Analysis of the poem: To learn how to speak

1. TO LEARN HOW TO
SPEAK
Jeremy Cronin

2. About the Poet Jeremy Cronin
◦ Born in September 1949, he is a South
African writer, author, poet.
◦ He has a long history in participating in
politics in South Africa- from university to
being imprisoned and serving 7 years.
◦ He studied at UCT where his politics career
began- he joined the Radical Students
Society and then was recruited by the SACP
(South African Communist Party, which was
a banned political party in SA)

3. About the Poet Jeremy Cronin
◦ After some time overseas furthering his
studies he returned to lecture at UCT at the
Philosophy department.
◦ He activities in the SACP brought him to
the attention of the South African Bureau
of State Security.
◦ He was arrested in 1976 on the charges of
conspiring with the ANC (which was a
banned political party at the time)and
preparing and distributing pamphlets for
these organizations (SACP and ANC) after
his trail was sentenced to 7 years in prison.

4. Apartheid South Africa and Language:
◦ Summary of the poem: Focus on the progression of speech, transport, the stages of a river and
time periods. Each of these celebrate the progression, diversity and growth of these things in
South Africa.
◦ Apartheid and language- how did Apartheid treat the diversity of languages was it encourage
like this poem will reflect or were the diversity of languages suppressed and punished.
◦ Apartheid used one official language which was Afrikaans- it was in schools, in the economy and
official documentation from government. Sometimes English was used if necessary but most of
the time Afrikaans was the language spoken by most South Africans- enforced by law.
◦ This poem was published in 1983- what had occurred before that date that was significant in
South Africa regarding language?

5. READ THE POEM

6. Title:
To learn how to speak

7. The Title: To Learn How To Speak
◦ Its not a full sentence
◦ Its an infinitive: This the sentence is not bound to a subject or a tense. It is an incomplete
sentence.
Eg, let him see.
◦ Purpose of infinitive: Cronin wants to learn how to speak to all South Africans and not one
particular subject/group of South Africans.
◦ Foreshadows: that the poem its self might not have full sentences either.

8. 1st Sentence:
To learn how to speak
With the voices of the land,
To parse the speech in its rivers,
To catch in the inarticulate grunt,
Stammer, call cry, babble, tongue’s knot
A sense of the stoneness of these stones
From which all words are cut.

9. 1st Sentence Breakdown:
◦ To learn how to speak- Repetition is used for emphasis of his eagerness to learn how to speak every
language in SA.
◦ With the voices of the land- Personification: giving land the ability to talk but land does not have
voices but people do- so Cronin wants to speak the language of all South Africans as those are the
people of the land.
◦ To parse the speech in its rivers: Back to the idea that the land has voices- Cronin wants to use the
language her hears correctly as it differs like the sounds of the river. Parse- to use language in its
correct form.
◦ To catch the inarticulate grunt… tongue’s knot: This is how Cronin believes the different languages
sound like in the beginning of his journey of learning the languages. He cannot understand the
sounds and their meanings
◦ A sense of stoneness of these stones: Sibilance: repetition of the “s” sound. Cronin creates the sound
and feeling to the reader of stammering over words with the continuous “s” sound.
◦ From which all words are cut: Idea that all languages come from one place and evolve/change due to
time and different nationalities/cultures.

10. What is the 1st sentence talking about?
◦ Cronin opens the poem explaining how he wants to speak all the languages of SA.
◦ Cronin wants to learn the languages that to him sound like grunts but he knows have a deeper
and more complex meaning.
◦ Cronin also highlights how those grunts and stammers are the beginning steps for someone
who wants to learn a new language.
◦ Makes use of Sibilance so the reader can

11. 2nd Sentence
To trace with the tongue wagon trails
Saying the suffix of their aches in –kuil, -pan, -fontein,
In watery names that confirm
The dryness of their ways.
To visit the places of occlusion, or the lick
In the vlei-bank dawn.

12. 2nd Sentence Breakdown
◦ “To trace with…… -kuil, -pan, -fontein”- Cronin speaks about the history of the Afrikaner people
and language. How they treasured water and named a lot of places where they would identify
water k in their travels of the Great Trek.
◦ Cronin wants the reader to understand that this was important to the Afrikaner pioneers so if
readers understand that then we get to understand the people who speak the language.
◦ “To visit the place of occlusion or the lick of the vlei-blank”- Cronin points out more important
points for the Afrikaner people when migrating in the Great Trek.
◦ Occlusion- a blockage. Eg, mountain passes and rivers.
◦ Lick- natural salt deposit. Important for their animals to regain their salt once they had lost it
from travelling so far.

13. What is the 2nd sentence talking about?
◦ This looks at the language of the Afrikaner people and how it developed through the Great Trek
of South Africa.
◦ How they travelled and looked for places of water- leading to them naming places like –kuil,-
pan, -fontein because water sources were important to them.
◦ In order to understand the person who speaks the language, Cronin wants the reader to look
into the language’s history and its change and evolution over time.
◦ Cronin tells the reader how language is more than a tool of communication but a social and
historical marker that makes people who and what they are.

14. 3rd Sentence:
To bury my mouth in the pit of your arm,
In the planetarium,
Pectoral beginning to the numb of time
Down there close to the water-table, to feel
The as it drums
At the back of my throat
Its cow-skinned vowel.

