Noons wrote:
> Billy apparently said,on my timestamp of 21/07/2005 3:24 PM:
>
>>>
>>> Agree with everything else except the translation of "kaffir"!
>>> You and I know it's not that! :)
>>
>>
>>
>> Actually it is. Yes, in South Africa the term is/was used as a
>> derogatory reference to black people (its use today can land you in
>> legal problems here).
>>
>> However, the actual world itself comes from Arabic and means
>> "unbeliever" and is the term used (especially in the past) by Muslims
>> describing anyone that is not of the Islam faith. It is also spelled
>> with one f. That's the context I used it in. :-)
>>
>> Have a look at
>> http://www.google.co.za/search?hl=en&q=islam+kafir&btnG=Google+Search&meta=
>>
>
>
> I think that's a modern "borrowing" by our Arab friends?...
> The term is actually originaly Spanish/Portuguese
> and its original meaning is here:
> http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/translation.asp?spen=cafre
>
> "savage, beast" : weren't colonials quaint? Sheesh...
> Then again knowing how much Spain and Portugal liked the
> Moors, who knows: it might actually be a moorish word originally?
>
> Even today, "Chiken Cafreal" is still used for a roasted chook dish
> from Mozambique, made with coconut milk and a few other things I
> can't remember. And I use "Howyagoin', ya bloody Kaffr?" when
> meeting an old ZA friend here. I won't write what he calls me back,
> in vernacular Portuguese...
> ;)
>
According to the Wikipedia link, it could be related to the
Ducth "kever", or beetle. I don't believe it for a bit.
http://66.249.93.104/search?q=cache:181sGZhjAw4J:en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaffir+islam+kaffer&hl=en
Of course, the Dutch have been around in South Afrika for
quite some years, and understanding Afrikaans is quite easy.
I'll go for the "kaffir" or "kaffer", the latter still being
vulgar in Dutch (~"stupid"), having it's origin in Arabic or Hebrew.
--
Regards,
Frank van Bortel
Received on Thu Jul 21 2005 - 11:16:22 CDT
