HISTORY OF

THE
AFRIKAANS
LANGUAGE
By Vladyslava Yablonska and Maria Khrypko
 INTRODUCTION

Afrikaans language, West

Germanic language of South
Africa, developed from 17th-
century Dutch, sometimes
called Netherlandic, by the
descendants of European
(Dutch, German, and French)
colonists, indigenous Khoisan
peoples, and African and Asian
slaves in the Dutch colony at
the Cape of Good Hope.
 CREOLE LANGUAGE

○ A creole language is a natural result of a combination of different languages.

Afrikaans is considered to be a daughter language of Dutch and it, by contrast,
is vibrant and has completely displaced Dutch in southern Africa. Though not a
majority-held position, it is considered by some linguists to be a creole because of
its simpler grammar relative to Dutch.
 VOCABULARY

If we look at vocabulary, Afrikaans is Dutch, in

some cases more Dutch than modern Dutch itself.
That is especially true for the written language,
and formal spoken language. Neologisms in
Afrikaans are often built from Dutch roots, for
many words where modern Dutch has borrowed
from English, for example roltrap (Dutch escalator,
Afrikaans word means rolling stairs).
 WORD ORDER
Different forms of “I think”:
Word order is almost identical to
Dutch. Afrikaans, Dutch and German ek dink (preset indicative)
has fairly complex word order, the
notorious V2 word order. Ek is aan die dink (present
progressive)

Ek was aan die dink gewees

(past progressive)

Ek dog (simple past)

Ek het gedink (perfect)

It is closely related to Dutch,
Afrikaans has evolved over
THE CHALLENGES OF
the centuries and has AFRIKAANS TRANSLATION
become its distinct language.
As such, translating from one
Vocabulary Differences
language to the other
requires more than a simple
dictionary lookup - it requires
Frequent Use of Compound Words
an understanding of the
nuances that exist between
the two languages.
Colloquialisms and Slang

Multi-Meaning Words
WHO MADE THE LANGUAGE POPULAR?

It can partly be attributed to its use

by famous authors such as Etienne
van Heerden and André Brink who
have written extensively in this
language.

Van Heerden is seen as one of a

generation of Afrikaans writers who
contributed significantly to open up the
Afrikaner psyche to change.

André Brink sought to use the Afrikaans

language to oppose apartheid policies
 THE POPULARITY OF AFRIKAANS IN
THE MODERN WORLD
Additionally, thanks to modern technology, it
has become much easier for people to
access information about this language online
through websites and social media platforms
such as Twitter and Facebook.

In South Africa, Afrikaans is one of the 11 official

languages, and it is spoken as a first language by
approximately 13.5% of the population, making it
the third most spoken language in the country
after Zulu and Xhosa.
 Interesting facts about the Afrikaans language

1.. It’s the youngest official language in the

world.
2. Afrikaans-speakers understand Dutch
better than Dutch-speakers do Afrikaans.
3. Although based on Dutch, Afrikaans has
been influenced by a variety of languages.
4. The Dutch weren’t big fans of Afrikaans
at first.
5. There is a secret prison language based
on Afrikaans.
 CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the history of the Afrikaans language is a fascinating
tale of cultural blending and linguistic evolution. From its origins as a
derivative of 17th-century Dutch, influenced by a mix of European
settlers, indigenous peoples, and slaves, Afrikaans has grown into a
vibrant and distinct language in its own right. While some consider it a
creole due to its simplified grammar compared to Dutch, Afrikaans
remains deeply rooted in Dutch vocabulary and word order.

Today, Afrikaans is a significant language in South Africa, spoken by a

sizable portion of the population and recognized as one of the
country's official languages. With the advent of modern technology,
access to information about Afrikaans has become more accessible,
further contributing to its ongoing evolution and relevance in
contemporary society.