Talk:Banana N'Vectif

Annotation?

The name is definitely a reference to something, like a recipe or a cocktail. But what? Nothing shows up when Googling the name, and all I can find under Tango N' Vectif is a music album (which was released after the book was written). JaffaCakeLover 12:40, 24 April 2009 (UTC)

Hmm... it could be the case that you're looking too hard for an annotation here (my greatest sin - sometimes I "see" them when there aren't any, or the real annotation is a lot less convoluted and cryptical).

Have you considered that what Pterry might be doing here is taking those African names beginning with difficult (to European ears) consonants like "M' ", "N' ", "Mb' ", "Ng ", et c, and putting a Discworld slant on them?

It's the same "low" humour that takes the Arabic salutation "Effendi" and turns it upside down as "Offendi" , as we see in Soul Music and Jingo. A word meant as a social politeness still - just about - conveys social politeness but leaves the hearer feeling vaguely insulted.

Thus the African name N'tolera, which is common in Zimbabwe, might on the Discworld become Intolera(nt) and take on a different meaning. Here, a common English word "Invective", meaning uncontrolled swearing and insult, becomes Africanised (Howondalandised?) as N'Vectif to follow its common europeanised pronunciation. There are a few more Howondalandians dotted around the books with similar names!

Oh - and the egregious Robert Mugabe, many years ago in a genuinely free election, might have been beaten to the post of Zimbabwean head of state by hi opponenet, the Rev. Canaan Banana...

I'm not sure if that classes as coincidence or deliberate annotation... --AgProv 13:59, 24 April 2009 (UTC)