AFRIKAANS AS LATIN? A SO-CALLED "DEAD" LANGUAGE?
This is guaranteed to "ruffle some feathers", right? Wrong! I simply posed the question as anyone might, having an inquiring mind. Afrikaans is alive and well, but only in South Africa. Oh yes, the use of the language knows no boundaries in-and-around South African turf, but its use is primarily in South Africa. Period.
It's a language that has been described as beautiful, expressive, and poetic. I've also heard some locals describe it as "guttoral" in sound and crass, especially the use of it in the countryside. Someone told me it's a cross between German and Dutch. The person who did so told me he didn't understand or like Afrikaans until he studied drama (in South Africa).
There is no doubt that Afrikaans is insular and those who speak it are protective of its use. It is South Africa's third "mother" tongue, spoken by about eighteen percent of the population. It is outstripped only by Zulu and Xhosa with English placing fourth as a first language.
Phillix Phaho would like to change those figures. A colleague at Norkem Park High School, the black South African of Pedi ethnicity enthusiastically teaches Afrikaans at our school. The language of instruction at NPHS is English.
Learners, as they are referred to here, are obligated to enroll in English language classes, which for the vast majority of kids is their second language. Afrikaans is also a required class offered every year at school. I'm told that for some learners Afrikaans presents certain "difficulties."
Nathan Nguli (not his actual name), is repeating the tenth-grade Afrikaans class he failed last year. The youngster has excelled in my history class this year, but he said the Afrikaans language class was not to his liking. He said, "I don't like the language because of its history and close association to the apartheid era and the racist past." With emphasis, he added, "It has nothing to do with Mr. Phaho...he's a good teacher."
Phaho has had difficulties attempting to convince some of his students, most of whom are black and belong to his ethnic group, that the study of the language of the apartheid era is a worthwhile endeavor. He related, "Most of my learners are either black or coloured and some of them want to get political with the language. I can't take that approach. To me, Afrikaans is a structured language like any other."
The development of Afrikaans, sometimes affectionally referred to as "kitchen Dutch" by the white Afrikaner population, was dramatically influenced by slaves brought to Cape Colony. Few if any slaves were captured there for export to the Americas. The Cape administration forbade such a practice. In that regard, slavery was abolished at the Cape in 1838.
That is not to say that servitude disappeared with the stroke of a pen in the Cape. Like the America's, colonists figured out ways to keep the masses out of the mainstream--equality was a strange and perverse word in any language.
Before slavery was abolished, most slaves brought to what is now South Africa, were from East Africa, Madagascar, India, Indonesia, and the Malay peninsula. Eventually, a creolized culture and language emerged that played a major role in the development of the Afrikaans language.
In the late nineteenth century, Afrikaans-speaking whites sought to create a "racially pure" culture/language by driving a wedge between themselves and coloured Afrikaans speakers. Led by certain over-zealous, racists, they reinvented Afrikaans as a "white man's language." In so doing, they substituted Dutch words for those with Asian or African roots. Eventually, Afrikaans was accepted as an official world language in 1925 (there are approximately 6,800 languages in the world today).
Nathan Nguli is not impressed by the history lesson Afrikaans offers him. "It's a useless language to me," he stated in a matter of fact tone of voice. "I think of the Soweto protests and riots of 1976 over the issue of Afrikaans language being used as the medium of instruction in schools then. It was a terrible time of suffering blacks had to endure because of the apartheid government...I would have joined them," he stated.
No doubt, language instruction is a complex issue in South Africa. There are eleven official languages here and teacher shortages, along with inadequate teacher preparation, ensure the problems will remain. The South African Constitution forbids any devaluation of any of the official languages. The languages are: Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, and isiZulu.
If African languages were introduced at Norkem Park High School, it would please Phillix Phaho. He knows that then anyone taking Afrikaans would be doing so because they want to learn the language. But then again, with some of his learners struggling with Afrikaans, and a strong parent governing body at the school, he doesn't see African languages happening here soon. He said, "All our learners take several years of English and Afrikaans and indigenous language instruction would only enhance the total curriculum."
As far as I know, Afrikaans is the only language in the world to have monuments erected to honor its history and useage. One has to wonder why a people would build such huge edifaces to a language. Do they fear the downfall of their time-honoured, valued language?
