“Surely you’re keen for a djol?”
Whether on campus, in the bathroom queue at Fools or overhearing a coffee-and-catch up conversation in town, there are certain words you only hear amongst students in Stellenbosch. These are words that might sound or feel strange used in any other context, and could get you strange looks when using them around friends back home. In this melting pot of languages, cultures and backgrounds, it’s only natural that a specific Stellenbosch sociolect would develop.
A sociolect is a form of spoken language, specifically spoken by a set social group,like the students of Stellenbosch University, containing words, phrases and grammar structures only found amongst that group. Examples of well known sociolects are African American Vernacular English or AAVE, spoken specifically by African American communities in the United States of America, medical jargon forming a part of the language amongst staff in a hospital (think Grey’s Anatomy), or slang found amongst Gen Z on internet platforms. Sociolects often form due to linguistic and social contact. In a setting like Stellenbosch, a sociolect may become the standard due to factors like group identity, social communication, or simply the habit of hearing certain words more than usual.
On campus, words often heard include “valid”, “surely”, “keen”, “billik” (meaning good, true or correct) and “jar” (a first year). Calling the Stellenbosch University Library the “bib”, or the Jan Mouton the “JM”, could also be considered as a part of this sociolect. Even within the broader linguistic scene amongst students in Stellenbosch, smaller community specific sociolects can be found. Many residences have certain terms only used by students living there. Examples of this would be Helshoogte referring to their newcomers as “kuikens”, or Wilgenhof residents calling their residence building “Die Plek”.
Naturally, sociolects can help shape identity. As students, our language can be a clear marker of
social identity, whether intentional or not. Prof Emanuel Bylund-Spångberg, a professor in Psycholinguistics and Multilingualism at the General Linguistics Department of SU says: “[W]e like to play with language, and certain words are more fashionable than others. […] [They] mark belonging as well, and mark group membership, […] so when you come to a new space and you form part of a new group, it seems only natural that you will pick up on some of the linguistic identity markers of that group.” By using a word like “djol”, “oak” or “stout” you are indirectly defining yourself as a Stellenbosch student, and that’s not a bad thing. Language can help create a sense of solidarity, community and belonging, and define a person as part of a certain linguistic or social community within the broader linguistic spectrum.
Thus, next time someone asks why you use “surely” in every second sentence, just say it’s part
of your Stellenbosch sociolect, and that it is, in fact, extremely valid.
By Lené Vorster
