Lesotho from K to O
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K
- king (morena)
- King Moshoeshoe I, the founder of the Basotho nation, signed a treaty
in 1843 that placed his Kingdom under British protection. Basutoland,
as the country was then called, became the independent nation of Lesotho
on 4 October 1966, with King Moshoeshoe II as sovereign. Lesotho is a
constitutional monarchy with an elected bicameral parliament consisting
of a 60-seat National Assembly and a 33-seat Senate. The present monarch,
King Letsie III, is a great grandson of King Moshoeshoe I.
- kingdom (bokhosi)
- Lesotho is a constitutional monarchy, the only one on
the African continent. The monarch is Letsie III.
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L
- language (puo)
- English is the official language, Sesotho (southern Sotho) is the national
language. Some Zulu and Xhosa are also spoken. Sesotho is not supposed
to be an easy language, due to its tonal features and its uncommon sounds.
But I'm sure you'll agree with me that no language is "easy to learn".
Here are some helpful words and expressions: [thuso--help]
Yes |
E |
----- /ay/ |
No |
Che |
----- /tcheh/ |
Food |
Lijo |
----- /deeJAW/ |
Water |
Metsi |
----- /mayTSEE/ |
Toilet |
Ntloana |
----- /ndlwana/ |
Car |
Koloi |
----- /koLOee/ |
Please |
Ka kopo |
----- /KAkoopaw/ |
Hello |
Lumela (to one person) |
----- /dooMEHla/ |
Hello |
Lumelang (to 2 or more people) |
----- /dooMEHLAng/ |
How are you? |
U phela joang? (to one person) |
----- /oo pheela jwang/ |
How are you? |
Le phela joang? (to 2 or more people) |
----- /Lee pheela jwang/ |
I'm fine, and you? |
Kea phela, oena? |
----- /key ya PHEEla,
wehNAH/ |
I'm hungry |
Ke lapile |
----- /key lapeelay/ |
I'm full |
Ke khotše |
----- /key KHOOt-se/ |
My name is... |
Lebitso laka ke... |
----- /lehBEETsaw LAKA
kee.../ |
My surname is... |
Fane eaka ke... |
----- /FAHnee YAKA
kee.../ |
I love you |
Kea u rata |
----- /kee ya oo RAta/ |
Thank you |
Kea leboha/ |
----- /kee ya layBOOha/ |
Wake me up |
Ntsose |
----- /nTSOOsay/ |
I'm lost |
Ke lahlehile |
----- /key LAH-HLAYheelay/ |
How much is it? |
Ke bokae? |
----- /KEY booka-EE/ |
It's expensive |
E turu |
----- /ee TWO-roo/ |
I'm serious |
Ke tihile |
----- /key TEE-HEE-lay/ |
I'm sick |
Kea kula |
----- /key ya cool ah/ |
What are you gaping at? |
O ahlametseng? |
----- /oo AH-hlaMAYtsing/ |
Could I have some medicine? |
Ke kopa moriana. |
----- /key-koopa moREEYAna/ |
Do you speak English/Xhosa? |
Na o bua Sekhooa/Seqhotsa? |
----- /NA o BOOWA seKHOOa / seQHOtsa/ |
I don't care. |
Ha ke tsotelle. |
----- /ha KEY TSOtay-L-lee/ |
What do you want? |
O batlang? (sing.) |
----- /oo bah clah-NG/ |
What do you want? |
Le batlang? (pl.) |
----- /lee bah clah-NG/ |
I want... |
Ke batla... |
----- /kee bah-clah/ |
We want... |
Re batla... |
----- /ree bah-clah/ |
I'm happy |
Ke thabile |
----- /kee tah-BEE lay/ |
We're happy |
Re thabile |
----- /ree tah-BEE lay/ |
Grandmother |
Nkhono |
----- /ng-KHOO-noo/ |
Grandfather |
Ntate-moholo (literally: big father) |
----- /ntah-TAY-moo-WHO-loo/ |
How was your trip? |
O (sing.)/Le (pl.)
tsamaile joang? |
----- /oo-tsa-MY-LAY-jwang/ |
Where's the hospital? |
Sepetlele se hokae? |
----- /seh-PEH-cleh-LEH
si hoo-ka-i/ |
[ Resources ]
- lesotho
- Lesotho is a kingdom in southern Africa that is land-locked within
the Republic of South Africa. It became a protectorate of Britain in
1884 and gained self-rule
on 4 October 1966. Most of it is rugged and mountainous, and skiing
and mountain-climbing are actually practised. The people of Lesotho
are called Basotho, and they speak Sesotho which,
together with English, is the official language.
