My Swahili study has taken a bit of a back foot recently, not because I don't want to but just because so much other stuff has been going on. I have already shared some of the Swahili-isms that amuse me, adding '-i' onto English words or when words are repeated.
'Kali' (pronounced car-lee) is one of those words in KiSwahili that make me smile. It can mean any of the following; {violent}, {wild}, {bitter}, {vehement}, {ferocious}, {fierce}, {mean}, {strict}, {cruel}, {distressing}, {hot}, {intense}, {scorching}, {severe}, {urgent}, {sharp} or {sour}. Here are just a few example's of how it can be used ...
- jua kali - scorching hot (intense) sun
- mbwa mkali - fierce dog
- kisu kikali - sharp knife
- mama mkali - strict/severe mum
In some ways, one word having so many meanings means less vocabulary to learn (always a bonus!). But in other ways you have to learn ALL the meanings and in Swahili depending on the context you have to add a different prefix too!
After the craziness of Christmas, lots of visitors and a trip to the beach, a fun but topsy-turvy month or so, it has unfortunately meant that my two girlies have been a little bit cranky-pants this week! Which in turn has meant that I have become the mama mkali while I whip them back into shape!
It's not really my favourite part of parenting but to be fair it has all been pretty straight forward and they are now a lot less stroppy at the end of the week than they were at the beginning! The naughty chair may have had a little bit more of a workout this week but they are pretty slick at the whole routine now. And as the weekend looms I can return to being a yummy mummy again having lots of fun and being super silly rather than being the mama mkali!
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