Fanagalo

/ ˈfænəɡələʊ /

noun

1. (in South Africa) a Zulu-based pidgin with English and Afrikaans components, esp associated with the mines

Word History and Origins

Origin of Fanagalo¹

C20: from Fanagalo fana go lo , literally: to be like this; compare Zulu fand to be like, ka-lo of this

Example Sentences

Few spoke English, and the lingua franca was an amalgam of many tongues known as Fanagalo.

From Literature

His first language was Fanagalo.

From The Guardian

Hustling over to a crowd of waiting Africans, he waved his fly whisk, made from a wildebeest's tail, and shouted in Fanagalo, the language of the South African gold mines, "Kamuzu is glad to be here."

From Time Magazine Archive