A social history of urban male youth varieties in Stirtonville and Vosloorus, South Africa

Abstract

Informal male youth varieties are a widespread phenomenon of township life across South Africa. A common view is that there are two varieties with separate origins: a Bantu language-based variety, called Iscamtho, and an Afrikaans-based variety called Tsotsitaal that has decreased in use because of the unpopularity of Afrikaans.