Lesson Notes
Grammar
The History of the Afrikaans Language
Linguistics
Afrikaans is a Germanic language and, more specifically, a West German language. It's pretty close to Dutch, German and Scandinavian languages, and, to some extent, to English, for significant historical reasons. Afrikaans was declared an official language of South Africa in 1925 and nowadays, is spoken by 10.3 million South Africans, as well as by a significant population of Namibia and neighboring Botswana.
There is a large global diaspora of South Africans, which means that Afrikaans is also spoken in many countries around the world. There are significant numbers of Afrikaans speakers in the UK, the Netherlands, Ireland, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, as well as many other African countries. Historically, Afrikaans has also been spoken for over 100 years in the Chubut province of Argentina.
Varieties
There are several different varieties of Afrikaans, but everybody can understand and speak to each other. Most notable is the Kaapse Afrikaans spoken mainly by the people of color in the Western Cape. In many ways, this dialect is closer to Dutch than standard Afrikaans, and a lot of speakers code-switch with English, switching between both languages in a single conversation. In the Northern Cape Province, the dialect of Afrikaans is often referred to as Oranjerivierafrikaans. There are also growing differences in the language spoken by the expatriate community abroad.
About the Country of Origin
Afrikaans is a language that originated from the Dutch settlers’ inability to communicate with the slaves they brought to the Cape Colony from other parts of the Dutch empire, in particular Malaysia and South East Asia. Dutch grammar was greatly simplified, and many loanwords were taken from Malay and indigenous African languages. The first ever written text in Afrikaans was a book about Islam, that was written using the Arabic alphabet in the 1830s. During the rest of the nineteent century, the language was standardized and in 1925, was formally recognized as distinct from Dutch when it was made an official language of South Africa.
Where is it Spoken?
There are about seven million people registered as native Afrikaans speakers all over the world. Most native speakers live in South Africa, and it's a recognized minority language of Namibia and Botswana. South African expatriate communities around the world speak Afrikaans as well, and communities in the Chubut province of Argentina have spoken Afrikaans for over 100 years.
Why is it Important?
The top five reasons to learn this language are...
- You can travel to more places and use your Afrikaans more often than you might expect. South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana all have Afrikaans communities and it will even be understood in places where they speak Dutch like the Netherlands, Belgium, Suriname, and parts of the Caribbean.
- When you speak Afrikaans, it is much easier to bond with locals. It will definitely help you make some friends in the local pub.
- By learning Afrikaans, you can get a deeper understanding of world history and culture.
- Knowing Afrikaans will help you learn other European languages such as Dutch, German, French, and English!
- Contrary to popular belief, not everyone in South Africa speaks English. Especially if you want to experience the real South Africa and get off the beaten track, speaking Afrikaans will help you tremendously.
15 Comments
HideWhat's your reason to study Afrikaans?
Hi Luna,
Thank you for your message.
That's a great motivation for learning Afrikaans 👍
Feel free to let us know if you have any questions.
Olivia
Team AfrikaansPod101.com
Because my husband is an Afrikaner and we're living in South Africa now 😄😄😄
Hello Muso
I am happy you decided to learn Afrikaans!
Ek is bly dat jy Afrikaans leer!
Please let us know if you have any questions!
Lekker dag
Have a good day
Zani
TeamAfrikaansPod101.com
I am very happy to have got this opportunity to study Afrikaans and already excited and wish to start as soon as now!!!
Hallo Chip
I am happy that you enjoyed travelling to South Africa, it definitely is the most beautiful country in the world. :smile:
I hope that you find the new words interesting and that you can use it, I suggest browsing our website and choosing some topics that you are interested in. It will help you remember the words.
Hou jy van leer?
Do you like studying?
Ek hou daarvan. (You can say that for anything that you like... food or movies)
I like it.
Lekker leer
Enjoy studying
Zani
TeamAfrikaansPod101.com
Travelled to SA last August and September and loved every minute of my trip. So I plan on returning and feel it appropriate to try and learn the beautiful local language.
Hello Taylor
Welcome to AfrikaansPod101.com, it is great that your mom discovered this website, it will help you.
You are welcome to review any of the content, remember to make sure you know what you teacher needs you to know for Afrikaans.
Do you have an Afrikaans friend?
Het jy 'n Afrikaanse maatjie?
Please send us any questions you have.
Lekker dag
Zani
Team AfrikaansPod101.com
Hi
My name is Taylor
I am a South African and I do speak a bit of afrikaans it is compulsory for me to learn it at school but I am really bad at afrikaans. And I'm now in grade 10 if I fake afrikaans I fake the year. Please will you help me and give me pointers. My mom found this website and I think that it's amazing because I'm an auditory Learner
Hallo Vallis Clausa
You are already halfway a South African if you support the Bokke! :sunglasses::smile:
Do you know all the phrases in Afrikaans for Rugby?
Druk 'n drie (which actually scoring 5 points with a try)
Skop die bal.
Hulle is besig om te skrum
Try to ask your Afrikaans friends to get some natural phrases from watching the game.
Lekker dag
Zani
Team AfrikaansPod101.com
Hallo John
It great that you want to learn more about the culture and the people around you, it is a great way to reach out and break down some barriers.
What phrases do you know already, have you written it down yet?
Hoe gaan dit?
How is it going?
Dit gaan goed dankie.
It is going well, thank you.
Remember to keep track of the words and phrases you know.
Lekker dag
Zani
Team AfrikaansPod101.com