(Translation: I speak Setswana…a little bit.)
Just for fun, here is a little bit about Setswana, the most widely spoken language in Botswana.
I have been immersed in this language for the past 7 months, though unfortunately have not really been forced to learn it, as most people still speak English (the official language of Botswana). Nonetheless, I have formally been taking Setswana lessons since the end of January (I should have done this a lot sooner), and am gaining a greater appreciation for and knowledge of the language. With the help of a wonderful tutor and my trusty notebook for reference, I am now making complex sentences. But even now that I know quite a bit of the language, it is still nearly impossible to figure out what people are saying. Everyone speaks way too quickly and all the words in a sentence sound like one long word strung together. I still try to pick out words that I know and get excited when I recognize words or grammar elements.
At times Setswana lessons can be frustrating, because I am typically quick to pick up languages, but this one is quite different from every other language I have I dabbled in. I try to relate it to French grammar (which works occasionally) or try to make patterns or rules to figure things out…but I have learned to stop asking "Why" something is like that in our lessons, because the answer is usually "It just is". And just when I think I have something figured out, I make a new sentence only to discover that this instance is different than what I thought I knew.
Despite the confusion, lessons are very entertaining and I enjoy the mystery of figuring out this language. The best part about Setswana is the sounds - the funny letter combinations (tlh, kg, nts, mm, nn, tsh…all followed by vowels; and ng as a separate syllable sound) and the repetition of similar sounds (ga ke kake ka; lebati lele le tswetswe; setlhare se se telele; and can't forget the commonly used o o, e e, le le, a a, and ba ba).
Here are some sentences written in Setswana. Feel free to ask for a translation, or try to figure some of it out yourself!
*Pronunciation hints: Every letter has its own sound; pronounce every sound. And 'g' (unless preceded by an 'n') sounds like an 'h'.
Dumelang! Lo kae? Ke teng.
Ee...Ke bidiwa Jordan. Ka Setswana, leina la me ke Mmapula. Ke dingwaga tse masome a mabedi le bongwe. Ke tswa ko Canada mme ke nna mo Shakawe ko Botswana gompieno jana. Ke tsile ka sefofane ka Lwetse ngwaga o o fetileng le ditsala tsa me Bailey le Casey. Ke bereka ko TOCaDI ka dikgwedi di le boferabobedi. Moranang ke tla ya lwapeng.
Re tsamayile ka dinao kwa tirong malatsi otlhe go fetlhela re fudusetswa kwa TOCaDI. Nthu o nthusa go ithuta Setswana. Re rata ene. Ke rata go tshwantsha le go opela.
Ke tla go bona ka Moranang! Matsatsi a le masome a mabedi le bosupa.
Nnang le letsatsi le le molemo.
Ke a leboga gape go siame :)
Just for fun, here is a little bit about Setswana, the most widely spoken language in Botswana.
I have been immersed in this language for the past 7 months, though unfortunately have not really been forced to learn it, as most people still speak English (the official language of Botswana). Nonetheless, I have formally been taking Setswana lessons since the end of January (I should have done this a lot sooner), and am gaining a greater appreciation for and knowledge of the language. With the help of a wonderful tutor and my trusty notebook for reference, I am now making complex sentences. But even now that I know quite a bit of the language, it is still nearly impossible to figure out what people are saying. Everyone speaks way too quickly and all the words in a sentence sound like one long word strung together. I still try to pick out words that I know and get excited when I recognize words or grammar elements.
At times Setswana lessons can be frustrating, because I am typically quick to pick up languages, but this one is quite different from every other language I have I dabbled in. I try to relate it to French grammar (which works occasionally) or try to make patterns or rules to figure things out…but I have learned to stop asking "Why" something is like that in our lessons, because the answer is usually "It just is". And just when I think I have something figured out, I make a new sentence only to discover that this instance is different than what I thought I knew.
Despite the confusion, lessons are very entertaining and I enjoy the mystery of figuring out this language. The best part about Setswana is the sounds - the funny letter combinations (tlh, kg, nts, mm, nn, tsh…all followed by vowels; and ng as a separate syllable sound) and the repetition of similar sounds (ga ke kake ka; lebati lele le tswetswe; setlhare se se telele; and can't forget the commonly used o o, e e, le le, a a, and ba ba).
Here are some sentences written in Setswana. Feel free to ask for a translation, or try to figure some of it out yourself!
*Pronunciation hints: Every letter has its own sound; pronounce every sound. And 'g' (unless preceded by an 'n') sounds like an 'h'.
Dumelang! Lo kae? Ke teng.
Ee...Ke bidiwa Jordan. Ka Setswana, leina la me ke Mmapula. Ke dingwaga tse masome a mabedi le bongwe. Ke tswa ko Canada mme ke nna mo Shakawe ko Botswana gompieno jana. Ke tsile ka sefofane ka Lwetse ngwaga o o fetileng le ditsala tsa me Bailey le Casey. Ke bereka ko TOCaDI ka dikgwedi di le boferabobedi. Moranang ke tla ya lwapeng.
Re tsamayile ka dinao kwa tirong malatsi otlhe go fetlhela re fudusetswa kwa TOCaDI. Nthu o nthusa go ithuta Setswana. Re rata ene. Ke rata go tshwantsha le go opela.
Ke tla go bona ka Moranang! Matsatsi a le masome a mabedi le bosupa.
Nnang le letsatsi le le molemo.
Ke a leboga gape go siame :)