YohLingo – praat kak soos ‘n local (YohLingo – talk nonsense like a local) is a tongue-in-cheek parody app that flips the global language learning platform Duolingo on its head. While Duolingo boasts more than 40 languages, it continues to exclude South Africa’s official tongues - including Afrikaans - despite their constitutional status, daily use and cultural relevance. The insight: global doesn’t always mean inclusive.

So, we built YohLingo, Duolingo’s mischievous “cousin,” designed to teach South Africans the way we really speak: slang, side-eye and sharp comebacks. Because honestly - is it even lingo if you’ve never been hit with a PK (slap) or heard a sharp “jou ma se”?

Unlike the friendly green owl, YohLingo doesn’t gently encourage - it judges. Miss a lesson? Expect a lekker PK from a rogue mascot wielding a braai fork. This isn’t your ouma’s language lesson. It’s Afrikaans - and South African street-speak the Mzansi way: loud, unapologetic and dripping with sass.

The execution embraced the irreverence:

Push alerts dished out brutal honesty, roasting users in true South African style.
In-app lessons don’t just teach you to praat - they teach you how to klap a comeback.

The result was a digital concept that didn’t feel like a classroom, but like being chirped by your mates at a braai. The copy was sharp, the design brash, and the humour proudly local.

YohLingo is more than a parody - it’s a protest. It proves that South African voices, languages and slang deserve their place in the global lexicon. And until platforms like Duolingo catch up, we’ll teach the world ourselves - one roast, one comeback and one “praat kak soos ‘n local" at a time.