coming home I: Communication

Dear Family and Friends,

I told you that I would write some emails about things that I will find difficult when I come back and ways that you can help me.  Here is the first installment.  Each email will be titled 'coming home' and will have the subject following it.  This first email is about communication.

"English was founded in England, spoiled somewhere in India, and misunderstood right here on the continent of Africa" 

Sounds funny doesn't it?  I can't even begin to tell you how true it is!  I have a confession.  I no longer speak English.  I speak Namblish!  Namibia was settled by England and Germany, so the English that is spoken has the British vocabulary.  Since English isn't the Africans' first language, it has been changed into something that is their own language and English combined.  In order to speak and be understood here, one must learn the same way of speaking.  This means that my ability to speak good English has deteriorated since I came here!  My vocabulary has been infused with British words like rubbish instead of trash, holiday instead of vacation and boot instead of trunk.  It also means that there are many words that I haven't used in a long time that I have probably forgotten!  (The saying 'If you don't use it you lose it' is definitely true!)  My pattern of speech has also changed.  I speak much slower now and the way I form my sentences is even different.  

There are a lot of verbal and non-verbal communications that are now a part of my every day life that might confuse you guys at first.  Here are some examples:

Greetings: When shaking hands, I often clap three times first as a sign of respect.  When greeting someone who is older than me or has a higher position of authority I place my right hand on my forearm and do a little curtsy dip as a sign of respect.  Greetings for close friends that get hugs also includes kisses on both cheeks (like they do in Europe) and I feel awkward hugging on only one side now, like the greeting is incomplete.  When passing someone in the corridor or at the store or where ever, it is customary to greet, then say "ok" as a leave taking.  This can be said in English, but is mostly said in Rukwangali - "ewah" (eh-waaaah).  This is also considered an acceptable way to signify the end of a conversation, whether in person or on the phone.  I say it so often at this point that I say it without even thinking about it, it is just habit!  (Ewah can also be used as an acceptable greeting/acknowledgment of presence if you are passing the person more than once in the same day)

Asking questions:  In the Kwangali culture, a whole conversation can be had without words!  If I want something that is visible, I must only clap my hands and point at the object.  The person that I am asking has a few possible ways of answering me.  There is the eyebrow raise which indicates yes, the chin jut that indicated yes, or the eyes looking to the side which means no.  If it's a raise of the eyebrows or the jut of the chin, I may pick the item up and clap a thanks with a little curtsy dip or if handed the item take it with my left hand resting on my right arm along with the little curtsy dip.  Or, if I ask for something that isn't visible, the answer of no can be indicated by the twisting of the hand to make it look like you are holding a small ball. This is a perfectly acceptable way of saying no.  :-)  

Getting someone's attention: Here in Rundu one must be very careful about how they wave hello.  The hand must be showed palm forward and shaken in a side to side manner.  If you try to say hello by holding your hand still and moving your fingers up and down it doesn't mean hello, it means come here!  So, if you are trying to get someone's attention, that's how you wave, by holding your hand still and moving your fingers up and down.  :-)  Here, it is customary to get someone's attention verbally by calling them nane (nah-neh)(mother) or tate (tah-teh)(father).  This applies to everyone who is older than you.  If they are younger than you, you can call them kado (kah-doe)(girl) or boyi (boy-ee)(boy).

I'm coming now now: When one is going somewhere and will be right back, we say "I'll be right back".  Here, you say "I'm coming now now".  It means that I am coming back, but they only say 'I'm coming".  The 'now now' means I am coming back within fifteen minutes to a half hour.  'I'm coming now' gives the person about an hours time frame, and 'I'm coming' could mean they will come back after one hour or five!  Have I picked this up?  Absolutely!

Neh?: A good sentence in Namblish isn't complete without a 'neh' at the end.  It is used to qualify or verify information or to make sure that the listener understood the speaker's intention.  So if I leave my office I might say to my colleague "I am taking these to the Matron.  I'm coming now now.  I don't have my keys neh."  This signifies to my colleague that she can't lock the door while I am gone because I won't be able to get back in.  If I am talking to my colleague and I want to make sure that I understood her plans then I will say "You are going to the Regional office then to lunch neh?"  Then she can answer yes or no to verify that I have heard her correctly or maybe she changed her plans since she told them to me.  It can also be used just to add emphasis to the end of a sentence.  

Is it?: In Afrikaans, which also heavily influences Namblish, it is very common to verify a statement with 'is it'.  I think that in the US we would say 'is that true', 'really, I didn't know that', or 'I've never heard that before'.  In Namblish, that would use too many words.  After all, 'is it' is so much easier to say!

I am sure that there are many more aspects of Namibian communication that I have adopted and not even realized it!  So how can you help me with communication?  You can be patient with me as I adjust to 'normal' speech again and not laugh at me too much when I speak Namblish.  

More to come...

with love,

kapande

Kimmie Tibbetts

Serving the people of Namibia at the Rundu State Hospital
http://thekimmieconnection.blogspot.com
http://s207.photobucket.com/albums/bb136/thekimmieconnection/