In a strange way the granite and concrete structures symbolize an evolving language that, despite its unenviable links to the anguish of the apartheid era, will remain strong and vibrant. It is certain Phillix Phaho would have it no other way.
It's a language that has been described as beautiful, expressive, and poetic. I've also heard some locals describe it as "guttoral" in sound and crass, especially the use of it in the countryside. Someone told me it's a cross between German and Dutch. The person who did so told me he didn't understand or like Afrikaans until he studied drama (in South Africa).
There is no doubt that Afrikaans is insular and those who speak it are protective of its use. It is South Africa's third "mother" tongue, spoken by about eighteen percent of the population. It is outstripped only by Zulu and Xhosa with English placing fourth as a first language.
Phillix Phaho would like to change those figures. A colleague at Norkem Park High School, the black South African of Pedi ethnicity enthusiastically teaches Afrikaans at our school. The language of instruction at NPHS is English.
Learners, as they are referred to here, are obligated to enroll in English language classes, which for the vast majority of kids is their second language. Afrikaans is also a required class offered every year at school. I'm told that for some learners Afrikaans presents certain "difficulties."
Nathan Nguli (not his actual name), is repeating the tenth-grade Afrikaans class he failed last year. The youngster has excelled in my history class this year, but he said the Afrikaans language class was not to his liking. He said, "I don't like the language because of its history and close association to the apartheid era and the racist past." With emphasis, he added, "It has nothing to do with Mr. Phaho...he's a good teacher."
Phaho has had difficulties attempting to convince some of his students, most of whom are black and belong to his ethnic group, that the study of the language of the apartheid era is a worthwhile endeavor. He related, "Most of my learners are either black or coloured and some of them want to get political with the language. I can't take that approach. To me, Afrikaans is a structured language like any other."
The development of Afrikaans, sometimes affectionally referred to as "kitchen Dutch" by the white Afrikaner population, was dramatically influenced by slaves brought to Cape Colony. Few if any slaves were captured there for export to the Americas. The Cape administration forbade such a practice. In that regard, slavery was abolished at the Cape in 1838.
That is not to say that servitude disappeared with the stroke of a pen in the Cape. Like the America's, colonists figured out ways to keep the masses out of the mainstream--equality was a strange and perverse word in any language.
Before slavery was abolished, most slaves brought to what is now South Africa, were from East Africa, Madagascar, India, Indonesia, and the Malay peninsula. Eventually, a creolized culture and language emerged that played a major role in the development of the Afrikaans language.
In the late nineteenth century, Afrikaans-speaking whites sought to create a "racially pure" culture/language by driving a wedge between themselves and coloured Afrikaans speakers. Led by certain over-zealous, racists, they reinvented Afrikaans as a "white man's language." In so doing, they substituted Dutch words for those with Asian or African roots. Eventually, Afrikaans was accepted as an official world language in 1925 (there are approximately 6,800 languages in the world today).
Nathan Nguli is not impressed by the history lesson Afrikaans offers him. "It's a useless language to me," he stated in a matter of fact tone of voice. "I think of the Soweto protests and riots of 1976 over the issue of Afrikaans language being used as the medium of instruction in schools then. It was a terrible time of suffering blacks had to endure because of the apartheid government...I would have joined them," he stated.
No doubt, language instruction is a complex issue in South Africa. There are eleven official languages here and teacher shortages, along with inadequate teacher preparation, ensure the problems will remain. The South African Constitution forbids any devaluation of any of the official languages. The languages are: Sepedi, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga, Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, and isiZulu.
If African languages were introduced at Norkem Park High School, it would please Phillix Phaho. He knows that then anyone taking Afrikaans would be doing so because they want to learn the language. But then again, with some of his learners struggling with Afrikaans, and a strong parent governing body at the school, he doesn't see African languages happening here soon. He said, "All our learners take several years of English and Afrikaans and indigenous language instruction would only enhance the total curriculum."
As far as I know, Afrikaans is the only language in the world to have monuments erected to honor its history and useage. One has to wonder why a people would build such huge edifaces to a language. Do they fear the downfall of their time-honoured, valued language?
In a strange way the granite and concrete structures symbolize an evolving language that, despite its unenviable links to the anguish of the apartheid era, will remain strong and vibrant. It is certain Phillix Phaho would have it no other way.
posted by JOBURG JOURNAL at 12:37 AM
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