IsiNgqumo is an argot

Argot

An Argot is a secret language used by various groups—including, but not limited to, thieves and other criminals—to prevent outsiders from understanding their conversations. The term argot is also used to refer to the informal specialized vocabulary from a particular field of study, hobby, job,...

 used by the homosexuals of South Africa and Zimbabwe who speak Bantu languages

Bantu languages

The Bantu languages constitute a traditional sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages. There are about 250 Bantu languages by the criterion of mutual intelligibility, though the distinction between language and dialect is often unclear, and Ethnologue counts 535 languages...

, as opposed to Gayle, a language used by the homosexuals of South Africa who speak Germanic languages

Germanic languages

The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...

. IsiNgqumo developed during the 1980s. Unlike Gayle IsiNgqumo hasn't been thoroughly researched or documented, and so figures on numbers of speakers are nonexistent.

IsiNgqumo is a Nguni language and seems to have derived from Zulu

Zulu language

Zulu is the language of the Zulu people with about 10 million speakers, the vast majority of whom live in South Africa. Zulu is the most widely spoken home language in South Africa as well as being understood by over 50% of the population...

. IsiNgqumo is often considered a Western invention by indigenous Zimbabweans but it was actually a creation of indigenous homosexuals, an only recently self aware group.

Sample

Though the following sample conversation may be slightly obscene, it is a good representative of IsiNgqumo's use as most of its vocabulary has some connection to sex or gay men.

IsiNgqumo:

"Isiphukwana sake, kuyavuswa na?"

"Maye"

"Injini!"

"Kuncishiwe" (or) "kuyapholwa"

Zulu Translation (to show difference):

"Ubolo sake, kuyakhulu na?"

"Yebo"

"Imbuqo!"

"Kuyancane"

Literal Translation:

"His little stick, has it awoken?"

"Yes"

"Lie!"

"It's not talented" (or) "it makes one cold"

English:

"His penis, is it big?"

"Yes"

"Lie!"

"It's small" (both terms mean the same thing, and are very derogatory)

Origin of the Vocabulary

• The word "isiphukwana" comes from the Zulu word "uphuku" (meaning "stick") with the suffix "-ana" (meaning "small"). "isiphukwana" is the IsiNgqumo variant of the Zulu word "uphukwana".
• "Vuswa" is the Zulu word for "woken up" in the passive tense.
• "Maye" comes from the Zulu word for expressing shock (the equivalent of a gasp in our culture). This is used instead of the Zulu word for yes, "yebo"
• "Injini" literally means "taking on for a ride", and finds its origins in the Zulu word for "engine". In Zulu, the word "imbuqo" word be used for the same purpose.
• The word "uncishiwe" originates from Zulu as "not given", but is used in IsiNgqumo to mean "not talented". "Kuncishiwe" has the same meaning as "It is not talented". "Uncishiwe" can also mean "ugly", or can be used as a generic insult.
• "Pholwa" is passive tense for the Zulu word for "cool". "Kuyapholwa" could be translated as "it makes one cool". Like "ncishiwe" "pholwa" can be used as an insult.

See also

• Polari
  Polari
  Polari is a form of cant slang used in Britain by actors, circus and fairground showmen, criminals, prostitutes, and by the gay subculture. It was popularised in the 1960s by camp characters Julian and Sandy in the popular BBC radio show Round the Horne...
  
  
• Lavender linguistics
  Lavender linguistics
  Lavender linguistics is a term used by linguists, most notably William Leap, to describe the study of language used by gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and queer speakers. It "encompass[es] a wide range of everyday language practices" in LGBTQ communities. The term derives from the longterm...
  
  
• LGBT rights in South Africa
• Gayle language
• Bahasa Binan
  Bahasa Binan
  Bahasa Binan is a dialect of Indonesian originating with the gay community. It has several regular patterns of word formation and is documented in both writing and speech....