South Africa Six - Text
A middle-aged Caucasian Afrikaans speaker discusses her life in Vereeniging, close to Johannesburg, her job as a librarian and her interest in psychology. She at times uses Afrikaans grammatical constructions when speaking English ("lived still there") and the use of upward inflections is typical. Notice the tendency of final "t"s to become "d" in connected speech ("pot of gold") and also the colouring of the "I" sound in "sky" and the "ay" in "explanation". There is also a slight tendency to replace a "th" with a "f" in a phrase such as "something else".Recorded 5.24.2000(?) by Yvette Hardie, edited by Paul Meier 7.17.2000. Running time 00:02:13.
TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH
I grew up in Vereeniging, um. We moved to Richards Bay for about six months when I was four years old and then came back, and I lived my whole life in Vereeniging. And then I moved to Alberton about two years ago. Weekend, it was more going out into the sun [laughs] because South Africa is a land of sun. So go out, go swimming, go hiking, just do anything as long as you're outside. So, that's about it. My parents also lived their whole lives in the Vaal Triangle, that is van der Biyl park, they lived there...and then they moved to Vereeniging when they were married and they live still there, still living there. I've been married, I'm divorced at the moment. So I'm single with my two black cats [laughs]. I'm very happy. I started, um.studying at Potchefstroom University and after I studied there I started working at Vereeniging Public Library for seven and a half years and after that I studied further. I did my psychology honors and after that I did a little bit of, um, psychiatric testing, um, personality testing, that kind of stuff. then at Athlone I worked for about a year and a half, and then I came to the school. do librarian work as well. I feel very important [laughs]. A lot of people came here and, um, because I love the work and I'm very interested in information, any kind of information, um, I think they feel that I like my work and they feel relaxed when they come in, they, they can ask me anything. I'd like at the end...to do evaluation at the school as well. Not only to sit in library everyday for my whole life. I think I'd rather do that. Even if it's part-time and I have to work in library because I like librarian work. It's fun for me, but I'd like to do...to do something else as well; as a part time job.
Transcribed by Dianne-Yvette Cook, March, 2005.