Pretoria Sotho

Last updated
S’pitori
Sepitori
Native toSouth Africa
Region Pretoria; Tshwane
Language codes
ISO 639-3 None (mis)
Glottolog None
S.30A [1]

Pretoria Taal, or Pretoria Sotho (affectionately called Sepitori/S'pitori by its speakers), [2] is the urban lingua franca of Pretoria and the Tshwane metropolitan area in South Africa. It is a combination of Sepedi-Tswana and influences from Tsotsitaal, Afrikaans and other Bantu languages of the region. It is spoken by most black residents of all ages and levels of education in Tshwane. Though it is most commonly used in informal situations, it is also used in schools and at political events in which people have different language backgrounds. Standard Setswana and Northern Sotho (represented by Sepedi) are not commonly used in schools except in SeTswana and Northern Sotho lessons. Pretoria Taal (or Sepitori) is mutually intelligible with SeTswana and Northern Sotho.

It is a very dynamic and fluid language that changes over time. Words such as stelle, stocko and wadijaja are new concepts used and did not exist a decade ago. Another interesting feature is that different parts of the city of Tshwane have different variations of the language. The Garankuwa, Mabopane and Hammanskraal regions, which are dominated by Tswana-speakers, speak a form that is closely linked to Setswana. The areas Soshanguve, Mamelodi and Atteridgeville are dominated by Sepedi - Speakers, and speak a form that is closely linked to Sepedi hence the use of words like: Bolela or Nyaka instead of Bua or Batla in Tswana. SoShaNguVe remains the most diverse as the name suggests SOtho (both Setwana and Sepedi) SHAngan ( Tsonga ) Nguni and Venda.

People in the Garankuwa and Mabopane areas would say 'Keya ko nna' for 'I am going home'. Residents of Mamelodi and Atteridgeville for example would say, 'Ke ya jarateng' they also might use 'keya ko nna' as well. While residents of Soshanguve for example would say 'keya jointeng or keya dladleng'

There is a strong relationship between it and Afrikaans and Tsotsitaal. Afrikaans is a fusion of the Dutch language and local Khoisan and Cape Malay variations. Tsotsitaal is a form of Afrikaans which is used in urban South Africa, originally by thugs trying to disguise their language. It was soon associated with being cool and with the times, and broader society began to use it.

Many criminals in urban areas were former mine workers, construction workers and farmers. In revolt against the industrial oppression and the apartheid regime in general, gangs began participating in criminal activities and would plot and scheme in crowded township environments. The people of Mamelodi like to incorporate the variations of other Pretorian townships. So most of the words used in other places are either considered obsolete or are adopted into the ever changing language. So you could say "Sepetori se metsi" which has multiple means depending on context in this it would mean that Sepetori is new.

In the Pretoria area, this became the language of di kleva( well-dressed township-dwellers who were trendy and up to speed with cultural developments). The high social status that came with being recognized as a kleva resulted in a growing number of people speaking that way. Tsotsitaal thus went from being a cult-like secret code to being a medium of communication in the urban areas around Gauteng.

Sepitori is full of Afrikaans because of its influence during segregation (apartheid era), were white people (Afrikaans speakers) were placed in the well developed areas of Pretoria, these areas were considered upper class, since all the new and latest city developments were done in these Pretorian areas. Then the well dressed township dwellers (kleva) started having a combination of afrikaans words in their speech, resulting in the language having terms such as Dae Man, Ek Se, Daarso, Is waar, Nou die laas and Jy Verstaan, which are used on a daily basis. When greeting, people in the Praetorian area use the native Setswana greeting of Dumelang/ Ashe and the colloquial "Ek Se". The latter is preferred by the youth, while the former is generally used by elders and in official community events. [3]

Sepitori has a separate set of words to use when talking about money. The people of the Pretoria-Tshwane area use words such as nyoko, zaka, lechankura and maphepha to refer to money.

An example of a sepitori passage would be:

Eintlek, s'pitori ke nthwe e te kopantshang wabona? Ge re ova s'pitori, a se gore re nyaka goba snaaks. Die ding ke s'praka sa rona. Re tlha ver le yona wang verstaan? Re ka seno betha sdudla mo spacing.
"Actually, sepitori is a thing that just goes with the flow, you see? When we speak sepitori it's not that we want to be rude. It's our language; we have been using it for a long time so we can't just abandon it."

References to monetary figures In Sepitori then English :

A common expression in Pretoria is "dilo di nametse RunX" which means that things are going good.

Sepitori is fast becoming a first language. It is not known how many people speak it, as it is mixed, informal language with Sepedi and Setswana. If it is understood to be a language of its own, it would be the most spoken language in the northern parts of Gauteng and the eastern parts of the North-West Province, particularly Brits area because of its proximity to Pretoria.

Among young people in the City of Tshwane, it has become a primary language of communicating with each other.

