Afrikkaan

Afrikkaan is an occasional, nonstandard term that has appeared in some references as a variant spelling of Afrikaans. It is not recognized as a separate language in mainstream linguistics, and most scholarly sources use Afrikaans to refer to the West Germanic language spoken in southern Africa. When encountered, Afrikkaan is typically attributed to orthographic variation or typographical error rather than to a distinct linguistic entity.

Afrikkaan is a nonstandard term occasionally used as a variant spelling of Afrikaans. Afrikaans, a West Germanic language, developed from Dutch with influences from Khoisan and other African and Malay languages. It is closely related to Dutch and shares much vocabulary and structure, though it has its own standard grammar and orthography. The form Afrikkaan, if encountered, is generally regarded as an unconventional spelling rather than a recognized name for the language.

Geographic distribution and usage: Afrikaans is an official language in South Africa and Namibia and is spoken by millions as a first or second language. It is widely used in education, media, government, and daily communication. In many contexts it coexists with other official languages such as English and isiZulu, reflecting South Africa’s multilingual landscape.

History and status: The language arose from 17th‑century Dutch among settlers at the Cape and evolved through contact with other languages. Standardization began in the 19th and early 20th centuries. After the end of apartheid, Afrikaans remained widely used, while language policy promotes multilingual education and access to services.

As a term, Afrikkaan is generally treated as a nonstandard variant rather than a distinct language.