Dictionary definition of “Ja well no fine”

Ja well no fine

other. a noncommittal expression of unconcern, indifference, apathy, or ambivalence. Subjects: English, South Africa, Colloquial

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Citations: 1991 John MacLennan Sunday Star (Johannesburg, South Africa) (July 7) “The ANC could take a tip or two from the NP” p. 14: The question was put directly to new secretary-general Cyril Ramaphosa this week and his inconclusive reply can best be described as a diplomatic “Ja, well, no fine.” 1994 James Flannery @ Johannesburg, South Africa (Reuters) (Apr. 14) “Paradoxes abound in S. Africa’s march to democracy”: A casual conversation includes the benediction: “Ja well, no fine,” meaning: “How interesting, do go on” or “I"ve had enough, go away.” 2000 Kurt Shillinger @ Johannesburg, South Africa Boston Globe (Oct. 22) “Letter from South Africa: Blend of Languages Hard to Digest” p. A17: Consider the local expression, “Ja, well, no fine.”….Is it one word? Does it have commas? Even the Dictionary of South African English stumbles: “to explain this to a non-South African is a challenge.” A few years ago, the former radio broadcaster RJB Wilson, who coined the expression back in 1978, tried to explain it. “My youngest brother,” he wrote, “was in the habit of saying ‘no fine’ to everything that really required a ‘c’est la vie’ or ‘that’s the way the cookie crumbles.’ It had a nice South African feel to it. I added ‘Ja, well…’ to it to reinforce the South Africanism.” 2002 Jean-Marie Dru Beyond Disruption: Changing the Rules in the Marketplace (Apr. 12) p. 93: Because “ja well no fine” make sense to us. 2004 [Marcia Klein] Sunday Times (South Africa) (May 2) “Grapevine: Casualties of jargon”: The blurb reads: “The intention is to pilot various healthcare models to focus on cost-effective and quality healthcare delivery that is comprehensively measured by clinical outcomes.” Ja-well-no-fine.

Posted 19 May 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend

Reader comments:

what do the word “nice” and “kind” when in african and how do you spell it in african?

by kim 01 Sep 07, 0120 GMT

There’s no such thing as “African” as a language. There are hundreds of languages spoken on the continent.

by Grant Barrett 01 Sep 07, 1121 GMT

Well, it’s not ‘African’, but a hybrid of Afrikaans (ja/yes) and English.

In substance, it’s a very Beckettian phrase. Think Waiting For Godot, set in South Africa; that moment at the end of the play when Vladimir says to Estragon ‘Well, shall we go?’, and he replies ‘Yes, let’s go.’ And neither of them move.

That’s a very ja-well-no-fine moment.

by Prozacville.co.uk 30 Jun 08, 0808 GMT