Today was a normal day for everyone. I went to CPUT-Bellville and gave my "sick test" to students who had been ill on a test or the exam day this semester. I also gave a "what I did on my sabbatical" presentation at CPUT-Cape Town.
Tracy worked on her paper. Mark went to school and had Maties swimming this afternoon. Catherine went to daycare.
Two interesting things have happened lately.
(1) This week, Mark's English spelling list contains the following homophone pairs:
* raw and roar
* sauce and source
* sort and sought
* stalk and stork
In Inland Northern American English, these word pairs have different sounds. But in a South African English accent (which is British-like), they are indistinguishable. So, we have learned that homophones are accent-specific. This is obvious in hindsight, but you don't think about it until you experience it.
(2) Catherine's language has changed slightly. When we first arrived, she was still saying "yeah," like an American. Then, after a few months, she switched to saying "yes," with a rather long "s" sound. Now, it is all "ja," all the time. Also, when I frustrated her by helping to screw a cap on a water bottle, she said "nie" (pronounced "knee-ah," which means "no" in Afrikaans. And, she sings Afikaans songs from the Lollos. Her favorite seems to be "Jan Klim Die Bear." I have no idea what that means.
--Matt