Sharp Sickle

[𝔏𝔢𝔩𝔬 🥷🏾🇿🇦 @KingPumza]

The TL since #ThePolygamist blew up:

[Thandekile Moyo @Mamoxn]

Usual disclaimers:
1. This is long 🙄 so don't comment "it's too long". I know
2. X doesn't pay me. I write these long monologues free of charge.

This is similar to the Zimbabwean isiNdebele vs. isiZulu conversation.
Are they two distinct languages,
Or dialects of the same language?
Who decides?
Who decides that isiXhosa and isiZulu are different languages,
Or merely dialects?

Prof. Uju explains that AAL/AAEV is a language, not a dialect.
Is Pidgin a language?
Who decides?
Linguistics?
Politics?
Apartheid?
Colonialism?
Slavery?

​African Americans recognize AAL as a language.
It is a vital push for cultural autonomy and validation,
Countering a history of socio-political marginalisation that dismissed it as "incorrect" English.
Why then, are people so hellbent on perpetuating white supremacist rhetoric by denying this status?

​If we can view isiXhosa, isiZulu, and Zimbabwean isiNdebele as three distinct languages,
What is so difficult about recognising AAL as a language?
​What about sePedi, seTswana, and seSotho?
Are they languages or dialects?
Who decides?

Do we recognize that this language debate is actually a power struggle? For example,
If we decide sePedi is merely a dialect of seSotho,
We are effectively saying that the Pedi people rank lower on a socio-political hierarchy than the Sotho people.
Nobody wants that!
Except of course the people whose status is elevated when that happens.

​This isn't unique to Africa,
Europe operates on the exact same political double standard.
Take Scandinavia,
Where Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian are distinct sovereign nations,
They claim 3 separate "languages,"
But their citizens can sit down and understand each other effortlessly.

Another example is the Balkans,
Where Serbian, Croatian, and Bosnian are linguistically the exact same system,
But were fractured into "different languages",
Purely to draw hard lines around national and ethnic identity.

If the West can comfortably grant separate language status to European varieties that are practically identical,
Simply to respect their borders,
Then denying that same status to AAL,
Simply because it exists within a border controlled by others more powerful,
Is a deliberate choice to maintain a socio-political hierarchy.

And that's precisely why African Americans push back when told their language is merely a dialect,
They know it is never just a linguistic debate,
It is a direct refusal to accept a lower place in the social hierarchy.
More than that,
It is a demand for recognition based on linguistic facts:
A language is simply a system with its own complete set of rules and grammar.
AAL isn't "broken" English,
It is a fully formed system with its own consistent structure.

​I believe people are entering this debate from completely different paradigms,
Different ideological standpoints,
Different operational frameworks,
& Different vantage points.
Meaning,
There is very little chance they will ever truly hear each other.

[Redi Tlhabi @RediTlhabi]

O bua nonsense, Ausi. What you wrote here Umbhedo wonke and uyadika because ga o batle go retsa. Eintlek Uyangxola nje wena and ipride yakho e go etsa blind. Malwimi a rona ga se code switching and that's why di ngamla a di verstani gore re ringa ka eng unless ba tseba go bua puo ya rona. On top of that, it is not a given gore MoSotho o kgona go understanda Sizulu because dilanguage tseo ga ditshwane niks and ga go na moo dikopanang teng. Bula nqondo, yehlis'umoya and o tla ba sharp.

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🌎🇿🇦 Thapelo Maseko, Man of the Match for South Africa against South Korea.

[Sharp Sickle @Sickle2Sharp]

You said it! 🫡

[L E S E D I @_Hybreed_]

Bafana Bafana will beat South Korea. Bookmark this tweet! 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦

[FIFA World Cup @FIFAWorldCup]

Making history for South Africa 🇿🇦

#FIFAWorldCup

[FIFA World Cup @FIFAWorldCup]

South Africa advance to the knockout stage for the first time! 👏

#FIFAWorldCup

[iDiski Times @iDiskiTimes]

Don't say anything, just RT to annoy our brothers in Accra and Lagos... 🤫

#BafanaKaofela

[FIFA @FIFAcom]

History for South Africa! 🇿🇦

They’ve qualified for the knockout stage of the @FIFAWorldCup for the first time ever 👏

[Bafana Bafana @BafanaBafana]

Bafana Bafana enter the history books as they progress to the next round of the FIFA World Cup for the first time ever thanks to a Thapelo Maseko goal in the 2nd half

#BafanaPride #BafanaBafana #FIFAWorldCup

[#UNPLAYABLE @UnplayableZA]

𝗕𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗞𝗜𝗡𝗚‼️

@BafanaBafana beat South Korea 1-0 to finish as runners-up in Group A. SA in the #FIFAWorldCup Round of 32 🔥.

Bafana vs Canada on Sunday, 28 June.

#BafanaPride 🇿🇦
#UNPLAYABLE

[𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐆𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐀 🥷🇿🇦🇵🇹🇧🇷🇫🇷 @tumelomohotji]

MASEKOO YOU BEAUTY 🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🤲🏾🤲🏾🤲🏾🤲🏾🤲🏾🤲🏾🤲🏾🤲🏾🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

[Michael Morton @MMORTON6]

BAFANAAAAA BAFANAAAAA!!

MASEKO YOU BEAUTY!!

🇿🇦South Africa 1-0 South Korea 🇰🇷

#fifaworldcup2026 #weare26

[Bafana Bafana @BafanaBafana]

Its all over in Monterey as Bafana Bafana defeat South Korea 1-0 to book their place in the next round of the FIFA World Cup

#BafanaPride #BafanaBafana #FIFAWorldCup

[Pop Base @PopBase]

South Africa has scored against South Korea at the World Cup.

1-0

[Bafana Bafana @BafanaBafana]

65' a very important goal for Bafana Bafana which places South Africa second on the standings, Mexico top of the group

#BafanaPride #BafanaBafana #FIFAWorldCup

[FIFA World Cup @FIFAWorldCup]

The breakthrough moment 🙌

#FIFAWorldCup

[Sharp Sickle @Sickle2Sharp]

Bafana!!! Wow... most beautiful game ♥️ we're through to the next round #BafanaPride #FWC26

[Sharp Sickle @Sickle2Sharp]

Bafana!!! Wow... most beautiful game ♥️ we're through to the next round #BafanaPride #FWC26

[Rory Petzer @RoryPetzer]

CHAMPIONS! I’M AT THE WORLD CUP IN MEXICO AND BAFANA BAFANA JUST SCORED A GOAL! MASEKO! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🇿🇦🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 #BafanaPride