Learning fanagalo

[Nicodeamus]

I've been doing some work on in the construction industry, and I found English surprisingly to be very limited and useless (apart from the fact that every 2nd tool is named in English, I hardly find people who speak it), when the workers do speak it it surely isn't the Oxford dialect. Afrikaans seems to be more useful as most of the construction workers understand it, however some of them find it difficult to understand me and I find it difficult to get my point across.

So I've come to the conclusion that I should at least learn some kind of black language (I'm guessing zulu), and if I can't manage to do that at least try and learn some basic Fanagalo and then throw in the English/Afrikaans mix in between. Most of the white people working with me can speak a black language to some degree or at least understand it.

Either way, what is the best way to go about it?, given that I do not know anything but the basics, where does one start? (I'm finding it difficult to get literature on the internet or any basic language books).

[abzo]

"black language"

[zizo911]

Lol @ black laugauge.
Which part of SA are you in? That would influence whoch African launguage you would learn.

[Sl8er]

If not in the Kwazulu-Natal area, Xhosa is probably your best bet -depending.

[ice_cubes]

Anywhere in SA Zulu is your best bet, unless you are in NW or Limpopo then its sotho.
Rahter ask them to teach u or your collegues. A book wont get you far because its more *formal*...

[Sl8er]

Anywhere in SA Zulu is your best bet, unless you are in NW or Limpopo then its sotho.
Rahter ask them to teach u or your collegues. A book wont get you far because its more *formal*...

Ok. Never knew this. I was always under the impression that Xhosa was the most spoken language in SA (aside maybe from English? I stand corrected though). Learn something new everyday

[ghoti]

Afrikaans is useless in the Eastern Cape. Very very few people speak it here. So it really depends where you are. isiXhosa is the most useful language to learn in SA outside of English. More people speak it and understand it. Zulu is only really useful in KZN.

[ghoti]

Ok. Never knew this. I was always under the impression that Xhosa was the most spoken language in SA (aside maybe from English? I stand corrected though). Learn something new everyday

You would be right.

[Pooky]

Don't learn fanagalo it's an insult to the proper language.

[Rocket Raccoon]

Lol @ black laugauge.
Which part of SA are you in? That would influence whoch African launguage you would learn.

[DJ...]

You're gonna struggle to learn fanagalo unless you plan on spending some time in the mines.

[Skywalker42]

Here are some Language maps:

http://www.south-africa-tours-and-travel.com/languages-of-south-africa.html

[ghoti]

Here are some Language maps:

http://www.south-africa-tours-and-travel.com/languages-of-south-africa.html

I see those maps class Afrikaans as a "black language". Interesting. I suppose Afrikaans was invented by the workers of dutch settlers... so I guess it makes sense. They invented it and the majority of Afrikaans speakers even today are not white.

[Albereth]

You're gonna struggle to learn fanagalo unless you plan on spending some time in the mines.

All you need to do is track down the Chilapalapa recordings and learn from that.

As an example, the instructions to pluck a chicken is "Tata lo chicken and voetsak lo feathers"

[abzo]

Apple speak fanagalo, you just add "i" to the beginning of every word.