Playing Football with the English Language: “T-shirt”, “Sweater”, “Jersey”

SA Loguers Ben and Trekker - respectively, an American in SA, and a South African in the US - are kicking the English language around.

It’s winter in South Africa, brrr, what to wear? Not a sweater, certainly - unless you’re a masochistic type who gets a thrill from denying your body the chance to benefit from its own heat.

Sweater or T-shirt?

Come the hot SA summer, on the other hand, and you’ll hear much freely-distributed advice to “put on your sweater” at the beach, so that you don’t get a bad sunburn (and, from there, skin cancer, liver spots, etc.).

Yes, you’ve guessed it: to a good portion of the English-speaking population in South Africa, “sweater” means “t-shirt” - though most of the tourist shops have cottoned on to the fact that visitors want to (a) come here, (b) do things and (c) get the t-shirt, not the sweater, and so use the former term to describe their wares.

What I grew up calling a sweater, many in SA refer to as a “jersey”, following UK English. That leaves one question: can I call a jersey a t-shirt, and complete the circle? Put on your t-shirt, it’s cold!