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Author: TRK

Mopitlo [March in Setswana]

Mopitlo [March in Setswana]

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[ENG] The Setswana name for March is Mopitlo. Although it is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (March/Mopitlo) is in fact the seventh month of the traditional Tswana lunisolar calendar, whose year starts with the onset on the agricultural season in August/September (Lwetse). However, this is not as clear-cut as my introduction above makes it seem. Traditional Southern African calendars were based on the moon cycle, as well as annual seasonal rotations. This tended to create complications as a…

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Setswana – Mother of many Mother Languages

Setswana – Mother of many Mother Languages

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Today, February 21, is International Mother Language Day. So what better day than this to discuss our own vernacular? Setswana is the “mother tongue” (if is still considered politically correct to say mother tongue), of about eight million people living primarily in Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, where it enjoys the status of being a national, official, or recognised minority language. The geographic spread of the language is perhaps the widest in the SADC region after Kiswahili – ranging…

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Tlhakole [February in Setswana]

Tlhakole [February in Setswana]

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[ENG] The Setswana name for February is Tlhakole. Although it is the second month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (February/Tlhakole) is in fact the sixth month of the traditional Tswana lunisolar calendar, whose year starts with the onset on the agricultural season in August/September (Lwetse). However, this is not as clear-cut as my introduction above makes it seem. Traditional Southern African calendars were based on the moon cycle, as well as annual seasonal rotations. This tended to create complications as a…

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Mebala – Colours and Patterns in Setswana

Mebala – Colours and Patterns in Setswana

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The Setswana word for colours is mebala. However, mebala does not directly translate to colours, as it also means colour patterns. In particular, when talking about animal hides. Mebala is the plural for mmala (contracted from mobala – see discussion under Class 1 and Class 3 of Noun Classes). Most names of colours and colour patterns are gender-specific in Setswana. The masculine form is the default version, and is also used to refer to genderless objects, such as soil, trees,…

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Firikgong (January in Setswana)

Firikgong (January in Setswana)

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[ENG] The Setswana name for January is Firikgong. Alternative spellings include Ferikgong, Hirikgong, and Herikgong (depending on dialect and other influences). Although it is the first month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (January/Firikgong) is in fact the fifth month of the traditional Tswana lunisolar calendar, whose year starts with the onset on the agricultural season in August/September (Lwetse). However, this is not as clear-cut as my introduction above makes it seem. Traditional Southern African calendars were based on the moon cycle,…

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Morule [Undecimber] – the 13th Month

Morule [Undecimber] – the 13th Month

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Traditionally, Batswana used “leap years” to retain alignment of their months to seasonal markers. These leap years were somewhat different from what we use today, because they involved the addition of an entire intercalary month, rather than the intercalary day (February 29) that we are all so familiar with. Morule is the 13th (intercalary) month of the Tswana calendar. Batswana, like most of the peoples of Southern Africa traditionally used the moon cycle to determine their months, together with the…

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Sedimonthole (December in Setswana)

Sedimonthole (December in Setswana)

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[ENG] The Setswana name for December is Sedimonthole, but sometimes people use “Morule”. The twelfth month of the Gregorian calendar (December/Sedimonthole) is in fact the fourth month of the traditional Tswana lunar calendar, whose year starts with the onset on the agricultural season in August/September (Lwetse). However, this is not as clear-cut as my introduction above makes it seem. Traditional Southern African calendars were based on the moon cycle, as well as annual seasonal rotations. This tended to create complications as a 12-month…

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150 Animal names in Setswana (part 2)

150 Animal names in Setswana (part 2)

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Today we continue with our quest to have a translation of at least 150 animal names into Setswana. This post continues from last month, where we listed 35 carnivores and 42 prey mammals (totalling 77 animals). As said in the last post, pluralisation in Setswana is usually quite straightforward, as it follows a very principle (as discussed in Ditlhopha tsa Maina [Noun Classes]). However, the use of animal names in folk tales and other familial settings has resulted in a…

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Ngwanatsele (November in Setswana)

Ngwanatsele (November in Setswana)

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[ENG] The Setswana name for November is Ngwanatsele. Although it is the eleventh month of the Gregorian Calendar (November/Ngwanatsele) is in fact the third month of the traditional Tswana lunar calendar, whose year starts with the onset on the agricultural season in August/September (Lwetse). However, this is not as clear-cut as my introduction above makes it seem. Traditional Southern African calendars were based on the moon cycle, as well as annual seasonal rotations. This tended to create complications as a 12-month lunar cycle…

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150 Animal Names in Setswana (part 1)

150 Animal Names in Setswana (part 1)

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The focus of today’s post is Setswana names of animals, birds, fish, and arthropods, listed together with their English equivalents. Pluralisation in Setswana is usually quite straightforward, as it follows a very principle (as discussed in Ditlhopha tsa Maina [Noun Classes]). However, the use of animal names in folk tales and other familial settings has resulted in a lot of personification associated with some animals, and this has caused some of these animal names to take a somewhat unorthodox pluralisation….

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