XHO1507 Applied African Language Practice Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering basic grammar, greetings, noun classes, and linguistic concepts from the XHO1507 isiXhosa study guide.

Bantu languages

A large family of languages spoken in the south of the Sahara region, to which nine official South African languages belong.

Nguni group

A language group that includes isiZulu, isiXhosa, isiNdebele, and SiSwati, which are mutually intelligible.

Mutually intelligible

A characteristic of languages where native speakers of one can understand the others, with differences often being mainly phonological.

Amadlozi

A word that means 'sperms' in isiXhosa but 'ancestors' in isiZulu.

Ukuqumba

A term meaning 'to be angry/cross' in isiXhosa, while in isiZulu it means 'to be constipated' or 'bloated'.

Inyathelo

The isiXhosa word for 'step' (lifting one's foot from one point to another).

C click sound

A dental click resembling the English sound used to show annoyance or aggravation.

Q click sound

A palato-alveolar click resembling the sound made when removing a cork from a bottle.

X click sound

A lateral click resembling the sound used when encouraging a horse to gallop.

Prefix

The part added to the beginning of an isiXhosa word to determine its noun class, such as 'um-' in 'umfana'.

Subject concord

A link that connects the subject noun in an isiXhosa sentence to the verb to ensure agreement.

Mholo

A singular greeting used to say 'Hello' or 'Good day'.

Mholweni

A plural or polite greeting used when addressing more than one person.

Sala kakuhle

A singular farewell meaning 'stay well,' used when addressing the person staying behind.

Hamba kakuhle

A singular farewell meaning 'go well,' used when addressing the person who is leaving.

Uxolo

The isiXhosa expression for 'Excuse me' or 'I am sorry'.

Tata

The word for 'father,' also used as a polite form for any man older than the speaker.

Mama

The word for 'mother,' also used as a polite form for any woman older than the speaker.

Umalume

The isiXhosa kinship term for 'uncle'.

Umakazi

The isiXhosa kinship term for 'aunt'.

Umzukulwana

The isiXhosa term for 'grandchild'.

Isilanduli

The term for the negative form of a verb in isiXhosa.

Liyana

An expression used to say 'It is raining'.

Lishushu

A weather expression meaning 'It is hot' or 'It is warm'.

NgoMvulo

The isiXhosa word for 'Monday'.

NgeCawe

The isiXhosa word for 'Sunday'.

Ilocative

A noun form used to indicate 'in', 'at', or 'on' a place, often formed with the prefix 'e-' and suffix '-ini'.

-na-

A formative or copula used in isiXhosa to express 'to have' or 'to possess'.

Infinitive

A verb form starting with 'uku-', translated as 'to' (e.g., 'ukusebenza' means 'to work').

Perfect tense

A tense referring to actions recently completed, typically ending in '-ile' or '-e'.

Remote past tense

A tense referring to an action that occurred some time ago in the past, formed using a specific subject concord with an 'a' vowel (e.g., 'nda-', 'sa-').

Future tense

A tense indicating an action that will take place, often formed using '-za-' or '-ya-' after the subject concord.

Object concord

A formative that directly precedes the verb stem to represent an object noun without repeating it.

Incwadi yesazisi

The isiXhosa term for an 'Identity Document' or 'ID-book'.

-cela

A verb stem used to make requests, meaning 'ask' or 'request'.

Unjani?

A singular inquiry meaning 'How are you?'

Ndikhona

A response meaning 'I am well' or literally 'I am present/here'.

Ewe

The isiXhosa word for 'Yes'.

Hayi

The isiXhosa word for 'No'.

Ukuzazisa

The act of introducing oneself in isiXhosa.