LL-L "Etymology" 2008.01.16 (01) [E]

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L O W L A N D S - L  -  16 January 2008 - Volume 01
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From: Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2008.01.15 (04) [E]

Dear Ron:

Subject: L-Lowlands. "Etymology"

Gooi them with a yoffie dissertation anyhow!

Does this *yoffie* have anything to do with Modern Hebrew יופי
*yofi*'beautiful', 'pretty, 'nice', 'great', 'gorgeous', 'nifty' etc.?

Yes, I believe it does. The usage goes back to before the late seventies at
least. It is only one of a little cluster of unselfconscious borrowings into
South-African English & Afrikaans. There is 'yoffie', that I
believe originated with the young 'koegels' & 'bagels' of the North side of
Town (Johannesburg), Jewish guys & girls of the sort that Americans would
call 'JAP's, 'Jewish-American Princess' hey? The word can be fortified with
the phrase 'yoffie soos 'n toffie', allied with it's eweknie 'lekker soos 'n
krêkker', which may be tagged on for added effect, generally sarcastically..

Another word applied in much the same way in this cluster is 'kef' which I
feel comes up from Capetown. & is a borrowing via the Cape Malays of the
Arabic 'KF' as in 'Kef walla?...Kwayyis!' By the way, Cape Malay cultural
contacts with their Far-Eastern cousins have faded into history, & today
their strongest cultural bonds outside South Africa are with Saudi Arabia:
Sunni, Huneefi at that & very Wahabi.

Somewhwere among these two, particularly if stylish clothing is in any way
involved, is 'larney', which I cannot trace at all. You tell people about
the 'larney' pants you bought. If they aren't larney you don't talk about
them. When I was in the Army & you were up to something in which you knew
your chances of coming out were iffy at the best, you'd tell your buddies,
"Bury me in my larnie suit." or "...my larnies."

Thanks & reciprocated!

Mark
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