I am excited! My son is learning Afrikaans and Xhosa at school. I love languages, and the fact that he is learning the very basic of these two languages (out of the 11 official South African languages) means that I get to learn them, too, along with him. Yay!
Over the weekend, I made a register of words my son has learnt so far in Afrikaans and already the list had more than 120 entries. Brill! I am elated, my son said, much more than him. While he regards learning Afrikaans and Xhosa as part of his school work and of owing this respect due to the fact that we live here, in South Africa. While other immigrants feel otherwise perhaps, I very firmly believe in the need to learn both Afrikaans and Xhosa (and the local languages if given the chance), because it will be to his/our advance in the long run, i.e. being able to effectively communicate with general South Africans.
The other day, my son came home while by the door him and our helper had this little conversation –
Son: Molo! Usaphila?
Helper : Hayi, Ndisaphila. Wena, uphilile?
Son: Ewe nam ndisaphila. Enkosi.
Though my son’s rendition still sounds mechanical, over time and practice, fluency will improve. So lovely to hear a young child speaking a different tongue.
The Grape Vine 