soortgelyke

Soortgelyke is an Afrikaans adjective meaning similar or of the same kind. It is used to indicate likeness between two or more nouns and is commonly placed before the noun it modifies, for example: soortgelyke gevalle (similar cases), soortgelyke eienskappe (similar properties). The phrase soortgelyk aan is often used to mean similar to.

Etymology and form: Soortgelyke derives from the Dutch word soortgelijk, adapted in Afrikaans spelling and pronunciation. It belongs to the class of attributive adjectives that modify nouns and agree with number and definiteness according to Afrikaans grammar.

Usage and nuance: Soortgelyke is a general term for resemblance in kind, not exact identity. It can describe physical likeness, functional similarity, or comparable characteristics across items, people, or situations. In formal writing, it appears in contexts such as analysis, description, and comparison. Examples include discussing soortgelyke situasies in different regions or soortgelyke tipes of data in a study.

Related terms: The base adjective is soortgelyk; related nouns include soortgelykheid (the concept of similarity). Verbs such as vergelyk (to compare) and adjectives like vergelykbaar (comparable) are often used in connection with soortegelyke comparisons.

See also: Afrikaans lexicon resources on adjectives and comparison, Dutch cognates noting the shared roots between soortgelyke and soortgelijk, and general articles on comparison in Germanic languages.