Edited by Azizi Powell
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INFORMATION ABOUT TSOTSITAALS (TSOTSI)
Excerpt #1:
[page] 143
From https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309291537_OVERVIEW_OF_THE_TSOTSITAALS_OF_SOUTH_AFRICA_THEIR_DIFFERENT_BASE_LANGUAGES_AND_COMMON_CORE_LEXICAL_ITEMS
"OVERVIEW OF THE TSOTSITAALS OF SOUTH AFRICA; THEIR DIFFERENT BASE LANGUAGES AND COMMON CORE LEXICAL ITEMS
by Ellen Hurst
Abstract
Tsotsitaal in South Africa has many characteristics in common with other African ‘urban youth languages’), for example, it incorporates lexical innovation, metaphor and neologisms, its origins are in criminal argot, and it is used primarily by male youth in urban centers possibly as a marker of modernism and being ‘streetwise’. It can be considered as a set of language resources rather than a ‘language’ in any traditional sense of the term, and one of the more interesting characteristics of tsotsitaal in South Africa is its existence in multiple base languages – all the official languages in South Africa (11 in total) have their own accompanying tsotsitaal. Other non-official languages, including mixed forms of language in highly multi-lingual townships such as Soweto, also have their variety of tsotsitaal.
[...]
This paper gives examples of tsotsitaals which utilize a range of base languages – Setswana (Tswana); Tshivenda (Venda); Sesotho sa Lebowa (Northern Sotho); Sesotho (Sotho); IsiZulu (Zulu); Sepedi (Pedi); and IsiXhosa (Xhosa) – to demonstrate the core features of the phenomenon, and to try to outline why the tsotsitaal phenomenon is an exemplar of youth language practice as fluid repertoire. 1. Definition, historical description of tsotsitaals Tsotsitaal is a youth language practice found in all the major urban centres of South Africa (Hurst and Mesthrie 2013). It can be considered as a set of language resources rather than a ‘language’ in any traditional sense of the term, and can be characterised as a ‘register’ (Mesthrie 2014) or ‘style’ (Hurst and Mesthrie 2013) of speaking, rather than a ‘language’ per se. It finds commonalities with other African ‘named’ varieties of youth language such as Sheng, Nouchi and Camfranglais (Hurst forthcoming). Tsotsitaals exist in multiple base languages – all the official and many non-official languages in South Africa have their own accompanying tsotsitaal. This article uses the word ‘tsotsitaal’ as a noun, e.g. ‘a tsotsitaal’, rather than as the name of a single variety, and therefore follows Mesthrie (2008) who refers to tsotsitaals in lower case. A tsotsitaal in fact can go by many different names (for example isiTsotsi, ringas, Iscamtho), and sometimes has no name; calling the phenomenon tsotsitaal may to an extent be an artifact of linguists (Brookes and Lekgoro 2014). However if you ask practically any township resident (whether speaker or non-speaker, perhaps excluding very recent migrants) to talk about tsotsitaal they know which aspect of the township repertoire you are referring to. Tsotsitaal consists of lexical items which make up a register or style, borrowed mainly from the national African languages, English and Afrikaans. In older vocabulary, from the tsotsitaal varieties of the 1940s and 1950s, a high proportion of words are adapted from Afrikaans (see the dictionary of this variety by Molamu 2003), while more recent lexical items seem to be drawn primarily from the African languages of South Africa, subsequently undergoing manipulation or
[page] 144]
semantic change. A few lexical items may have their roots in other European languages; some more recent borrowings may come directly from American slang. It has a ‘floating lexicon’ with terms spreading across different tsotsitaals via media or peer groups, and other terms that remain specific to peer groups or particular geographical tsotsitaal varieties (Hurst and Buthelezi 2014). Historically, the earliest variety of tsotsitaal originated in Sophiatown in the 1940s – 1950s, and at that time utilized Afrikaans as its (grammatical) base language (Molamu 2003). Since then it has spread country-wide."...
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Excerpt #2:
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsotsitaal_and_Camtho
"Tsotsitaals are a variety of mixed languages mainly spoken in the townships of Gauteng province (such as Soweto), but also in other agglomerations all over South Africa. Tsotsi is a Sesotho slang word for a "thug" or "robber" (possibly from the verb "ho tsotsa" "to sharpen" — whose meaning has been modified in modern times to include "to con"; or from the tsetse fly, as the language was first known as Flytaal, although flaai also means "cool" or "street smart"). The word taal in Afrikaans means "language".
A tsotsitaal is built over the grammar of one or several languages, in which terms from other languages or specific terms created by the community of speakers are added. It is a permanent work of language-mix, language-switch, and terms-coining.
History
The tsotsitaal phenomenon originates with one variety known as Flaaitaal or Flytaal, and then Tsotsitaal, which became popular under this latter name in the freehold township of Sophiatown, west of Johannesburg, in the 1940s and 1950s. Tsotsitaal, the original variety, is based on Afrikaans, in which were originally added Tswana terms, and later terms from Zulu and other South African languages. Tsotsitaal spread first as a criminal language, as it had the power of insuring secrecy in the speech: only criminals at first could understand it.
