golf together, attend the same dinner parties, eat and drink at the same social events, share jokes and cut deals in parliament.   They
Read more

Comfort Food As Regret Food

-
Image
Chicken curry. Comfort food is good for the soul, which usually bleeds in winter from icy roads, bad drivers that want to annihilate pedestrians, frozen fingers and toes that take a sabbatical.   What happened to my toes?   I thought I was wearing special socks for boots? We therefore have a right to comfort food which throws doctors’ orders out of the window and has no loyalty to calories.   No calculator on the table, thanks very much.   Piece of bread 5 calories, half a banana 10 calories, sugar-free cheesecake 2,000 calories.   Ah! Ah!  We only live once. Naw!   Comfort food is old school food with its compulsory second helping.   It involves licking fingers and giving a big sigh, about the good life, which is shelter, food, love and debt.   The problem is the zip.   The jeans remind you that comfort food can also be called you will regret food .   Home sweet home is even sweeter in winter after surviving blowing snow and bumper to bumper traffic. What is more welcoming th
Read more

No Air Miles

-
Image
I don’t have Air Miles.   I’m considering putting that on a T-Shirt because I cannot go to the drugstore (chemist) or coffee shop without the cashier asking me if I have air miles. We waited for about two minutes the other day, while this guy looked for his Air Miles card in his overweight wallet.   For what?   For a few points. I don’t have air miles because Mathematics is a foreign language.   I was never good in numbers. That is why I squashed the idea of being an investment banker very early in life.   I understand you can invest in cornfields before the soil is turned up or pork bellies even before a baby pig is born. That is how I view air miles, investing in tomorrow or the unknown.   I’m the dumb one.   Some people understand this air miles’ thing so well, I overheard one customer saying: I can even convert my points into cash. Points and air miles are the same thing in Canada and the U.S.   Drugstores or clothing stores even give you a card to collect point
Read more