South AfricaOf the many challenging decoding situations I encountered while trying to comprehend South Africa's unique twist on what I thought was my mother tongue, the ubiquitous phrase "izzit" proved to be the most difficult. This handy blend of "is" and "it" is peppered throughout conversations with blatant disregard for adhering to a consistent meaning. It can express agreement, acknowledgment, lack of interest, or it can just let someone know you are still following what they are saying. For example, "I am enjoying my time in South Africa" or "Did you hear about Cape Town's hottest new spot" can both be received with "Izzit?" Imagine the dismay of puzzled family and friends when I returned to the U.S. with this all-purpose phrase. Izzit what?
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Posted on 8/04/2009 by
Nagi Maganti
Posted on 8/04/2009 by
Nagi Maganti
"izzit" is pretty commonly used in Malaysian-English slang too, pretty cool!
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