Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Glossary from 1914's "Outa Karel's Stories" by Sanni Metelerkamp

I was planning to share one of the folk tales from Outa Karel's Stories (South African Folk-Lore Tales), which was written by Sanni Metelerkamp and published in 1914 by Macmillan and Co. But then I found something in the text that piqued my interest a bit more.

The book is part of the public domain and is available in its entirety from the Gutenberg Project.

Some of its tales include "Why the Hyena is Lame," "The Stars and the Stars' Road," "Why the Hare's Nose is Slit," and "Why the Heron has a Crooked Neck."

But the book opens with this glossary, which, as a fan of language and etymology, I found more intriguing than the tales themselves. So here it is for your intellectual enjoyment, too:

  • Awa-skin, skin slung across the back to carry babies in.
  • Askoekies, cakes baked in the ash.
  • Baas, master.
  • Baasje (pronounced Baasie), little master.
  • Babiaan, baboon.
  • Berg schilpad, mountain tortoise.
  • Biltong, strips of sun-dried meat.
  • Bolmakissie, head over heels.
  • Bossies, bushes.
  • Broer, brother.
  • Buchu, an aromatic veld herb.
  • Carbonaatje, grilled chop.
  • Dassie, rock-rabbit.
  • Eintje, an edible veld root.
  • Gezondheid! Your health!
  • Haasje, little hare.
  • Hamel, wether.
  • Jakhals draaie, tricky turns.
  • Kaross, skin rug.
  • Kierie, a thick stick.
  • Klein koning, little king.
  • Kneehaltered, hobbled.
  • Kopdoek, turban.
  • Kopje, hill.
  • Krantz, precipice.
  • Kraal, enclosure.
  • Lammervanger, eagle.
  • Leeuw, lion.
  • Maanhaar, mane.
  • Mensevreter, cannibal.
  • Neef, nephew.
  • Nooi, lady or mistress.
  • Nonnie, young lady, miss.
  • Oom, uncle.
  • Outa, old man, prefix to the name of old natives.
  • Pronk, show off.
  • Reijer, heron.
  • Riem, leathern thong.
  • Rustband, couch.
  • Sassaby or Sessebe, a South African antelope.
  • Schelm, rogue; sly.
  • Schilpad, tortoise.
  • Sjambok, whip of rhino or hippo hide.
  • Skraal windje, fine cutting wind.
  • Skrik, to be startled; also fright.
  • Slim, cunningly clever.
  • Smouse, pedlar.
  • Soopje, tot.
  • Taai, tough.
  • Tante, aunt.
  • Tarentaal, Guinea fowl.
  • Tover, toverij, witchcraft.
  • Vaabond, vagabond.
  • Vlakte, plain.
  • Voertsed, jumping aside suddenly and violently.
  • Volk, coloured farm labourers.
  • Volstruis, ostrich.
  • Vrouw, wife.
  • Vrouwmens, woman.
  • Zandkruiper, sand-crawler.

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