Monthly Archives: March 2024

The niceties of language

Text: “Manate tsa puo”

Translation: The niceties of language; to beautify language or to pepper your speech with colorful language etc

Context:

K is a middle aged woman who was born and raised in Botswana and lives there currently. This is a common phrase in Setswana —the national language of Botswana. This saying references the customs of the Setswana language. A lot of speech in Setswana is in metaphors and proverbs, making it very difficult to translate directly to english. This phrase is often said to ease people who are having trouble understanding Setswana. It is essentially saying, this language is often unnecessarily convoluted, therefore you mustn’t feel bad when you do not understand. K used and heard this saying very often in her work in advertisement while working with business clientele who were not native Setswana speakers.

Analysis/Interpretation:

A saying such as this comes from an astute awareness of the perspective of outsiders that is incredibly interesting to observe in Botswana culture. Known for being very friendly and welcoming people, who are also very proud of their culture, it is unsurprising to have a saying that acknowledges the difficulties outsiders may face, encouraging them, while simultaneously complementing their language’s idiosyncrasies.

You can smell the wood

Text: “​​ça sent le sapin”

Translation: You can smell the wood

Context:

K is a student studying fashion in Paris. He first heard this French idiom in a car with his Parisian girlfriend’s family. The girlfriend’s sister was coughing a lot, and the mother said this phrase in response. This saying is essentially a way of saying, in jest, that someone is close to death. The “wood” in question is a reference to the material of a cheap coffin. Therefore, saying that a person can smell the wood, means they are very close to being in a coffin. 

Analysis: 

This phrase reminds me of the similar saying “knocking on death’s door”. Joking about death, or discussing it in such a flippant manner is quite a common thing in most western cultures. Death, typically, is something that is feared in most western societies, likely because what happens after death is understood to be unknown and undiscoverable to the living. Thus this dark humor present in such a normalized phrase is a response to the inherent fear of death so many have within themselves. Dramatizing something as simple as a cough (or other situation in which this phrase arises) allows the folk engaging in this speech to exhibit some small amount of control over death; in taking the seriousness out of the topic, it removes some of the fear about it too.

Bana ba motho ba kgaogana tlhogo ya tshoswane

Text: “Bana ba motho ba kgaogana tlhogo ya tshoswane”

Translation: The people of a family are to share the head of an ant.

Context:

B is a middle aged man who was born and raised in Gaborone, Botswana and lives there currently. This is a common phrase in Setswana —the national language of Botswana— used as a metaphor to express the importance of family, sharing, and putting others before yourself. 

B first learned this metaphor from his wife who came from a large single parent household (7 children) It was their reality that the only means through which to prosper is for them all to share and be giving, despite not having much to give. Caring for the entire family is more important than one single individual.

Analysis:

This metaphor is very representative of the greater Botswana community and its cultural norms. It is highly valued in Botswana culture to be selfless and to give freely. This metaphor emphasizes that it is easy to give when you are in abundance, however, even when you only have something as small as an ant’s head, you must still find it in you to share that with the family (or community). This is a distinctly non-western philosophy and way of living. In the US, it is the norm to be extraordinarily individualistic. In Botswana, however, as exemplified by this phrase, the only option is for everyone to prosper, going directly against holding one person above the rest.

Botlhale jwa phaka bo tswa phalaneng

Text: “Botlhale jwa phaka bo tswa phalaneng.”

Translation: The intelligence of the antelope comes from the calf.

Context:

B: “This saying symbolizes that the future belongs to the next generation. Young people are the future of the world. It tells us to look to the younger generation to solve the problems of today. We [his generation] can’t solve them because it was created by our paradigm. To solve community issues, we need young people to approach to find a solution through their unencumbered paradigm.”

B is a middle aged man who was born and raised in Gaborone, Botswana and lives there currently. This is a common phrase in Setswana —the national language of Botswana— used as a metaphor to express that it is not only the old that have the capability to be wise, but the young do as well. B first learned this phrase from his parents in his childhood (1970s/80s). 

B claims to refer back to this phrase often in his consultancy work, often looking to his younger employees to offer a completely different perspective and experience to his own. Additionally, he relates this phrase to Africa as an entity. With around 60% of the population being under 25, B believes that it is the youth —with their unencumbered creativity, talent, energy, and problem solving— that will spearhead growth into the African continent. 

Analysis:

This metaphor encapsulates the characteristics of the people of Botswana. Traditionally, respect is an incredibly important attribute to have and show to all others in the community regardless of age or status. This phrase highlights the calf —youth— as being just as important and capable of contributing something of worth —intelligence— to its elders and community. It is representative of the importance not to dismiss others because they are seemingly “less” than you.

‘Out in the Wash’ Proverb

Main Piece

Literal Phrase: Everything will come out in the wash if the soap is strong enough.

Interpretation

Informant’s Interpretation: “Get over it.”

Personal Interpretation: A harsher rendition of “get over it,” implying that the individual can get over anything if they try hard enough. Pinning the success condition on “the soap” implies it’s the individuals’ responsibility to overcome whatever happened. By virtue of this, it encourages self-reliance.

Background

My informant is a practicing speech pathologist in Pasadena, California. She is in her 70s and of European descent (English, Irish, and Welsh). She heard this proverb (and many others) from her mother, who had a “harsh parenting style” and “wasn’t good with words and emotions”–she instead used proverbs like this one to convey sentiment. She used this proverb and others like it as my informant and her siblings were growing up in both California and Kansas. Eventually, my informant notes that she would stop asking for advice in these situations, as she knew the proverb would be the response.

My informant disliked the use of this phrase in her childhood, finding it discounting of her emotions. She and her siblings now use this and their mom’s other proverbs (termed “Mommilies” among them) to tease each other in their adult life. Looking back, my informant can now appreciate the “truth” of the phrase.