Chilapalapa

Chilapalapa is a language spoken primarily in Zambia and Zimbabwe. Some may describe it as a pidgin language, blending elements of the Ndebele, Shona and English languages.

It is not true that the only tense is the imperative (eg. do this or do that). The past tense is denoted by the suffix "-ile" (eg. amba [I go, or go!] becomes ambile [I went] ), while the future is denoted by the prefix "azi" (eg. azi amba [will go] ). Also, personal pronouns exist, ie. "mina", "wena", "ena" for I, you, he or she, and "tina", "wena", "ena" for we, you, and they.

The language is also known as Kitchen Kaffir. However, this name is considered offensive by many people (see kaffir (ethnic slur)), and is also used for a variety of Fanagalo, which may be a different language.

This language was simply known as "Lapapapa" in the Copperbelt Province in Zambia. The basic language was the same as Chilapalapa but with some words borrowed from the local Bemba language.

The Zimbabwean folk singer John Edmond sang about the dialect in his "The Chilapalapa Song". Also well known are the multi-song comedic recordings "Yena lo Chilapalapa" and "Futi Chilapalapa" by Wrex Tarr.

ee also

* kaffir (disambiguation)

External links

* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=ZW Ethnologue] .