Categories of Words

Navigate proportional mappings of South African English via these key groupings

Category

Drill down through the layers of the subject category hierarchy, viewing the proportional composition of terms from diverse categories such as Nature and Environment, Science and Technology or Religion and Culture.

Origin

View South African English mapped by language of derivation, gaining new insights into its origins. Navigate by language group (e.g. Southern African Languages) or by individual language subcategory (e.g. isiXhosa).

Part of Speech

See the distribution of South African English terms across grammatical categories. For example, find interjections used by the speakers of South African English or view prefixes adopted from other Southern African languages.

Usage

Explore the South African variety of English mapped according to specific contexts or situations. For example, find lists of greetings, colloquial and slang terms, idiomatic usage or language used by children.

Find more in the Text Edition

Follow the links below to view the categories and domains of usage of South African English in the Text Edition. Use the Filter menu to refine results, the date range slider at the top of the page to adjust the range of results displayed, or select hyperlinked headwords to access individual entries.

Subject Categories: Agriculture and Farming; Arts and Architecture; Economics and Commerce; Food, Drink and Drugs; History; Language and Education; Nature and Environment; Politics and Society; Religion and Culture; Science and Technology; Sport and Leisure.

Origin: European Languages; Indian Languages; Southeast Asian Languages; Southern African Languages; Other.

Usage: Acronyms; Children's Language; Colloquial; Derogatory or Offensive; Elliptical; Euphemistic; Figurative or Allusive; Greetings; Historical; Idiomatic; Ironic; Jocular; Not in Polite Use; Obsolete or Obsolescent; Rare or Nonce; Slang; Slogans.