Later, as a prestigious sign of rebellion against the state and its police, and as gangsters were admired by youths who would see in them examples of success, Tsotsitaal became a youth and street language. At the time, it would exceptionally be heard in households, as tradition did not allow a gangster language to be used in the house. But it quickly became a symbol of the ethnically, culturally, and linguistically mixed culture of Sophiatown. Tsotsitaal is now a moribund variety in the black townships, as its speakers are mainly above the age of 70. However, it has maintained in slightly different forms as a prison language and among the black communities who are Afrikaans-speaking.
From the original Tsotsitaal, the noun tsotsitaal came to refer to any gang or street language in South Africa. However, the specific variety behind the term would depend on the languages actually present in the specific urban environment were one tsotsitaal appears. The most important tsotsitaal nowadays in South Africa is the one from the township of Soweto, the largest township and the place which shows the most diverse linguistic setting in the country.
It was originally known as Iscamtho or Isicamtho[dubious – discuss] (from Zulu, it is a combination of the class 7 prefix isi- here representing language — see grammatical gender and Sesotho nouns; with a derivation of ukuqamunda [uk’u!amunda], meaning “talk volubly”), but it is now more often referred to as Ringas (from English ringers, as people form a ring to chat). Other alternative names are Isitsoti or Setsotsi (the tsotsi language in Zulu or Sotho), Sekasi (the township language, from the Iscamtho word kasi meaning township, itself derived from Afrikaans lokasie), or simply i-taal, the language.
However, Iscamtho is quite different from the original Tsotsitaal. It originates in a different criminal argot created in the 1920s by the AmaLaita gang and known as Shalambombo. It is not based on Afrikaans, but on Bantu grammars, mainly Zulu and Sotho. The Zulu-based and Sotho-based varieties are the most widespread in Soweto, but one can actually build Iscamtho over any grammar of the South African Bantu languages, such as Xhosa, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda and others. But as Zulu is the dominant language in Soweto, and as Sotho in Soweto often unifies Sesotho, Setswana and Sepedi in one single variety and is the second most popular language in the township, Iscamtho is more often used "in" Zulu or "in" Sotho.
Tsotsitaal has been a model for Iscamtho, due to the cultural prestige of Sophiatown. But the youth abandoned it in the 1970s, when Afrikaans came to be no more associated with the power of the state, as it had been so far, but was recognized as the language of apartheid and oppression (especially after the 1976 Soweto Uprising). Iscamtho then became the one youth language in Soweto.
[...]
Iscamtho and Tsotsitaal are very similar in form and in the material which forms their vocabulary. But since the seventies and for political reasons, the use of Afrikaans as a matrix has been excluded in Iscamtho. Due to the popularity of Soweto among Black South African youth, and due also to the importance of Soweto-based artists in the foremost post-apartheid culture, kwaito, Iscamtho has been spreading to other township youths in the country, and different tsotsitaals have been enriched with typically Iscamtho material. Thus a form of "standardization" of tsotsitaals around the norm of Iscamtho might be on its way. This is largely the consequence of the presence of Iscamtho on the radio (through music but also because many national radios are based in Soweto and Johannesburg), on television (in series and entertainment shows) and in the kwaito culture.
The social meaning of Tsotsitaal and Iscamtho
As a gangster language, Tsotsitaal originally was a male-only language. The same applies to Iscamtho. A female speaker would then be identified as either a gangster's girlfriend or a prostitute. For male speakers however, the language quickly acquired a meaning of city-slickness and street-wisdom, and mastering it was the proof that one knew the urban environment well enough to cope and not be threatened. However, as Tsotsitaal became the symbol of the cultural life of Sophiatown (before the area was cleared of its residents in the mid-1950s) it was adopted by a number of women. But only the most independent and self-affirmed women would then become Tsotsitaal-speakers.
Due to the importance of gangsterism in Soweto over about four decades and due to the large numbers of Sowetan youths who experienced prison for criminal or political activities in the last two decades of apartheid, the status of Iscamtho changed: from a street language, it became the main language of most youths, started to be spoken within households among the youths, and then between the youths and adults. In the course of the 1980s for the latest, Iscamtho reached the status of mother language for thousands of Sowetan youths, meaning that children learnt Iscamtho in the cradle from their parents along with their family's other languages. Today, the distinction between Iscamtho and urban Zulu or urban Sotho in Soweto tends to be thinner as hundreds of thousands of youths actually speak Iscamtho as a first language.
In addition, a post-apartheid evolution has been the adoption of Iscamtho and other tsotsitaals by many female speakers. Especially, many girls in deep Soweto now have Iscamtho as (one of) their native language(s). Iscamtho as a symbol of youth, city-slickness and the multilingualism of the South African democracy (each language is represented in Iscamtho) has become a language proper for both male and female speakers despite some remaining conservative behaviours and considerations towards female speakers. Especially among the younger lesbian community. Iscamtho is often used as a strong identity marker, and many young lesbians appreciate it and use it as their main language.
Iscamtho has also become a language used in exchanges with older people, who previously would have been offended to be addressed to in the tsotsi language. But as native speakers of Iscamtho refuse to be discriminated against, they often impose their language in exchanges, and consider it as respectful as any other.
