The origin of Afrikaans

On the moped, grab a snack?

Brompony (scooter), papiervampier (corrector), pikkewyn (penguin), flaterwater (correction fluid), peuselhappie (snack), loslappie (bachelor), moltrein (subway), and slimfoon (smartphone): these are just a few words in Afrikaans that many Dutch people find amusing. However, Afrikaans is indeed a serious language, spoken by more than 7 million people in the southern part of the African continent.

From 'Cape Dutch' to 'Afrikaans'

The language known today as 'Afrikaans', which is considered a daughter language of Dutch (although there is still some debate about this), was initially called 'Cape Dutch' and originated in the 17th century from a Dutch dialect spoken by colonists who settled in the Cape Colony. These colonists were not only Dutch, but also included Flemings, Poles, Germans, and French, many of whom had moved to what is now South Africa, either at the request of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) or otherwise. They quickly learned to speak Dutch and would later refer to themselves as 'Afrikaners'.

Many British influences as well

However, the Dutch spoken at the Cape was heavily influenced by other languages. "Afrikaans" eventually evolved through influences from Portuguese, Malay, French, Malay, and Bantu and Khoisan languages. When the British took over the Cape Colony, English became the official language. However, the Afrikaners, who were referred to as "Boers" by the British, did not accept this. They moved inland and established republics where they could speak their own language. After losing two bloody wars with the British, Dutch was eventually recognized by the British government as an official—though second—language. Later, in 1888, Dutch became the official language of the South African Republic. Even today, a lot of English is spoken in South Africa, which continues to influence Afrikaans. For instance, a mobile phone is called a 'selfoon' and a smartphone is referred to as a 'slimfoon.'

You come across many Dutch words on the street

When you travel through South Africa and visit old places such as churches and government buildings, you'll see that you can still encounter Dutch in its original form. This is mainly because the Dutch spoken in the Netherlands was the official written language until 1925. In that year, Afrikaans, which had already diverged significantly from Dutch, was recognized as an official language on par with Dutch. After being recognized as an official language, the Afrikaans vocabulary was significantly expanded.

The language played an important role in the abolition of Apartheid

Until the fall of Apartheid in 1990, Afrikaans was for many a symbol of the division between South Africa's black and white populations. This was mainly because the apartheid regime wanted everyone to speak Afrikaans. The language ultimately played an important role in the abolition of Apartheid after a student strike in Soweto in 1974 protested the decision to make Afrikaans the language of instruction. The police responded harshly to the demonstrators, resulting in many young people losing their lives. Photographs of the uprising spread worldwide and sparked widespread protests. It wasn’t until years later, officially in 1990, that Apartheid was abolished.

Chameleon, record player, and wall plug?

Not everywhere in South Africa, Afrikaans is widely spoken: on the map from 2011, you can see that the language is mostly spoken in the western part of the country. As of 2019, Afrikaans is one of the official languages of South Africa, alongside English (since 1910), South Ndebele (since 1994), Northern Sotho (since 1994), Southern Sotho (since 1994), Swazi (since 1994), Tsonga (since 1994), Tswana (since 1994), Venda (since 1994), Xhosa (since 1994), and Zulu (since 1994). As a Dutch person, you'll find that understanding Afrikaans is not too difficult, especially when you travel through the country. If you read out an Afrikaans text, the language is easy to understand. However, it's not always easy to grasp some words. For example, do you know what a "Verkleurmannetjie" is? What a "Plaatjoggie" does? And what you put in a "Muurprop"? Check the answers at the bottom of this page. The science magazine Quest has a fun quiz online to test your Afrikaans skills. (A "Verkleurmannetjie" is a chameleon, a "Plaatjoggie" is a DJ, and a "Muurprop" is Afrikaans for electrical socket!)