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Although Afrikaans has adopted words from other languages, including German and the Khoisan languages, an estimated 90 to 95% of the vocabulary of Afrikaans is of Dutch origin.[n 1] Differences between Afrikaans and Dutch often lie in the more analytic morphology and grammar of Afrikaans, and different spellings.[n 2] There is a large degree of mutual intelligibility between the two languages, especially in written form.[10]

Etymology[edit]

The name of the language comes directly from the Dutch word Afrikaansch (now spelled Afrikaans)[11] meaning "African".[12] It was previously referred to as "Cape Dutch" (Kaap-Hollands/Kaap-Nederlands), a term also used to refer to the early Cape settlers collectively, or the derogatory "kitchen Dutch" (kombuistaal) from its use by slaves of colonial settlers "in the kitchen".

'Hottentot Dutch'

History[edit]

Origin[edit]

The Afrikaans language arose in the Dutch Cape Colony, through a gradual divergence from European Dutch dialects, during the course of the 18th century.[13][14] As early as the mid-18th century and as recently as the mid-20th century, Afrikaans was known in standard Dutch as a "kitchen language" (Afrikaans: kombuistaal), lacking the prestige accorded, for example, even by the educational system in Africa, to languages spoken outside Africa. Other early epithets setting apart Kaaps Hollands ("Cape Dutch", i.e. Afrikaans) as putatively beneath official Dutch standards included geradbraakt, gebroken and onbeschaafd Hollands ("mutilated/broken/uncivilised Dutch"), as well as verkeerd Nederlands ("incorrect Dutch").[15][16]

As phonemes, /iː/ and /uː/ occur only in the words spieël /spiːl/ 'mirror' and koeël /kuːl/ 'bullet', which used to be pronounced with sequences /i.ə/ and /u.ə/, respectively. In other cases, [] and [] occur as allophones of, respectively, /i/ and /u/ before /r/.[88]

/y/ is phonetically long [] before /r/.[89]

/əː/ is always stressed and occurs only in the word wîe 'wedges'.

[90]

The closest unrounded counterparts of /œ, œː/ are central /ə, əː/, rather than front /e, eː/.

[91]

/œː, oː/ occur only in a few words.

[92]

[] occurs as an allophone of /e/ before /k, χ, l, r/, though this occurs primarily dialectally, most commonly in the former Transvaal and Free State provinces.[93]

æ

Influences on Afrikaans from other languages[edit]

Malay[edit]

Due to the early settlement of a Cape Malay community in Cape Town, who are now known as Coloureds, numerous Classical Malay words were brought into Afrikaans. Some of these words entered Dutch via people arriving from what is now known as Indonesia as part of their colonial heritage. Malay words in Afrikaans include:[107]

Arts Festival

Aardklop

Afrikaans literature

Afrikaans speaking population in South Africa

Arabic Afrikaans

(Afrikaans Dictionary)

Handwoordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal

Differences between Afrikaans and Dutch

IPA/Afrikaans

(Arts Festival)

Klein Karoo Nasionale Kunstefees

Languages of South Africa

Languages of Zimbabwe § Afrikaans

List of Afrikaans language poets

List of Afrikaans singers

List of English words of Afrikaans origin

South African Translators' Institute

Tsotsitaal

Grieshaber, Nicky. 2011. Diacs and Quirks in a Nutshell – Afrikaans spelling explained. Pietermaritzburg.  978-0-620-51726-3; e-ISBN 978-0-620-51980-9.

ISBN

Roberge, P. T. (2002), "Afrikaans – considering origins", Language in South Africa, Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press,  0-521-53383-X

ISBN

Thomas, C. H. (1899), , Origin of the Anglo-Boer War revealed, London, England: Hodder and Stoughton

"Boer language"

afrikaans.com

(archived 4 June 2012)

Afrikaans English Online Dictionary at Hablaa

Afrikaans-English Online Dictionary at majstro.com

(Open Learning Environment)

Learn Afrikaans Online

– Federation of Afrikaans Cultural Associations

Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge (FAK)

from the World Digital Library

Dutch Writers from South Africa: A Cultural-Historical Study, Part I

Afrikaans Literature and Language Web dossier African Studies Centre, Leiden (2011)