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Tsotsi Taal – How they form new words – how to speak Tsotsi Taal the language

 Tsotsi Taal is a South African slang, which is almost cross-cultural. It uses words that are formed by people in communities like in prisons or within townships and other habitats like under bridges, where some people stay. The word tsosi is a Zulu language word meaning thug while taal is an Afrikaner language word meaning language.

An image of a word puzzle
Tsotsi Taal is made of many different languages


How To Speak Tsotsi Taal.

When people speak tsotsi Taal they mostly use their original vernacular and mix it with vital words from the Tsotsi Taal. Prevalent Tsotsi Taal variants are said to be Afrikaans and isiZulu variants, where words from other languages are integrated into the language to render meaning within the Taal.

In South African media, we see people speaking Tsotsi Taal of their language variants, for example, a drama series like Zone 14, Yizo Yizo, and many other programs.

How Is Tsotsi Taal Vocabulary Formed?

Tsotsi Taal takes vital and good-sounding words from different languages. When the speakers feel that a word from a particular language, let’s say Japanese for instance, fits in the Taal they begin to use the word right away. Other speakers naturally begin to use the word.

In Tsotsi Taal, when you say good or well you say moja, which in Kiswahili means one. In essence, when things are good they are in unison or unity, so there is umoja (unity). When you greet someone and asked how are you they may reply moja which means all things are united or all things are good.

In the 90s and early 2000s, in some places, there was also the word khimbila. The word khimbila is a Zulufied word which comes from the name Kimble. This is a pseudonym which Paul Kersey gave to himself in the movie Death Wish. Because he was killing so many people, a Tsotsi Taal community began to say when someone kills a person they kimble them, consequently khimbila.

Townships, where most of this language is spoken, also have a Tsoti Taal language. Townships are called kasi. The word kasi comes from the Afrikaans language, from the word lokasie which means location.

Uses of Tsotsi Taal

The original idea of Tsotsi Taal is to hide the meaning of words and to hide the entire conversation from those who are listening. Tsotsi Taal may range from basic to a real hard level where it’s harder to understand what someone was saying even if they are mixing it in your own language; we have already explained that Tsotsi Taal is spoken using certain words or sentences, but speaking it leans on real languages.

Tsotsi Taal has for years become a culture, associated with certain traditions and sometimes associated with music and dance, for example, Pantsula dance. There are also community settings where it’s not good to use this language. One pastor was teaching using the Tsotsi Taal, and the church submitted a complaint, complaining that he used the wrong language in some minutes of his sermon.

The connotation associated with Tsotsi Taal makes people uncomfortable when someone speaks this language. This is understandable, considering where the language was made and the purpose for which it was made.

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