South African Names.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXV, Issue VI, 11 August 1900, Page 258

South African Names.

A ‘rood deal lias been written lately on the derivation of certain South African names, but no detailed information, says a writer in the “Telegraph,” has been given as to the pronunciation. The subject bristles with as many entanglements as the native kopjes; it is one that affects us all, from the member of Parliament who, with the characteristic diffidence of his tribe, sacrifices a speech rather than risk tripping over an unfamiliar consonantal combination, down to the man in the street, who probably knows as much about Dutch and Zulu as the

average Cabinet minister. The following hints, therefore, (hough necessarily somewhat eircumserilted, must be of general interest. To begin at the beginning President Kruger's name presents two points of difficulty; one is the vowel u, which should l>e pronounced like the French u. not like English 00, which in Dutch would be represented by oe. The other is the g, which should never be sounded like the English soft g in “gem,” but either as in “gold” or entirely omitted. Of the four different ways of pronouncing this name which are current. No. 1, Kroojer, is a vulgar error; No. 2. Krooger, with hard g, as in “gold,” is passable; No. 3. Kreeger. where the ee is an attempt at the

French vowel sound, is, perhaps, the most aristocratic: while No. 4 (rhyming with Frere), in which the g entirely disappears, is the one most frequently heard among the Cape Dutch themselves. The name of the other fighting president, Steyn, is pronounced “stain,” and the same sound is given to the diphthong ei or ey, and also to the vowel y, wherever these occur in Dutch words. Examples are Leyds (Laids), Reitz (Rates), Hofmeyer, the place names Bloemfontein (Bloomfontane) and Graaffreinet (accented on the last syllable), Vryburg (Frayburg), and Frey held (Frayhade). The last two also illustrate the sound of f, which is also given to initial y in Dutch, other In-

stances of which are the family names of Villiers (Fill-ye or Fill-jee), and Viljoen (Fill-yune or Fill-june). It will be observed that alternate pronunciations are allowable of the j in both these names. In literary Dutch this consonant is like the English y, but at the Cape there is a strong tendency to give it the same sound as j in English. Cronje, threfore, may be called Cron-jay, or. preferably, Cron-yay, and Joubert either Jew-bear or Youbear! The final t—be it noted in pass-ing-should be silent. This is because Joubert is a name of French origin. There are plenty of these in South Africa, and they generally retain some trace of the French pronunciation. Many of them retain the French

stress upon the final syllable. Of this class are Fill-yee, Fill-yune, You-bear, Malan (Malang), and Retief (Reteef). Spion Kop, of doubtful fame, is called Spewn kop or Spune Kop. Some of the native names present difficulty —Mafeking amongst them. In England it is pronounced in at least three distinct ways: —(1) In two syllables, rhyming with "safe king,” a gross vulgarism; (2) With the correct number of syllables (three), but falsely' accented. Mafeking, so as to rhyme with “seeking"; (3) The correct pronunciation is with the accept upon the first and third, so as to form a rhyme with “trafficking.” Strictly' speaking, however, the third syllable has the

chief, and the initial syllable only the secondary stress; this is worth remembering, because it applies to all Bechuanaland and Basutoland names with the not uncommon termination ng. Thus, the names of two powerful tribes, Balaping and Borolong, as well as the towns of Mafeking and Skoshong in Bechuana'land. Mafeteng and Quithing in Basutoland, Kolobeng. well-known to all who have read the life of Livingstone, and others of like ending should all be stressed on the final. Other Bechuana names are I’alapye ami Magalapye, pronounced Palapshee and Magalapshee. In Zulu names, the consonants e and x represent “clicks." imposisble to anyone

but a native. Names like Cetywayo and the tribal name Xosa, however, are generally called Ketshwuyo ami Kosa by the whites. Ekowe, Eshowe, or Etshowe, the capital of Zuiuland, rejoices in three spellings, but is pronounced, quaintly enough, not on any account Ekowee, but invariably either Eshowee or (better) Etshowee. All Zulu words ending in a vowel have penultimate stress. They are not hard when this is known, and their effect upon the ear is most musical. Names of tribes, such as Mashona. Matabele, or another series. Amafengu. Amapondo. Amaswazi, Amatongo; the Zulu districts. Emtonjanoni, ITnfolosi; rivers, Limpopo. Tugela, I’mzinkulu. Vmzinkul-

wana; heights, as Amajuba. Ingogo; battle fields, like Isandhlwana. Ulundi; chiefs with whom we have been at daggers drawn, l.angalibalele, Lol>eiigula. Sikukuni, I'inbandine all these are as simple as Italian, and bear a marked similarity in vocalisation and rhythm to that tongue.