page_title: British diaspora in Africa
section_title: Language
hierarchical_section_title: British diaspora in Africa / Culture / Language
caption_attribution_description: English: The Herbert Baker clocktower at Rhodes University. The picture was taken at an anti-rape march during 2004.
context_page_description: The British diaspora in Africa is a population group broadly defined as English-speaking white Africans of mainly British descent who live in or come from Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority live in South Africa and other Southern African countries in which English is a primary language, including Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya Botswana, Zambia, Lesotho and Eswatini. There are also sizable numbers in Nigeria and Ghana. Their first language is usually English. The majority of white Africans who speak English as a first language are of British and Irish descent.
context_section_description: Many white Africans speak a unique dialect of English, developed by interaction with other local languages. South African English is influenced by Afrikaans and the Bantu languages. The considerable Afrikaans influence can be seen from words such as braai, trek, lekker and ja in common usage. Some Zulu and Xhosa words, such as shongololo, muti, ubuntu and fundi (meaning an "expert"), are also commonly used. Although South African slang is used by many younger South Africans, it would be unusual to hear it used among older people. The common greeting "howzit!" comes from the Afrikaans hoezit! (or "how is it?"); it can be likened to the US "howdy", the Australian "g'day", the Irish "howya?" or the recent British "all right?".
  Rhodes University in Grahamstown houses the Dictionary Unit for South African English. The fourth edition of A Dictionary of South African English was published in 1991, and the second edition of the Oxford South African Concise Dictionary was published in 2010. The English Academy of Southern Africa, founded in 1961, is dedicated to promoting the effective use of English as a dynamic language in Southern Africa.
  A few South African English coinages are listed below:
caption: Heart of the Rhodes University campus
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