Table of Contents
Why was Fanagalo used?
With workers originating from a range of countries and having a vast range of different mother tongues, Fanagalo provided a simple way to communicate and is still used as a training and operating medium. Fifteen hours instruction was considered sufficient for an initiate to become reasonably fluent.
Is Fanagalo a language?
Fanakalo is a bridging language of communication in multilingual and multinational settings on South African mines [writers spell this pidgin as either Fanagalo or Fanakalo. Fanakalo is ‘the correct spelling in Zulu or Xhosa orthography’].
What does Fanagalo mean?
: a pidgin language based on Xhosa, Zulu, English, and Afrikaans and spoken in the mines in South Africa.
Is pidgin a language?
The Oxford English Dictionary definition of Pidgin is: A language containing lexical and other features from two or more languages, characteristically with simplified grammar and a smaller vocabulary than the languages from which it is derived, used for communication between people not having a common language; a …
How many people speak Fanagalo?
Fanagalo is a Zulu-based Pidgin, which emerged during the 19th century in KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. In addition to Zulu, it also has some vocabulary from English and Afrikaans. The number of speakers is uncertain, being estimated as several hundred thousand in 1975, according to Ethnologue.
How did South African gold miners communicate?
Born in the darkness of South African gold mines during Apartheid, “gumboot dancing” sprung from the basic need for exploited miners to communicate in what was a harrowing environment, where they were forbidden to even speak to one another.
What is pidgins and creoles?
The word pidgin refers to a language used as a means of communication between people who do not share a common language. When a pidgin develops into a more complex language and becomes the first language of a community, it is called a creole.
What kind of language is Fanagalo in South Africa?
Definition of Fanagalo. : a pidgin language based on Xhosa, Zulu, English, and Afrikaans and spoken in the mines in South Africa.
Where does the Zulu word Fanagalo come from?
Mine Fanagalo in South Africa and Zimbabwe is based mostly on Zulu vocabulary (about 70%), with English (about 25%) and some words from Afrikaans (5%). It does not have the range of Zulu inflections, and it tends to follow English word order.
How did the Fanagalo pidgin language get its name?
Chi-lapa-lapa thus is the “language” derived from lapa = “there”, with reduplication for emphasis. Fanagalo is one of a number of African pidgin languages that developed during the colonial period to promote ease of communication.