- lesothan
- Lesothan is a neologism that is not particularly liked by the people of Lesotho. It was perhaps invented to make life easier for Occidental news folks.
The Basotho (not Lesothans) like to be referred to as Basotho, or a Mosotho (not a Lesothan), who speak Sesotho.
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M
- malealea lodge ("hotele" ea malealea)
- It works like this: although visitors come here to hike, camp, trek,
sight-see, etc.--and the lodge will provide a list of trails and sight-seeing
spots, and the like--the activity remains pony trekking. The
lodge acts as middleperson for local horsemen, who actually own the
ponies used, and receive the bulk of the money. Their
website will provide you with every juicy detail and then some.
- mandela
- Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was born in 1918 in Qunu, in South-Africa's
Eastern Cape. His political career really began in 1944 with the launching
of a Youth League to give new life to the African
National Congress, an organization composed of different prominent
individuals who wanted to bring all Africans together as one people
to fight for their rights in apartheid South-Africa. Mandela was imprisoned
from 1964 to 1990 for doing just that. But he did not disappear. Instead
he became a martyr and a global symbol of resistance to segregation.
In 1993 Mandela and the president who set him free, F.W.
de Klerk, jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize. Mr Mandela was
elected the president in 1994 and served up to 1999.
[ Resources ]
- maseru (motse oa maseru)
- Maseru (pronounced mah-say-ROO), the capital city of Lesotho,
has a population of about 160 000 and lies on the Mohokare or Caledon
river, right on the border with South Africa. There is an international
airport at Thoteng-ea-moli, a stone's throw away. Maseru was a small
colonial trading town when it was made the capital of the Basotho people
by Moshoeshoe I, the founder of the nation, in 1869. It was the capital
of the British Basutoland protectorate until 1966, when Lesotho became
independent. Many old buildings from that time can still be seen. Not
too far from Maseru are: Roma, the site of
the National University, Thaba Bosiu, Moshoeshoe I's fortress where ruins
of his village and the royal burial grounds remain, and Morija,
the country's education engine set up by French missionaries who arrived
in Lesotho in 1833. Morija has the only museum in Lesotho.
- men (banna)
- Monna (man), ntate (father), monghali (gentleman, Mr.) moshanyana (boy,
lad), mora (son), abuti (brother), moholoane (older brother) are some
of the words we use to talk about men. They make up about 46% of the total
adult population, and basically run the show, or think they do. I have
always found most Basotho men, like most other men on the rest of the
continent, macho, insensitive, and inconsiderate toward everybody else,
especially women. Don't get me wrong, however. Some Basotho men are loving,
caring and sensitive husbands and fathers. Unfortunately they are a rare
species, indeed.
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- men's associations (mekhatlo ea bo-ntate)
-
- Christian Men's Network, Box 8174, Maseru 106, Lesotho
- We're still looking for other associations and clubs for men in
Lesotho, other than sports clubs and the like.
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- mofolo, mokopu thomas
- Ntate Mofolo was born in Lesotho in 1876, and died in 1948. He was
the greatest of the writers who sprang up in the early part of the 20th
century writing in Sesotho for the Morija Sesuto Book Depot. In 1907
he penned 'Moeti oa Bochabela' (Traveller of the East (B. E. Series, No 100)
)
and in 1910 'Pitseng'. 'Chaka ' was written in about
1910 but at that time Mr Mofolo left his job as proof reader and reviewer
for the publications of the mission, and the book was published years
later in 1925.
- mokhehle
- Ntsu
Mokhehle was born in Teyateyaneng in 1918. He founded and led the
Basutoland Congress Party, from which he later broke away to found the
Lesotho Congress for democracy. In 1993, Lesotho had its first free
election in 23 years. Mokhehle's BCP won a landslide victory, and he
became prime minister. In 1994 fighting between two rival army factions
troubled the nascent democracy. The king ousted Mokhehle, but was later
pressured by SADC nations to reinstate him. In 1995, Letsie III
abdicated in favour of his father, Moshoeshoe II. After Moshoeshoe was
killed in a car accident in 1996, Letsie III was restored to the
throne. In 1997, Mokhehle remained prime minister as he broke from his
initial party, the BCP, and founded the Lesotho Congress for Democracy
(LCD).
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