uMabhengwaneI’m writing for NaNoWriMo, using prompts from Moye Magazine. My plan is to write 30 different stories for this month, all in English (for a change). Enjoy. “Free Palestine! Free Haiti! Free Yemen! Free Tigray!” The shouting from the person on the corner underneath my study window, two stories down, had been going on for […]
Yesterday, in therapy (because am broken, as should be obvious to anyone reading this) I didn’t start with any negative things or gripes or complaints – but I did end up talking about bridges. No, you idiot. Not the physical structure. It’s a metaphor. In this case, I am a bridge. In fact, I am […]
Sanibonani! Hello! To the teachers: Many of the posts on this blog are useful for explaining different points to learners in your classes, especially for linking words and concepts in interesting visual or other sensory ways – all of which should enhance the way that what is learned makes sense in their minds Kubafundisayo: Iningi […]
There are quite a few different areas for the understanding of language in the brain, but Broca’s area for understanding spoken word, Wernicke’s for producing spoken word, and the Angular Gyrus for converting visual language into internal monologue are the big three. In the beginning, there were two main inhabitants of my brain’s language gyri […]
In all the change and chaos this week brought to things in general, what with last-minute about-turns and an 11th-hour resignation, there was one little gem that I choose to pick out. It involves hippopotami, crocodiles, and isaga sesiZulu (a Zulu proverb). You see, just before 18:30 on Wednesday (usuku lwezithandani, futhi) I was on […]
Some ideas marinate for a long time before reaching the right moment to come forth. I had written the words down on an envelope, about 9 months ago. That envelope has travelled with me all over, tucked into the depths of whatever bag I was carrying or floating freely in the back of my car. […]
In the interests of protestors everywhere, here are some iziqubulo. I’ve kept them ad rem rather than ad hominem, cos that’s how I roll. Phansi dominates, of course. Down. Metaphors of falling are common in protests. Same here, though with some added UJoji. Translations are welcome in the comments. Protest as you are able and […]
For those of you who haven’t noticed, I don’t put the izihloko (newspaper headlines) on the blog anymore – to see them, you need to follow @isiKhovana on Twitter, or you can simply search for the #izihloko hashtag. I give points for each one, and give cryptic clues as to how to translate them – […]
Since this blog’s been up and running for a little while now, I think it’s about time I tweaked things a bit. So here goes… Broadly speaking, from now on you can expect at least three different things to be published here each week: imibhudulo: formerly known as ‘word routes’, these entries follow the trails […]
Basola ukuthi uzingqongqisile obebalisa ngendlala – 30 points {front page headline} Basola ukuthi uzibulele obehlala ebalisa ngosizi – 25 points {page 3 article} Owesifazane waseNhlangakazi eNdwedwe obehlala ebalisa ngokweswela kwakhe nomndeni wakhe, kusolwa ukuthi uzithungele ngomlilo waba ngamalahle, kwasinda umzukulu wakhe ngempelasonto kusha indlu abebekuyona. Bashaqekile ngohlahlele intombi wabe esezibulala – 20 points {page 3 […]
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