Tsonga Encounters

I am very proud of myself. I had a successful interaction with my supervisor and one of our trainers in Tsonga today that encompassed more than whether or not I would like tea, if I was tired, or the weather. I showed my supervisor, Queen, the webpage I have been working on for our NGO, and managed to explain most of the content in Tsonga with only a few random English words to fill in the gaps. True, this is made easier by the fact that a lot of technical terms—including all the computer terms and the names of the training courses—are the said in English even by Tsonga speakers, but I’m still very pleased. As is she, since as a byproduct of the webpage I had to organize all the photos that were haphazardly on a dozen different CDs.

The thing about language study in South Africa is that most people speak English passably well because the school system is conducted in English. In addition, because SA has eleven official languages that are regionally distributed, people who conduct business cross-regionally often have to communicate in English, even though it might be the second language of both. Hence most people, other than the very old, speak English significantly better than I speak Tsonga.

The unfortunate byproduct is that most people either don’t want to speak Tsonga with me, or else assume that if I know a little Tsonga I am fluent and thus that I will understand them when they start spouting off at about the same speed our taxi is going. My sister and supervisor sometimes explain to people that I’m learning Tsonga but need them to speak slowly, but I think slow is a relative concept. The former is more frustrating than the latter. People often continue to ask me questions in English even when I answer in Tsonga, totally ignoring my effort. It’s depressing to think all my hard work during training has gone for this.

There are other annoying language-related things I could rant about, but I will refrain.

As a consequence, I very much appreciate the few people I know who make an effort to speak with me in very slow Tsonga. They put up with my slow speaking and are patient enough to repeat themselves rather than just switch languages. My supervisor, my sister, and the trainers at Khanimamba have all been very helpful this way. Whenever I manage to speak to someone in Tsonga beyond the usual greetings or such, I feel like I’m accomplishing something, even if it’s not going to change the world. It’s very uplifting.