| Ku (language) |
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Information AboutKu (language) |
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:—Ku proverb Ku is a Fictional Language appearing in the 2005 Drama / Thriller Film '' The Interpreter ''. In the film, Ku is a language spoken in the Fictional Africa n country of Matobo. The Constructed Language was created for the film by Said El-Gheithy , the director of the Centre For African Language Learning in Covent Garden London . Commissioned by The Interpreter's director, Sydney Pollack and Working Title , Europe 's leading feature film production company, el-Gheithy adapted aspects of Bantu languages spoken in Eastern and Southern Africa to devise the basis of this fictional language. The language has its own internal dictionary and el-Gheithy created a whole culture and history in his mind. Although known as 'Ku' to foreigners, the actual language spoken by the ''Tobosa'' people of the fictional Democratic Republic of Matobo is indigenously known as Chitob uk u, literally meaning 'the language of the Tobosa people'. ''Ch'itoboku'' is the only surviving ancient Bantu language, and the Tobosa oral traditions indicate that 'Ku' is the root of modern Bantu languages spoken in contemporary Sub-Saharan Africa . The structure of Ch'toboku is characterised by its use of indicators to make up words. For example, 'tobo' is the root and 'sa' is the indicator for 'they'. There is no gender distinction as in French , hence the word for 'he' or 'she' is the same, 'a'. Verbosity is positively valued in ''Ch'toboku'', and ordinary speech should approximate the elegance of poetry. As with most African Cultures , ''Tobosa'' customs are based on age and gender. Drawing on the historical tradition, elders greet younger generations first, and women speak before men. Greetings are essentially verbal, but are followed by a touching of foreheads. The most common expression in greeting is 'sonna', meaning 'hello', but a more energised greeting is ''kwambu'', and the response is ''kwamb uk uu'' , 'and how are you?' There isn't a single word for 'thanks' as such, but the word ''tenane'' is used to show appreciation. You say this by Clapping your hands. Men clap with palms and fingers together, whilst women clap with hands across each other. During meetings and conversation, sneezing is an indication of disbelief. On leaving, one would say ''digai'' , which actually means 'you haven't gone for ever, we will see you again'. The person staying responds by saying ''digaidigai'' The language and culture(s) of the Tobosa have been influenced by links with the outside world through colonialism, and more recently, as a result of processes of globalisation. For example modern technology has become part of the modern 'Ku' vocabulary, and is now written and pronounced as ''Kompyutanga'' . Matoba is currently enjoying more prosperity, not from the usual gas and mineral resources, but rather from its special herbal tea, ''zingwe'', whose sip is believed to guarantee eternal youth. QUOTE "We're kepĂ©la. - lt means standing on opposite sides of the river." (Sylvia Broome in '' The Interpreter '') SEE ALSO |
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