Further reading

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Sotho language</span> Sotho-Tswana language spoken in South Africa

Northern Sotho, also known by Sesotho sa Leboa, is a Sotho-Tswana language group spoken in the northeastern provinces of South Africa. It is commonly referred to in its standardized form as Pedi or Sepedi and holds the status of an official language in South Africa. This language group includes dialects like Sepedi (Serota), KheLebedu, Setlokwa, Sekone, GaDikgale, and GaMatlala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pretoria</span> Executive Capital of South Africa

Pretoria is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tswana language</span> Bantu language of Botswana and South Africa

Tswana, also known by its native name Setswana, and previously spelled Sechuana in English, is a Bantu language spoken in Southern Africa by about 8.2 million people. It belongs to the Bantu language family within the Sotho-Tswana branch of Zone S (S.30), and is closely related to the Northern Sotho and Southern Sotho languages, as well as the Kgalagadi language and the Lozi language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gauteng</span> Province in South Africa

Gauteng is one of the nine provinces of South Africa.

Bataung is the most senior tribe of Bantu origin which descends from its ancestor Mohurutshe and which speaks the Sotho-Tswana group of languages, namely, Setswana, Sepedi, Sesotho and Lozi.

The Sotho-Tswana languages are a group of closely related Bantu languages spoken in Southern Africa. The Sotho-Tswana group corresponds to the S.30 label in Guthrie's 1967–71 classification of languages in the Bantu family.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality</span> Metropolitan municipality in Gauteng, South Africa

The City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, also known as the City of Tshwane, is the metropolitan municipality that forms the local government of northern Gauteng in South Africa. The metropolitan area is centred on the city of Pretoria with surrounding towns and localities included in the local government area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Rand District Municipality</span> District municipality in Gauteng, South Africa

The West Rand District Municipality is one of the districts of the Gauteng province of South Africa, that covers the West Rand area, with the exception of Roodepoort. The seat of the district municipality is Randfontein. As of 2011, the most spoken language among its population of 820,995 is Tswana. The district code is CBDC8.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of South Africa</span>

At least thirty-five languages indigenous to South Africa are spoken in the Republic, twelve of which are official languages of South Africa: Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, South African Sign Language, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu, Afrikaans and English, which is the primary language used in parliamentary and state discourse, though all official languages are equal in legal status. In addition, South African Sign Language was recognised as the twelfth official language of South Africa by the National Assembly on 3 May 2023. Unofficial languages are protected under the Constitution of South Africa, though few are mentioned by any name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mamelodi</span> Place in Gauteng, South Africa

Mamelodi, part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, is a township set up by the then apartheid government northeast of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa.

Atteridgeville is a township located to the west of Pretoria, South Africa. It is located to the east of Saulsville, to the west of West Park; to the north of Laudium and to the south of Lotus Gardens. The settlement was established in 1939, and is named after Mrs MP Atteridge, chairwoman of the Committee for Non-European Affairs on the Pretoria City Council at the time. The Lucas Masterpieces Moripe Stadium is located in Atteridgeville.

Soshanguve is a township situated about 30 km north of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa, just east of Mabopane. The name Soshanguve is an acronym for Sotho, Shangaan, Nguni and Venda, thus showing the multi-ethnic composition of the population. The major African languages of South Africa are heard in Soshanguve.

Tsotsitaal is a vernacular derived from a variety of mixed languages mainly spoken in the townships of Gauteng province, but also in other agglomerations all over South Africa. Tsotsi is a Sesotho, Pedi or Tswana slang word for a "thug" or "robber" or "criminal", possibly from the verb "ho lotsa" "to sharpen", whose meaning has been modified in modern times to include "to con"; or from the tsetse fly, as the language was first known as Flytaal, although flaai also means "cool" or "street smart". The word taal in Afrikaans means "language".

Ga-Rankuwa is a large settlement located about 37 km north-west of Pretoria. Provincially it is in Gauteng province, but it used to fall in Bophuthatswana during the apartheid years, and under the North West province until the early 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apies River</span> River in Gauteng, South Africa

The Apies River is a river that flows through the city of Pretoria, South Africa. Its source is located just south of the city and it flows northward until it drains into the Pienaars River.

Mabopane is a residential township in South Africa. It is situated in the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, to the north of Pretoria in Gauteng.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pretoria railway station</span> Railway station in Pretoria, South Africa

Pretoria railway station is the central station in Pretoria, the executive capital of South Africa. It is located between Pretoria's central business district and Salvokop, in a 1910 building designed by Herbert Baker. It is the terminus of various Metrorail commuter rail services in the northern part of Gauteng, and a stop on Shosholoza Meyl inter-city services from Johannesburg to Polokwane and Nelspruit. Pretoria is also the northern terminus of the luxury Blue Train service from Cape Town. Platforms and tracks for the Gautrain rapid-rail service are adjacent to the main-line station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metrorail Gauteng</span> South African commuter rail network

Metrorail Gauteng is a network of commuter rail services in Gauteng province in South Africa, serving the Johannesburg and Pretoria metro areas. It is operated by Metrorail, a division of the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TUT FM 96.2</span> Radio station in Soshanguve, Gauteng

TUT FM 96.2 is a South African university campus radio station based in Soshanguve, Gauteng. It broadcasts from the Soshanguve Campus of the Tshwane University of Technology.

The Tshwane riots occurred in the South African city of Pretoria and the surrounding City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality for several days from 20 June 2016, leading to the deaths of at least five people.

References

  1. Jouni Filip Maho, 2009. New Updated Guthrie List Online
  2. Ditsele & Mann 2014
  3. Khumo Thage: Literary Cartographer
  4. Khumo Thage: Literary Cartographer