ABSTRACT
From 1981 to 1983, the author undertook fieldwork for PhD thesis, which aimed to document the Bhojpuri language of South Africa as spoken in the province of Natal. No previous work had been done on this language, and indeed no one had ever called it by that name; it was officially recorded as “Hindi” (and still is). The author's main aim, then, was to carry out informal interviews that would provide documentation of the structure of Bhojpuri, reflect the fact that it was a blend of several closely related north Indian languages, and give evidence of more recent changes arising out of contact with the other languages of the province, viz, English, Zulu, and Tamil. By and large, Bhojpuri speakers had red flags hoisted in their yards, signifying homage to the god Hanuman, whereas south Indians hung a string of mango leaves or marigolds at their doorway. Muslim homes hoisted green or white flags.
