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L O W L A N D S - L - 30 November 2010 - Volume 02<br>
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<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal">From: <span class="gd"><span style="color: rgb(121, 6, 25);">Mark Dreyer</span></span><span class="gi"> </span><span class="go"><<a href="mailto:mrdreyer@lantic.net">mrdreyer@lantic.net</a>></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal">Subject: <span class="gi">LL-L
"Grammar" 2010.11.30 (01) [AF-EN]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal">Beste At:</p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal"> </p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal">Onderwerp: "Language
politics" [AF_EN]</p>
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<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal">Sekondeer al u inset. Maar
sal ons nie die tyd afstaan om ook die positiewe gevolge van Eie-trots uiteen
te sit nie?</p>
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<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal">Benewens Afrikaans het ons
die voorbeeld van die Israeli's en Hebreeus, Die Catalonieërs in Noord-Spanje
en hulle taal. In beide - in al drie gevalle is die volkssege bewerk ten spyte
van onderdrukking. Ek sou dit waag om die stelling te maak dat onderdrukking in
ryke bydrae gemaak het tot oorwinnining in alle gevalle.</p>
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<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal">Die Uwe,</p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal">Mark</p>
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<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal">----------</p>
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<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal">From: <img src="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Ron/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msohtml1/01/clip_image001.gif" name="upi" width="1" border="0" height="1"><span class="gd"><span style="color: rgb(91, 16, 148);">Marcus Buck</span></span><span class="gi"> </span><span class="go"><<a href="mailto:list@marcusbuck.org">list@marcusbuck.org</a>></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal">Subject: <span class="gi">LL-L
"Grammar" 2010.11.30 (01) [AF-EN]</span></p>
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<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal">From: dealangeam <<a href="mailto:atdelange@iburst.co.za" target="_blank">atdelange@iburst.co.za</a>>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;">Marcus,
you make a grave error. Afrikaans emerged (was born) in the south-west tip of Africa during the late 1600's. Although its forbears were
Germanic languages and very much so from the lowland countries, it is an
African language. Unfortunately, because of black politics, it has now also
become a major language in diaspora.</p>
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<p style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif;" class="MsoNormal">I don't think I made an
error. Afrikaans sure is African in the geographical sense (that's why it has
the name it has). But from it's linguistic ancestry and from it's
socio-economic position it's different from languages like Zulu, Sotho etc.<br>
<br>
But you are right about the "slagoffer sindroom" (I have only very
passive knowledge of Afrikaans and I don't know the nuances in the meaning of
the word or its South African subtext, but I would translate it in English as
"inferiority complex" or "victimism"). I don't know South Africa
well and I have never been there. But I sure know about victimism. Low Saxon is
in the very same victimistic situation. It's a vicious circle, a self-inducing
current-loop. Low Saxon is set in a completely different environment than the
African languages, but the mechanics at work are exactly the same. Low Saxon
has no real education system, the African languages have a poor education
system. Therefore the Low Saxon intellectual elite attended German/Dutch
educational institutions (the penetrance of German/Dutch into the Low Saxon
speaker community is so deep now that this has to be considered a historical
phase) and the African intellectual elite attends English/Afrikaans educational
institutions. They incorporate the culture and mentality of their educators.
After completing education they take up middle or upper class professions and
have everyday contact with the "superior" language. They become
alienated to their native language and culture and are absorbed into the
language community of their educators. So the "inferior" communities
constantly loose their elite to the "superior" communities. This
brain-drain will continue until the "inferior" language community
collapses (Low Saxon has reached this stadium, the African languages will last
many more decades [if they will reach this point at all, I hope they won't]).<br>
<br>
To stop the vicious circle you have to ignore their current lack of
"beskawing" and take measures to help them develop the same status as
the "superior" language community. Like a university for each
language community that brings together the elite of the language community and
educates them using their native language. Support programmes that stimulate
the creation of native language educational materials. Financial incentives to
use the native language in cultural production.<br>
<br>
As soon as it is financially interesting to produce native language content,
native language content will be produced. As soon as native language content
will be produced, native language content will be consumed. If you create the
right incentives you will thereby start a positive self-inducing current-loop
of cultural production and education.<br>
<br>
It's the only choice. The only other option is letting the vicious circle do
it's circulation until the "collapse" point. Some people may prefer
that alternative. (Don't get me wrong, I'm not pointing at anybody. Present
company excepted. But I'm sure people like that exist.) It would be honest of
these people to clearly say so. (Honest to do so and unrealistic to actually
expect they will ever do so.)<br>
<span style="color: rgb(136, 136, 136);"><br>
Marcus Buck<br>
</span><br>
PS: As I said I have no detail knowledge about South Africa. Would be interesting
to hear a report of the current status. African language TV stations?
Newspapers? Software localization? Book production? etc. Do they exist, are
they actually used, what's their quality etc.?</p>
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