Example 1: In church on Sunday the speaker was talking about ways people come to church. "They come with ole hat." Old hat? Old hat? Does this mean disrespectful or casual? Fortunately context helped. "They come with "ole soul." Oh! Whole Heart!
Example 2: Accents are often on a different syllable: Sub SEE quent ly is really subsequently. And pronunciation is different: "This is Etay." Is this a new name or a name with different pronunciation? Many names are Western based. It turns out to be Eddy. But then, politely, I should call him Etay as he calls himself, even though I remember it in my mind as Eddy. Somwell is Samuel. But when I met Hawa and asked her to spell it.... it was HAWA. Okay then. Not all names are Christian based. And then there was my confusion for MONTHS about "Ness esa rey School." I finally figured it out as necessary school... and only a few weeks ago, did I learn it was really Nursery School.
Example 3: different terminology or ways of speaking. words that might be pejorative to me are not here. "We must ape Christ." As in we should imitate or follow Christ. Or "Time is not on our side." Really? Whose side is it on? Oh, it's a phrase that means we're out of time.
Sometimes I feel like a detective. There's always the thrill of success when the truth is unraveled. And all too frequently, Tom will ask, "What did he say?" And I'll have to admit, "He answered the question, but I didn't have a clue what he said." Sometimes we try again. Sometimes they'll say, "I didn't understand?" Which is so helpful. Sometimes we just give up. So when either person smiles and nods... either American or African.... don't ever assume that means they REALLY understood a thing.
I enjoyed reading this post. And good luck with your continued efforts to figure out the language.
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