LL-L "Afrikaans" 2004.04.15 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 15.APR.2004 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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A=Afrikaans Ap=Appalachian B=Brabantish D=Dutch E=English F=Frisian
L=Limburgish LS=Lowlands Saxon (Low German) N=Northumbrian
S=Scots Sh=Shetlandic V=(West)Flemish Z=Zeelandic (Zeêuws)
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From: marco [evenhuiscommunicatie] <marco at evenhuiscommunicatie.nl>
Subject: LL-L "Afrikaans" 2004.04.14 (06) [A/E]

Criostóir responds to Elsie:

> Implying that a good portion of Coloured speakers of Afrikaans are
> misattributed - that they are Griqua or Cape Malay - does not distract
from
> the fact that they are not White. In fact, your contribution reiterates
that
> reality.

I have to agree with Criostóir. In a survey by the Sentrale Statistiekdiens
from 1994 I read:

Speakers of Afrikaans:
80.000 black
2.730.000 coloured
10.000 Asian
2.920.000 white

So I think my initial remark that there are roughly just as much non-white
as white speakers of Afrikaans isn't that wrong after all.

Apart from this, I think in the recent discussion about Afrikaans on
Lowlands-L, the emphasis is on the way the language is treated by
politicians and legislation. I agree that these factors can have a huge
impact on the situation and future of a language. But I think in everyday
life Afrikaans is still one of the most important, if not the most important
language in South-Africa. Just an example: according to the ELSA (English
Literacy Skills Assessment), the literacy skills in English for high school
graduates fell from 51% in 1990 to 25% in 1995, while literacy in Afrikaans
roughly remained the same.
It is not more than natural that when the number of official languages rises
from two to twelve (as has happened in SA), the number of second or third
language speakers of 'colonial' languages as Afrikaans and English declines.
But I think it's not correct to conclude from this development that
Afrikaans is under any serious threat.

Regards,

Marco

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