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Henry Morton Stanley - Breaker of Rocks | ||
Tags: African languages | History | ||
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 Language Learning Forum : Philological Room |  | |
| COF Senior Member United States Joined 5831 days ago 262 posts - 354 votes  Speaks: English* | Message 1 of 2 04 May 2012 at 1:02am | IP Logged |
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The British expolorer, while in the Congo was given the Kikongo name "Bula Matari" by his native guides, roughly translated into English as "Breaker of Rocks".
Stanley clearly understood this name to be in reference to his macho, tough guy persona, but it has been claimed that actually the locals probably used this name in a more sarcastic, condecending way and it wasn't particuarly polite or endearing. Can anyone with a knowledge of Kikongo, or other related Bantu languages offer any insight on the way in which this nickname would have been used? Would such a nickname be considered sarcastic or condecending in other Bantu languages? 1 person has voted this message useful | |
| Michael K. Senior Member United States Joined 5729 days ago 568 posts - 886 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Spanish, Esperanto | Message 2 of 2 04 May 2012 at 1:50am | IP Logged |
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I read a book about Stanley and Livingstone, and if I recall correctly, he wasn't a very nice person.
I'm thinking his nickname may be along the lines of "he's breaking my balls," with "rocks" referring to "balls." 1 person has voted this message useful |
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