Essa, noun

Forms:
Also ESSA.
Acronym formed on English-speaking South African. See also South African adjectival phrase sense 4 b.
1974 Rapport 21 July 15There’s a newly conscious species around. It’s called an Essa: English-speaking South African.
1974 F. Wilson in De Villiers Eng. Speaking S. Afr. Today (1976) 154There is a fourth story which should perhaps be included lest some should leave this hall feeling that wide though the definition of ESSA’s is, it appears to include only Whites. Far from it.
1978 tr. of Rapport in S. Afr. Digest 14 July 20The accent even fell on new political thought, something for which the Essas are not really known. For too long their political contribution was restricted to criticism of everything the Afrikaner came forward with.
1979 T. Hauptfleisch in HSRC Languages Survey: 1st ReportIt was found that the Afrikaner normally appears more willing than the ESSA to employ L2, but only in situations outside his family circle...The Afrikaner reacts strongly — either positively or negatively — to being taken for an English speaker, whereas the ESSA is little concerned about this factor.
1988 D. Christie Informant, Grahamstown (now Makhanda, Eastern Cape)I have no doubt that modifications [to English] will occur which might send us ESSAs reeling for the gin, but which are inevitable.
1991 F.G. Butler Local Habitation 168The small group of mother-tongue speakers of English in my country — The English Speaking South Africans, or ESSAs.
Acronym formed on English-speaking South African.
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19741991