Reuters article on Scamto, new South African slang

[Mark A. Mandel]

see http://tinyurl.com/4uvxc for complete article.

-- Mark
[This text prepared with Dragon NaturallySpeaking.]

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Slang Symbol of New Diversity

By Rebecca Harrison

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Fancy some Jesus and his brothers, or a ride in a 
g-string? And why is it that abantu abu baie bane kwal'nge-cherry?

This is South Africa's latest street slang -- a mix of the 11 official 
languages with nicknames thrown in for beer, cars, weapons and sexual 
positions that has grown out of the country's sprawling townships.

Hailed by its fans as a symbol of the country's diversity 11 years after the 
end of apartheid, "scamto" has become the language of choice for South 
Africa's black urban youth and its first exhaustive guide is due out next 
month.

"It's real, it's raw, and it captures the diversity and confidence of the 
new South Africa," said 24-year-old advertising executive Lebo Motshegoa 
from Soweto, the author of "Township Talk: The People, the Language, the 
Culture."

 	[...]

02/08/05 08:32

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