A Zulu-Kafir dictionary etymologically explained, with copious illustrations and examples

1967·48.4 MB·English

by  Döhne, Jacob Ludwig

A
DICTIONAEY
ZTJLU-KAFIE
ETYMOLOGICALLY EXPLAINED,
WITH
COPIOUS ILLUSTRATIONS AND EXAMPLES,
PRECEDED BY
AN INTRODUCTION ON THE ZULU-KAFIR LANGUAGE.
BY
THE Rev. jf 1* DUHNE,
n
MISSIONARY TO THEAMERICAN BOARD C. F.M.,
CAPE TOWN:
1857,
Republishedin 1967 byGregg Press Limited
1 Westmead, Famborovigh, Hants., England
PrintedinoffsetbyAntonHainKG, Meisenheim/Glan
WesternGermany
TO
HIS EXCELLENCY SIR GEOEGE GREY, K.C.B.,
GOVERNOR OF THE COLONY OF THE CAPE OP GOOD HOPE, &c,, &c., &c
THIS DICTIONARY
IS (BY PERMISSION) DEDICATED AS A TESTIMONY OP SINCERE RESPECT
AND
or GRATITUDE FORTHE INTEREST TAKEN BYHISEXCELLENCY IN THIS WORK,
BY HIS EXCELLENCY S
MOST OBEDIENT HUMBLE SERVANT,
DOHNE.
J. L.

PREFACE.
A
proper dictionary of the Zulu-Kafir language is greatly required.
A
proper one, I say, because no other can expect to meet the wants of
those who desire to use this language for some good purpose. Why a
work of the kind has not beenfurnished long since, is a question usually
put by many who have arrived in the colony ofNatal, or in South Africa,
and found that it was not so easy to make themselves understood by the
natives withwhom they had to work. The answer is simply found in the
very difficulty which they experienced, and to obviate which they wished
to possess and to consult a dictionary.
It is true thatlexicography maybe dealt with in differentways,but if
itis to be treated philosoph—ically its taskis to set forth thenature ofevery
single word of a language, or, in other words, it must give the history of
every single word. This is at once very easy and most difficult. It is
very easy to show that honakala comes from bona and kalay and it is also
soonfound that bona means, to see, to look. But to discoverthe origin of
bona itself is quite another problem. It has occurred that individuals,
who have hardly put their feet on the shores ofthis land, think themselves
able in a short time to publish a grammar or a dictionary of the native
language. But every experienced man, and particularly every Missionary
among the Kafirs, will agree with me that we have a far more difficult
task to perform than is usually admitted, or believed. It has often been
remarked reproachfully that other people, and even children, had picked
up the language soon, while Missionaries seemed to require many years
before they could master it. Iforbearto saymore upontheseremarks than
that those who madethemplainly showhow littlethey understood thesub-
ject of which they speak becauseifthey were able tounderstandthelan-
;
guage spoken by those whom they admire, they would soon discover the
error of theirjudgment. Our experience has taught us otherwise ; for it
makes us to look upon translations and books so soon produced as unripe
fruits, which soon must fall to the ground. Many, however, seem to be
as fond of such productions as children are of dressing a fancy doll.
About twenty years have now elapsed since I commenced the com-
pilation of a Kafir dictionary. In this pursuit I found almost insur-
mountable difficulties from the want ofpersons who were qualified to give
me satisfactory explanations on the language. During ten years which I
spent among the Eastern FrontierKafirs, the Xosa, Iendeavouredtomake
use of all the sources that were accessible and althoughthe circumstance
;
that one dialect is prevalent and spoken there, makes the study of the
language comparatively easy, the result of all my enquiries, with civilized
men as well as with natives, was not satisfactory to me, because there
IV
remained on my mind some unpleasant obscurity respecting many points.
This has been experienced by all whose imperative duty it was to study
the language, and tostart aliteraturein it; for vain, indeed, is theattempt
to speak of a language being mastered while so much uncertainty and
obscurity rests on its literary productions. Until a student has analyzed
the language, and compared its single parts with all combinations inwhich
they occur, and has closely observed and learned from the general *^usus
loquendi" that such and such is the meaning of a root, or a part ofa root,
he cannot say that he has mastered it.
When I came to Natal in 1847,new difficulties presented themselves
to me, arising from the different dialects. At first I did not think so
much of them, believing the Xosa dialect to be far superior to the Zulu,
or at least to the dialects generally spoken in the colony of Natal. But
my opinion changed when, after some time, I was called upon by the
American Mission to prepare a dictionary for the press, and I compared
the materials which I collected from the vocabularies of different Mis-
sionaries with those in my possession. In pursuing this object I after-
wards discovered that I had to unlearn many things which others and
myself had taken much trouble in learning, and that it was necessary
for me to adopt quite another course in order to work my way through
the confusion of dialects prevailing in Natal.
While spending my time upon the study of dialects, comparing words
and searching for their root, I was called upon by the Government of
Natal to compile a dictionary for publication. And then again carefully
surveying the extent of all information in my possession, the obscurity
and uncertainty formerly experienced was, in a great measure, still the
same. In one word, I felt the absence of a fixed principle upon which
I might with safety construct my work, viz., that of a rigid analysis in
order to find the primitive meaning of words. My mind had for many
years been impressed with a peculiarity of the roots whose import is
observable in all compounds. I found that it was necessary for me to
go back to the rudiments, and form a kind of synopsis of all roots which
I could imagine to exist in the language, and to define their meaning.
But I had to fight many a battle with all the objections raised in my
own mind before I could come to a conclusion; because the undertaking
to analyze the language thoroughly seemed to involve a total overthrow
of many theories which, I knew, had already been fixed and laid down
in the literary productions of others as well as of my own. Regard,
therefore, for that which might be called old, made me hesitating for
some time. Seeing, however, no chance of obtaining the object desired,
I commenced the work, and although it has been a most laborious and
hard task, yet I am perfectly satisfied with the result, which has been
to open what are to me new views of language, and to explain what I
am quite sure to be the genuine principle on which the African languages
are constructed.
Several friends of literature, residing at Cape Town, seeing that the
plan ofthe Natal Government seemed to have been given up, interested
themselves in the work I was preparing, and requested of me to send