Also known as 'tsotsi taal' or 'township talk', scamto is a youth language that has formed in South Africa at 1990s. Spoken usually only by the youth, scamto comprises a mix of many languages. Some of the languages include Afrikaans, Sotho, Zulu, English and Xhosa. South Africa's large cultural melting pot is the cause of this informal language, because with every new day South Africans are finding different ways in which to interact with each other on different levels. 2 Scamto Dictionaries have been written and published by author, Lebo Motshegoa. The first book was published in 2002 under a title, Scamto Dictionary. The second offering was published in 2005, titled, Township Talk.
science
Scamto
Scamto is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Scamto rather than just read about it. In short: Also known as 'tsotsi taal' or 'township talk', scamto is a youth language that has formed in South Africa at 1990s. Spoken usually only by the youth, scamto comprises a mix of many languages.
Key takeaways
- Scamto belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
- Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
- Connect Scamto to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
- Reproduce the core statement of Scamto from memory before moving on to harder problems.
Reference excerpt
Worked examples
Example 1 — a first encounter with Scamto
Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Scamto claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.
Example 2 — changing one variable
Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Scamto before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.
Example 3 — an exam-style question
Typical questions about Scamto ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.
Applications of Scamto
- In research
- Scamto appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
- In technology and industry
- Engineering practice reuses Scamto in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
- In the classroom
- Scamto is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics African Urban Youth Languages, Language stubs, Languages of South Africa, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
- In everyday life
- Look for Scamto outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study Scamto in 20 minutes
- Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
- Close the page and write down what Scamto means in your own words.
- Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
- Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
- Explain Scamto out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.
Frequently asked questions
What is Scamto in simple terms?
Also known as 'tsotsi taal' or 'township talk', scamto is a youth language that has formed in South Africa at 1990s. Spoken usually only by the youth, scamto comprises a mix of many languages.
Why does Scamto matter?
Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.
How should I study Scamto?
Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.
What does this page cover?
It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Scamto.
Tags
- African Urban Youth Languages
- Language stubs
- Languages of South Africa
- South Africa stubs