15. 3rd Sentence Breakdown:
◦ “Pectoral beginning to the nub of time”- Cronin wants to go the beginning of when the
languages were formed to have greater understanding of the people and their culture. He wants
to go the the “heart” of the culture and immerse himself in that cultural identity in order to have
a deeper understanding of the language. Pectoral muscle is near the heart.
◦ “Down there close to the water-table”- water-table is the water source found underground. So
Cronin wants to the original source of the languages in South Africa.
◦ “To feel the as it drums at the back of my throat ”- Cronin is slowly embracing and learning how
to say the words of the South Africa. No longer a stammer but drums- shows he is slowly
gaining control of how to speak the languages in the land.
◦ “Drums”- Cronin also believes that the languages in SA have rhythm and words that create such
rhythm are unique to specific cultures and people.

16. What is the 3rd Sentence talking about?
◦ Cronin talks about how as he learns the languages of South Africa he wants to go to the heart of
the culture/community that speak the language.
◦ Cronin believes that in order to master a language one must immerse themselves into the
culture of the language. This is opposite to what the Apartheid government was doing at the
time- which was stripping the people of their culture and identity by imposing Afrikaans as a
national language.
◦ Cronin speaks about how he wants to go to the source of all of the languages spoken in South
Africa.
◦ All languages in SA have rhythm and re create and unique to the culture that speaks it.

17. 4th Sentence:
To write a poem with words like:
Stompie, Stickfast, golovan,
Songololo, just boombang, just
To understand the least inflections,
To voice without swallowing
Syllables born in tin shacks, or catch
The 5.15 ikwata bust fife
Chwannisberg train, to reach
The low chant of the mine gang’s
Mineral glow of our people unbreakable resolve.

18. 4th sentence Breakdown:
◦ “To write a poem…. just boombang”- this shows the reader that Cronin is getting a hang of the languages spoken
in SA. Show also that he still has some learning to go (because he doesn’t use it in the right manner) but is trying
and learning.
◦ “to understand the least inflections”- Cronin wants to understand the different accents all over SA that pronounce
words differently (often linked to culture and community). One should appreciate and celebrate when one use our
language and not laugh and make mockery of.
◦ “to voice without swallowing”- means not to mumble but to speak clearly and confidently.
◦ “syllables born in tin shacks”- Cronin speaks directly to Fanakalo (language of a mixture of English, isiZulu and
Afrikaans)
◦ “The 5.15 ikwata bust fife”- Cronin makes use of it as an example. Cronin make use of “least inflections” by
changing the spelling of word it changes the accent of the word and makes the reader adopt that accent.
◦ “Chwannisberg train”- Johannesburg Train. Cronin make use of “least inflections” by changing the spelling of word
it changes the accent of the word and makes the reader adopt that accent.

19. 4th sentence Breakdown Cont.
◦ “mineral glow of our people’s unbreakable resolve”- Cronin compares the people of SA’s resolve
with the mineral glow that comes from the mines. What mineral glows when it is smelted?
Cronin speaks to how the people of SA were still able to hold onto their culture and language
and even create new language like Fanakalo during a time when their language was being
suppressed and excluded outside of their communities.

20. What is the 4th sentence talking about?
◦ Shows the reader how he is slowly embracing and learning the languages of SA by making use
of the language in the poem eg “Stickfast, Songololo, just boombang”.
◦ Cronin wants the reader to embrace all “least inflections”/ accents that come from from all
around the country.
◦ Cronin adapts the spelling of some terms in the poem to make the reader embrace and speak in
a different accent.
◦ Cronin celebrates the resolve of the SA people whose language was suppressed but how they
found a way to still hold on to it and create a new language like Fanakalo and pigeon English
spoken in the townships.

21. Last sentence
To learn how to speak
With the voice of this land

22. Last Sentence Breakdown
◦ This last sentence is a repetition to emphasize the message of the poem which is to speak and
embrace all languages spoken in SA.
◦ To gain deeper knowledge and understanding of the culture and people behind the language.

23. About the Poem:
◦ Type of poem: Free Verse
◦ Setting: South Africa
◦ Structure: 33 Lines, one stanza. Divided into parts by “to”.
◦ Addressed to: ??
◦ Symbolism: the progression of speech and how it symbolizes the progression of society and
traditions of the people. How language is more than a tool of communication but a marker of a
people’s history, culture and evolution overtime.
◦ Mood: Eagar to learn/ wants to learn and celebrate all the languages of South Africa
◦ Theme: Progression. The poet’s effort (a White English man) and interest to speak the languages
all South Africans.

24. Questions
◦ Explain the importance of the spelling of “Chwannisberg train”. (3)
◦ What two cultures does Cronin play homage to in his poem? Provide examples from the poem
to support your answer. (4)
◦ Why does Cronin repeat the opening sentence and the last sentence? (3)
◦ Who do you think Cronin is writing this poem to? Provide example from the poem to support
your answer?
◦ Why do you think Cronin would write a poem about celebrating all languages in South Africa?
(Hint: Look at the context of the poem) (3)
◦ Name one part of speech from this poem and highlight its effectiveness. (3)