AFRICANDERISMS.
Africanclerisms : a Glossary of South African Colloquial Words and Phrases and of Place and other Names. Compiled by the Rev. Charles Pettman. (Longmans and Co. 12s. ed.) —South Africa should be the happy hunting-ground of the philologist, for the vocabulary in common use there is made np of the most diverse elements imaginable. Africander- English is chiefly influenced, no doubt, by Dutch ; but many of its words bear traces of German, French, and Portuguese origin, not to mention the effects of two families of native African tongues and of various Oriental languages. We select almost at random a word which will give some idea of the interesting derivations to be found in Mr. Pettman's collection. This is the word "Kabaai," which is applied to "a sort of dressing-gown or pyjamas." "This word," we read, "seems to be one of those which the Portuguese received in older times from the Arabic (kaba, a vesture). By them it was introduced into India, thence to the Malay countries, and is in common use in Java." In Java the Dutch made its acquaintance, and it was finally introduced by them into South Africa. Mr. Pettman deserves to be congratulated on the completion of this excellent glossary.
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