Not all coloureds speak like dis
I have never been the victim of ‘real’, ie, overt racism. I was brought up in the platteland and we moved to Cape Town some years later. I attended a well-known high school in the northern suburbs of Cape Town: D.F. Malan.
I like to think I received a good education there, even though I had been pretty damn impossible and had never studied for exams.
But one thing that DF cannot lay claim to is my accent and vocabulary. Come on, I’m affie plaas af; that’s how plaasjapies speak. And my accent isn’t that ‘suiwer’, even; my accent contains a bit of the Cape Flats. But I’ll never admit it in real life.
So it’s difficult to speak to Afrikaansspeaking people. Even liberal ones. I don’t want them to make certain assumptions about me. Impossible, yes, that’s true. But some assume I had learn how to speak in high school. Yes, people whom we could call enlightened think that. And even though my pronunciation isn’t always all that. I’ve even been contemplating telling people I had attended Kasselsvlei Hoërskool, just so that 1) I won’t differ too much from other coloureds who hadn’t attend former Model C schools and 2) so that they can marvel at this girl from Kasselsvlei who speaks die Taal so wonderfully. See, that’s a form of racism. It isn’t the Eugene Terre’blance type of racism; it’s the sort of racism that no-one will admit to.
The South African media doesn’t acknowledge the different social classes in the coloured community. Worse, the media doesn’t want to acknowledge that there are coloured communities in other parts of South Africa, too. The image of the happy Cape Coloured is imprinted in people’s minds and they’re reluctant to let go of it. And the accent gets mocked by all, especially by us coloureds. I do it, too: I assure everyone that I do not speak like that.
So what should we do? What should I do? Well, I blog. I want to start a conversation about race, gender and social status in South Africa. Cause we need it. It’s time that we start talking to those outside of our circle. We now have the opportunity to create our own history, to write our own story to tell our great-grandchildren. And there are many tools that we can use: blogs, vlogs, podcasts — do SA use this, though? — community forums, and all the other social media tools.
It’s time that we have some positive role models. Sure, we have Jo-Anne Strauss and Felicity from 7de Laan… but we need more. How many more? Um, as many as possible until the average South African realises we are all multi-dimensional people. Until the time when the average South African won’t think all coloured people live in Mitchell’s Plain. Until the time when my landlady won’t enquire from me where I had gotten my accent. Until the time when the coloured actors in 7de Laan speak Afrikaans with their own accents, and not ‘white-sounding’ ones. And until the time when we – I, too — won’t even think there is something like a ‘white Afrikaans’ accent.
And after that? Well, we can’t ever stop.
Get free updates to my blog with my RSS feed or follow me on Twitter. Leave a comment below to get involved in the conversation.
LOL – I lived in Jozi for 2 years and it was funny that peeps thought it was called the Cape Flats cause whenever they covered it on the news all you saw were Flats. Some okes even asked me to “speak Cape Town”.
I unconsciously change my accent depending on who I deal with. So I’m a kind-of-a coloured language chameleon. What I have found is that it really helps in the communication medium, makes the other party more comfortable and aids in getting the job done.
What is coloured English anyway? My wife can’t speak Afrikaans, speaks English like the English and she grew up in Athlone.
pappadre
15 Feb 09 at 9:40 PM
Hey
I’m a white Afrikaans guy, from, I guess, a blue-collar background. I won’t pretend to know what its like to be coloured, or black, but figured I might as well related my own accent experience.
Its a reality that an Afrikaans accent is often associated with stupidity, bone-headedness and yes, racism. People hear the accent and assume you are comfortable with the ‘K’ word. Just another Japie.
So I’ve learned, over time, to try sound more northern suburbs – Sandton and not Robertsham.
It sure has made a difference. To speak and sound like a white collar professional makes it easier to convince others of your worth. They take you more seriously and stop making spietkop jokes; it helps breach the defensive wall of prejudice, and in the corporate world, this is crucial.
What I can’t say with any certainty is how much of the stereotype I have shaken off. I may well be as thick as the accent I had implied. Blacks and coloureds may find me condescending at best – or even downright racist. My view of coloureds, for instance, tends to be the no-teeth and papsak category. Intellectually I know this is not fair or right or representative. But old habits die hard and maybe inside, I am still the Japie.
I’m not sure what to do about this. I hope, though, that the new generation – including my sons – grow up less hewed from the same stone as we were.
Andre
16 Feb 09 at 1:46 PM
@Andre: Hi, Andre. Thanks for commenting. Do you socialise with black and coloured people?
I also think the media is to blame for portraying all coloured people as papsak drinking skollies with no front teeth.
Why would your sons be different, though? Parents mould their children, perhaps more than what we want to admit.
@Pappadre: I think we all code switch a bit depending on whom we talk to. I know I do.
But I do think that some English speaking coloureds have developed their own grammar. I hear it in our office.
My gripe is just that coloured people aren’t a homogeneous group. And I wish more people could realise that.
Joy-Mari Cloete
16 Feb 09 at 3:24 PM
@joy
We definitely aren’t and that’s cool – too much of the same would just be boring.
I guess it’s cause we still stick to what/who we know and what’s familiar. I for one have all kinds of friends with all kinds of backgrounds. We engage in conversation about culture and tradition. It’s amazing to learn about other cultures and traditions.
Case in point. We were invited to a friend’s wedding. The folks were predominantly white afrikaans and we were the only coloured folk there.
Everybody was cool and we never felt out of place … well except for the dancing
Everybody ‘loop danced’ but we did not know how to do that so spent most of the evening at the table.
Later that night the DJ spinned Justin Timberlake’s Sexy Back and we hopped on the floor and shaked our boodies – pity we did it alone as everyone else took a break and came back to the dance floor for some more loop dance later
. Also interestingly all the latest tunes were played but at a faster pace so they could loop dance.
Another interesting thing was how the men came to sit in a half circle and heckle the groom while he was making his speech. I thought WTF is wrong with them but was later told it’s just part of the tradition.
Maybe they’ll get the shock of their lives if they had to attend a coloured/black wedding.
So, let’s get out there and experience other cultures. That’s the only way we’ll learn.
pappadre
16 Feb 09 at 3:46 PM
to be a dark complexion coloured seems to be a problem for some people at times. when you meet blacks and they realise you cant speak their language it amazes them. when you meet whites and speak afrikaans they are also amazed. and some light in complexion coloureds seems to think they are superior to the dark skinned ones. so before we treat each other with the respect we deserve we cant expect better from others.
boo
2 Jul 09 at 12:37 PM