ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the use of language by old and young women in first-time encounters in an African township in post-apartheid South Africa. An analysis of forms of address, self-identification and complaints in first-time encounters between old and young African women is made within the context of these rapid social and political changes in the country. The analysis focused on forms of address, the construction of identities and the nature of the complaints in the discourse. The discourse of old people tends to be characterised by complaints, particularly when it is about young people, or directed at them. The complaints do not necessarily reflect the degeneracy of the behaviour of the youth but are characteristic of the manner in which the elderly have been socialized into mastering the art of complaint. Complaints seem to be common in this type of discourse but are difficult to distinguish from other types of discourse practices such as bragging.
