ISIZULU
GRAMMAR
&VOCAB
GRAMMAR - LOVE OR HATE?
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IsiZulu is often hailed as a beautiful-sounding and poetic language, characterised by clicking sounds, long word formations, and very precise grammar rules.
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English speakers can be put off by the grammar of isiZulu. But it's not that IsiZulu is a difficult language, rather it is a very different language to English.
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My teaching method does not focus on grammar because grammar is something which is naturally acquired through hours of listening, reading, speaking and writing. Our brains are hard-wired to pick up grammar rules intuitively.
As an example, are you a native-born English speaker? If so, did you know that there are 12 tenses in English? Most English-speakers have no idea about the grammar of tenses, yet they communicate perfectly well.
Likewise, many native isiZulu speakers wouldn't realise there are 8 noun classes in their own language!
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My point is, there is no need to stress about grammar and spend hours memorising the rules. That said, there are people who like grammar. Yes, truly! Maybe you're one of them?
Do you love to understand the structure of language?
Do you enjoy being methodical when you learn something new?
Does it help you to know how the language 'works'?
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If so, you will probably enjoy isiZulu grammar, as it has some fascinating and unique qualities to it.
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