h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: SA Jargon Directory - A survival guide to visitors - A2883152
Author: Koshana - U810002

Are there any I've missed? Any china's out there that would like to add a word or phrase?
Enjoy!

Interesting

Nit: Spell out South Africa in the title, so it's less confusing.

HELL

Some phonetic pronunciations would be helpful for the words that aren't obvious. For instance, I'm pronouncing your first word 'braai' as 'bray' which I'm pretty sure is wrong...

Ok are you the critic from hell???

Ok, so one of my first postings, I didn't know if spelling it out would fit, but since you feel it will, I'll spell it out.

Thanks anyhow for the feedback.

Thanks for that, I thought I was overloading the details but its difficult to know what people wont know how to say when you've always known.

Thanks for the feedback

Hi there! Interesting topic for an entry.

My suggestion would be that I think the entry would be aided greatly by an introduction. There appears to be an introduction of sorts, but as it doesn't start the entry, I didn't realize that's what it was immediately.

I also think it would help to organize the words/phrases by topic or category rather than by alphabetically.


Mikey

I'd like to know are these slang words used by all speakers of English in South Africa, or is only in those of Africaans or English descent. Would black people having barbecues have a different slang, or would they not talk English at all?

I've kept the listing generic - you could hear these words from any person of any background in SA - except where I've indicated otherwise in the interpretation.

The order of the interpretations lead on from each other - often referring to an earlier interpretation, so while I apreciate the feedback, I tried to give it a dictionary feel with the alphbetical listing and to be honest, re-ordering would be a complete re-write of the whole piece.

Thanks for the feedback All!


Kosh

Héél mooi.

Kosh

Gnomon - I've just completed a revision of the posting and in the second paragraph of the piece your question is quite obviously answered. You must have missed that the first time arround.

Keep passing open windows
Kosh

To fit in with the 'house style', all of your double quotes " should be single quotes '.

Your title should be a Guide for Visitors (instead of a Guide to Visitors).

Have you had a go at GuideML yet? Putting your jargon words in bold type would help them stand apart from their definitions .

I can understand that re-ordering the list would be a decent amount of work, but I really just find the entry to awkward and confusing to read as it currently is.

For the Edited Guide, we really try to make the entries as accessible and useful to the readers as possible -- which is why entries that are simply lists are rarely seen.

Other scouts may feel differently, however.

You don't, do you? I find 'Off leash dogs park - Seattle etc.', rather listy.

If you have comments about my entry, you're certainly welcome to leave them in the appropriate Peer Review thread.

I did. I am commenting here on your comment to this entry.
I find it hard to believe you object to the list-like quality of this entry while yours is very much so alike in this respect.

Actually, my entry does with it's lists the same thing I've suggested be done here -- group items by category to make them easier to read. My entry is not one long list.

If you read it closely, it is: a LIST of regulations, what or what not to do, a LIST of different kind of people and their respective motives for wanting to visit an off leash area, and then a LIST of different off leash areas. Now do not tell me your entry is not a LIST.

Looking though the 2 entries, (gulps expecting something to be thrown), ahh there we are, this looks like it is one long list of lingo, which in itself isn't a bad thing, but as has been suggested, it needs a way for it be be eased into. A small intro sugesting saying something about the way it evolved, or just where to exepct it, for instance will this slang be on the on the news or just down the pub ?

The leash entry looks from list glance to have an introdction,, sections of lists and paragraphs of txt.

Okay, now onto this entry again ...

Blooming and blady (bloody) - used over here in England, bloody especially, so I'm not sure if it is a version of the austrailian

China - Cockney Ryhming slang - Me Old China - china plate - mate - could be worth noting its London routes

Dummy - Perfectly common word in UK english, so not really coloquial slang. It may well not be a common word in the US, but since they decided to destory our language, its their problem !

Likewise, Dustbin - not slang, it is a proper english word

Doll - offen herd in Northen england as well

Marmite - A184097 already an EG entry - not South African, its British, its evil and its imposible to find in supermarkets when your parent s ask you to get some for them

Sarmie - possibly a devivation of sarnie used over here

Tackies. These are sneakers or running shoes - given that the guide uses UK english, should be --> Tackies. These are trainers or running shoes

other spelling / typos

1)
Skabenga. Meaning thief, liar, or general miscreants. If you dont
--- should be don't

2)
Pull in. Litterally, "come on over" or used in the form of an invitation. As in - "That ou invited me to his braai on Saturday. You should pull in". Thought to orginate from the days of drive-ins and roadhouses indicating that one would arrive in a "bakkie" (a south african version of the pick-up truck but smaller) or other motor car.
--- Literally (there are a few of these in here), originate , South African

3)
Lekker. An Afrikaans word meaning nice, this word is used by all language groups to express approval. If you see somene
--- someone

4)
You don't have to take the dirtbin out, Doll -- if as with other quotes you arer referancing previous slang words, you haven't mentioned dirt bin, you used dustbin

5)
Cape Tonians are thought to generally be affected by the magnetic influences of Table Mountain and slow down, as if opperating in a time-distortion.
--- operating

Anyway, intresting and useful entry, but I feel it is written towards an American audiance, refering to American coloqialsms (yep I know I can't spell at all), rather than proper english

cheers

tjm -