Iscamtho in the media
After the abolition of apartheid in South Africa in 1994, kwaito, already a popular music form in South Africa, and its artists came to embrace the use of tsotsitaal in lyrical content. Because they are associated with urban thugs and the criminal subculture, tsotsitaals and Iscamtho are seen by many as a South African form of gangsta slang. However, the language is more than a mere slang, and is referred to by its speakers as "our language". With the advent of rising middle-class and elite Blacks in South Africa after apartheid and the significance of gold to the South African history and culture, the attitudes prevalent in kwaito music appropriate gold to notions of success and wealth. Because of their urban nature and form, tsotsitaals came to be emblematic of the attitudes of post-apartheid South African black poor youth that were largely apolitical, concerned mainly with a representation of success and wealth.
Today, kwaito music using tsotsitaal and more especially Iscamtho can be heard on national radios such as YFM (for Youth FM). Some prominent artists such as Zola7 speak Iscamtho when they appear in the media (Zola7 especially has its own regular TV show). Iscamtho is also used in advertisement, for all products which aim at the youths. Finally, Iscamtho has spread on television, through youth programs such as series (especially Yizo Yizo), soapies (Rhythm City or Generations) and entertainment shows. From 2007, a local television station opened in Orlando West, Soweto. Called SowetoTV, this station uses Iscamtho as one of its main languages, together with English, Zulu and Sotho. A number of programs for the youths are in Iscamtho only, such as Dlalangeringas (which means “Let's speak Iscamtho”).
Through the media, and considering the symbolic power of Soweto over black township youths, Iscamtho is influencing young speakers of tsotsitaals in South Africa, and many adopt the words or expressions they discover on television or in kwaito. Thus, Iscamtho directly influences and reshapes local tsotsitaals
[...]
More often than not, when celebrated in the media capacity or space, tsotsi taal speakers are presented in a manner in which the older generations of such a culture would be described; fairly violent, conniving and restless. This kind of media portrayal usually spreads the logic; like all marginalized and unofficial languages; that there is not or cannot be a voice of reason, intelligence, love or even respect among its speakers. This then, may just be the reason as to why the language is being unrecognized by many communities and institutions. There is however a very distinct level of respect accompanied by the language that many may not understand. When a fellow tsotsi taal speaker sees and meets another; a very profound sense of respect and belonging can be witnessed. The term "ka" followed by what the western world would normally call a fist bump was traditionally a shortened versioned term for "kaci" meaning township - a proud expression indicating where one was from - the townships.[6]"
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Excerpt #3
From https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02572117.2001.10587459?journalCode=rjal20
"South African Journal of African Languages
Volume 21, 2001 - Issue 1
Original Articles
The ‘Tsotsi’ language variety of Venda
P. A. Mulaudzi & G. Poulos
Pages 1-8 | Published online: 24 Oct 2012
[...]
Abstract
The Tsotsi language variety or Tsotsitaal as it is commonly known, is a medium of communication which primarily prevails in South African cities, but which is also found in rural areas, and serves as a lingua franca between peoples of different ethnic groups such as Venda, Xhosa, Zulu, Tsonga, Tswana, etc. In this article, a survey is presented of the Tsotsi language variety as it is used in Venda. The need to recognise this spoken form as a language variety is motivated, and reference is also made to its status in the community and to its possible origins, from a general point of view. Extensive examples are given of the Venda variety, and an outline is presented of the influences that other languages have had on Venda. Furthermore, the differences which exist between the Tsotsi variety and the Standard variety of Venda are also illustrated in the form of selected examples of lexical items.”...
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Excerpt 4:
From https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=tsotsi
"tsotsi
Pronounced "tss-ot-see". A slang word common to most Southern African languages, a tsotsi is a person who is a rogue, a mischief-maker, a criminal, a bad element.
A synonym is "skelm", pronounced "skel-em", which has its roots in Afrikaans (and thus Dutch).
Parking in this part of town I'm always scared some bloody tsotsi's going to break into my car!
#criminal#skelm#mischief-maker#rogue#thief#gangster
by TheRealNimnod March 05, 2009"
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"Tsotsi
In urban slang of South Africa, "tsotsi" loosely translated means "thug". It is usually given to gangsters, thieves and liers that is either still young or still a minor.
Also the name of the Oscar winning South African movie (aka. Thug) about a young gangster that steals a car with a baby inside.
That tsotsi stole my cell phone to buy some meth...
#thug#thief#gangster#hijacker#lier.
by Ebola Monster August 12, 2006"
-snip-
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsotsi
" Tsotsi is a 2005 film directed by Gavin Hood and produced by Peter Fudakowski. It is an adaptation of the novel Tsotsi, by Athol Fugard and a South Africa/UK co-production. The soundtrack features Kwaito music performed by South African artist Zola as well as a score by Mark Kilian and Paul Hepker featuring the voice of South African protest singer and poet Vusi Mahlasela.
Set in an Alexandra slum, in Johannesburg, South Africa, the film tells the story of Tsotsi, a young street thug who steals a car only to discover a baby in the back seat.
The film won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film and was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006."...
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