IsiNgqumo, or IsiGqumo, (literally "decisions" in the language itself) is an
argot
A cant is the jargon or language of a group, often employed to exclude or mislead people outside the group.McArthur, T. (ed.) ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (1992) Oxford University Press It may also be called a cryptolect, argo ...
used by
homosexuals of South Africa and Zimbabwe who speak
Bantu languages
The Bantu languages (English: , Proto-Bantu language, Proto-Bantu: *bantʊ̀), or Ntu languages are a language family of about 600 languages of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern, East Africa, Eastern and Southeast Africa, South ...
, as opposed to
Gayle, a language used by the homosexuals of South Africa who speak
Germanic languages
The Germanic languages are a branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family spoken natively by a population of about 515 million people mainly in Europe, North America, Oceania, and Southern Africa. The most widely spoke ...
. IsiNgqumo developed during the 1980s.
Unlike Gayle, IsiNgqumo has not been thoroughly researched or documented, so figures on numbers of speakers are nonexistent.
IsiNgqumo is often considered a Western invention by indigenous Zimbabweans but it was actually a creation of indigenous homosexuals, an only recently self-aware group.
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Sample
Although the following sample conversation may be slightly obscene, it is a good representative of IsiNgqumo's use as most of its vocabulary has some connection to sex or gay men.literal translation
Literal translation, direct translation, or word-for-word translation is the translation of a text done by translating each word separately without analysing how the words are used together in a phrase or sentence.
In translation theory, anoth ...
):
:"His little stick, has it awoken?"
:"Yes"
:"Lie!"
:"It's not talented" (or) "it makes one cold"
English translation:
:"His penis, is it big?"
:"Yes"
:"Lie!"
:"It's small" (both terms mean the same thing, and are very derogatory)
Etymology
The origin of the vocabulary used in the above sample is given below:[
*The word ''isiphukwana'' comes from the Ndebele word ''uphuku'' (meaning "stick") with the suffix "-ana" (meaning "small"); it is the IsiNgqumo variant of the Ndebele word ''uphukwana''.
*''Vuswa'' is the Nguni word for "woken up" in the passive tense.
*''Maye'' comes from the Zulu word for expressing shock. This is used instead of the Zulu word for yes, ''yebo''.
*''Injini'' literally means "taking on for a ride", and finds its origins in the Zulu word for "engine". In Zulu, the word ''imbuqo'' word is used for the same purpose.
*The word ''uncishiwe'' originates from Zulu as "not given", but is used in IsiNgqumo to mean "not talented". ''Kuncishiwe'' has the same meaning as "It is not talented". ''Uncishiwe'' can also mean "ugly", or can be used as a generic insult.
*''Pholwa'' is passive tense for the Zulu word for "cool". ''Kuyapholwa'' could be translated as "it makes one cool". Like ''ncishiwe'', ''pholwa'' can be used as an insult.
]
See also
*Lavender linguistics
LGBTQ linguistics is the study of language as used by members of LGBTQ communities. Related or synonymous terms include lavender linguistics, advanced by William Leap in the 1990s, which "encompass sa wide range of everyday language practices" ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isingqumo
Languages of South Africa
Nguni languages
LGBTQ culture in South Africa
LGBTQ in Zimbabwe
LGBTQ slang
LGBTQ argots
Languages attested from the 1980s
20th century in South Africa