- A content creator who teaches Xhosa to English speakers shared a funny video of herself slipping up while teaching the language
- The Afrikaner woman, who runs the account @xhosaconnect, was showing correct Xhosa pronunciation but accidentally slipped into an English accent when saying her name
- Her honesty about the mistake resonated with South Africans, who praised her linguistic efforts and shared their own experiences with language learning across cultural boundaries
An Afrikaner content creator who teaches Xhosa to English speakers captured a relatable moment when she accidentally pronounced her name with an English accent during a Xhosa lesson. The woman behind the Facebook page @xhosaconnect shared the light-hearted video with the caption:
"When the accent slips. GUILTY as charged 😂 But am I going to say it like that again? Maybe… probably. I said what I said 😂What do you think?"
In the video, she shows a basic Xhosa conversation, correctly pronouncing phrases like:
"Molo tshomi(Hello friend), Unjani (How are you?), nam, ndiphilile enkosi (Me too, I am fine thanks)."
However, when introducing herself and saying her name in Xhosa, she goes back to an English pronunciation of her name before trying again with the proper Xhosa accent.
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Watch the Facebook clip below.
Language crossing cultural boundaries
The Xhosa language, spoken by approximately seven million people primarily in South Africa's Eastern province, is notable for its complex sound system. As a member of the Southeastern, or Nguni, subgroup of the Bantu languages, Xhosa shares similarities with Zulu, Swati, and Ndebele.
What makes Xhosa different is its incorporation of three types of click sounds borrowed from neighbouring Khoisan languages. These clicks, which function as normal consonants, are produced through various suction mechanisms in the mouth that create popping or smacking sounds between the tongue and the roof of the mouth, or between the lips or teeth.
Social media reactions
@Julian Cloete praised:
"Brilliant to be able to communicate in an extra language in this case isiXhosa."
@Durby-Ann Swart admitted:
"If only I could speak xhosa! I would love to be able to communicate better with a lot of our clients. I always have to call someone to translate."
@Jean Jaques Jonker related:
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"I do the same thing."
@Mpho MJ Moletsane complimented:
"Wow I'm impressed by your linguistic abilities 👌🏾, isiXhosa is the hardest language to learn in South Africa followed by Isivenda... To see a White lady speak it so fluently really is amazing 👏🏾"
@Andisiwe Jukuda laughed:
"Eish, the accent always slips at the worst time. Then you spend the whole day thinking about it 😂😂😂"
Other cross-cultural stories
- Briefly News recently reported on a woman who shared a heartwarming video showing the beautiful fusion of cultures at her traditional wedding ceremony.
- An American woman named Tia, who lives in the Mother City, asked her Xhosa friend a weird question while he was kneading dough for steamed bread.
- A South African lady is living every girl's Korean dream as she has married a man who truly loves her beyond cultural differences.
