Afrikansk

Afrikaans is a West Germanic language spoken primarily in South Africa and Namibia. It developed from 17th-century Dutch and has evolved into a distinct language with its own standard form, literary tradition, and broad usage as a medium of education, media, and daily communication. It is one of South Africa’s 11 official languages.

Origin and development:

From Dutch brought by settlers at the Cape of Good Hope, Afrikaans absorbed vocabulary from Malay, Portuguese, Khoisan, and Bantu languages. It underwent substantial simplification of grammar and pronunciation, diverging from Dutch over several centuries. By the early 20th century it had a standardized orthography and literary tradition, and in 1925 it gained official recognition in South Africa.

Characteristics:

Afrikaans uses the Latin alphabet and generally follows subject–verb–object order. It lacks grammatical gender and has a relatively simple verb system, with tense often expressed with auxiliary verbs. The language employs double negation (Ek het dit nie gedoen nie) and uses the indefinite article 'n. There are regional varieties, including Standard Afrikaans and Cape Afrikaans.

Usage and status:

In South Africa, Afrikaans is widely used in schooling, media, government, and everyday life, especially in the Western and Northern Cape and among Afrikaans-speaking communities. It is also spoken by migrant communities and communities in Namibia, where it remains common though not an official language.

Literature and culture:

Afrikaans has a growing body of literature, journalism, and media, and plays a significant role in education and cultural life across its speaker communities.