7l6 Ai;OKlG[.\AL PLACE NAMES. 



of the same description, if nut the precise species, erroneously 

 rendered "roe" by our translators: •'like a roe (tccbe), or a 

 young- hart upon the mountains of Bether." ("rringle's Notes," 

 quoted by Kay, })p. 201-2.) Kay adds sionificantly in a foot- 

 note. " This is by no means the most common name. Ibadi is the 

 one by which the animal in question is most generally known 

 amongst the Kaffirs." Perhaps we may venture to correct 

 t'ringle to the extent of pointing out that the actual Hebrew word 

 in Song of Solomon, ii : 17, is 'J V and the EngHsh equivalent 



should be " tsebi," but, even so, the parallel is a striking one. 



This word, then, serves to draw our attention to the question 

 of spelling in its relation to our study. In gathering together all 

 the names available in Kaffirland, we are not altogetlier surprised 

 to find a veritable harvest of errors. In the first place we need 

 to remind ourselves that the names have been recorded over about 

 130 years, by men of several nationalities and varying degrees 

 of education ; and when Kaffir sounds were expressed' by their 

 Dutch equivalents and the British colonial pronounced them in 

 terms of their English values, the result was confusion. To add 

 to this state of affairs, the missionaries in one area, intent upon 

 completing the great task of reducing the language to writing — 

 especially at a time when every journey was by means of the 

 tedious ox-wakon, and missionaries being separated by hundreds 

 of miles were compelled to work in isolation — did so without any 

 thought as to how others were tackling similar tasks in neigh- 

 bouring areas. 



In conseqttence it is the great misfortune of South Africa 

 that there is not a uniform orthography for the different Bantu 

 languages. Something has already been done to improve the 

 position, but the whole question of a uniform orthography 

 remains as a challenge to our scholars, and more still to the 

 missionary societies, who are not, I fear, prepared to tackle the 

 problem — with all that it will imdoubtedly mean of surrendering 

 cherished points and making certain changes. The valuable 

 work recently done in Rhodesia along these lines is worthy of 

 attention and emulation. It is, I fear, a counsel of perfection to 

 even suggest that an earnest attempt should be made by all 

 concerned to face the problem, even at this late stage — surely it 

 is not incapable of solution. It is. indeed, a matter in which 

 the Government should take the initiative in view of the great 

 advantages which would be secured in administration alone, not 

 tc mention the great questions of native education, the produc- 

 tion of a native literature^a work as yet but scarce begun, and 

 other important issues which are involved. 



Illustrative of this point is the discussion in connection with 

 the Hottentot-Bushman names at a later stage in this paper, a 

 discussion to which we venture to direct attention in order to 

 emphasise the importance of a resolute attempt at this juncture 

 to secure a uniform orthography. The difficulties are not so 

 great that they cannot be overcome, if not wholly, at any rate 



