LL-L "Afrikaans" 2002.10.19 (05) [A/E]

Sun Oct 20 00:10:42 UTC 2002

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From: johnno55 at excite.com <johnno55 at excite.com>
Subject: LL-L "Afrikaans" 2002.10.10 (03) [A/E]

Groete aan Ron, Susan my mede taalgenote uit Zimbabwe, Marco en al die
ander laelanders.

Eerstens moet ek apologie aanteken vir my versuim om onmiddelik op julle
navraag oor Zimbabwiese Afrikaans te re-ageer. Ek was met vakansie en het
nou so pas teruggekeer -'n vakansie nogal sonder 'n komper of selfs die
internet. Ek het Afrikaanssprekende boere in die Chimanimani en Melsetter
areas ontmoet wat met die Moodie-trek van 1894 die destydse Rhodesië binne
gekom het asook ander wat in die hoofstede woonagtig was.

Daar was ook 'n groot gemeenskap Afrikaansspekendes wat in die jare na die
Tweede Wêreld oorlog ge-immigreer het. In hulle geval het hulle Afrikaans
op skool geneem en het hulle baie keer uit dele van Suid-Afrika gekom waar
Afrikaans die hoof voertaal is. Hulle spraakeienskappe sal dus die gebruike
van hulle gebiede van afkoms weerspieël.

For the readers who perhaps are interested and who are not fully au fait
with Afrikaans I shall give my observations in English with Afrikaans
examples.

I am not a liguistic expert so that most of the information I have is
anecdotal rather than following scientific methodologies.

Firstly since the initial influx of Afrikaans speakers into Zimbabwe took
place less than 120 years ago the changes have been the result of pressures
from the other languages spoken rather than natural changes through the
effluxion of time.

My first reaction to hearing second and third generation speakers was that
the speakers sounded like English language users speaking Afrikaans. Though
not true in all cases the younger generation had moved further than their
elders. This is a natural consequence of English being the primary language
of education (especially in the then Rhodesia) as well as business.

Many "Anglisismes" also crept in -
Ek gaan op vakansie ( ek gaan met vakansie) I am going on vacation. />

Die kamer is goed opgelig (die kamer is goed verlig) - the room is well
illuminated (lit up). In this case the Zimbabwean usage would mean that the
room has been lifted up.

Ek kom huistoe was used often - ek kom tuis far less often and somtimes ek
kom by die huis (sic). The last example sounds strange as it lacks the word
"aan" at the end of the sentance to make it understandable even if it is
not usual. .

I seldom heard the use of Aanstaande for example - aanstaande week gaan ek
weg became in most cases volgende week gaan ek weg was used. Although all
these examples are also found in the Afrikaans spoken in predominately
English speaking areas in South Africa.

English words were frequently substituted for commonly used Afrikaans
words in speaking - often the Afrikaans word was actually not known. This
occured several times when I acted as a part time interpreter in the High
Court. In one instance it lead to an amusing situation where the judge who
came from South Africa saying to me in Afrikaans "gebruik die Engelse woord
- hy weet nie wat die Afrikaanse woord is nie".
This applied especially in instances where technical terms were used.
Shona words were also used - "pap" when it refered to maizemeal porridge
was "sadza", "moenie hom hinder nie - moenie hom shupa nie." This was not
unique to Afrikaans speakers as in colloquial English these same words were
used by most English first language speakers. The lingua franca of the
Mines "Fanagalo" or "Chilapalapa" contributed mushi for good (muhle in the
Nguni (Zulu) language) and "shut-in" for dense bush country (the back of
beyond).

It can perhaps be compared to some of the language used by the playwrite
Bredero in a work such as "De Spaansche Brabander" where certain characters
used French words or at least words "borrowed and/or modified" from French
in their speech. Marco I am sure could throw some light on this.

In pronounciation the diphthong "ui" merged with "y" and "ei" so that all
sounded identical (this is also true for some areas in South Africa) ruis
reis and rys all sounded identical (sounding like "race" in English) as did
fluit and vlyt. In Afrikaans the "ui" has a rounder sound the "ei" or "y".

In some cases verbs obeyed English grammar not the customary Afrikaans
use. The word "is" can be used to denote a passive past tense in Afrikaans
- Ek weet nie waar hy gebore is nie - I do not know where he was born -
becomes Ek weet nie waar hy gebore was nie

I hope my feeble efforts are of interest and perhaps someone can cast more
light on this by giving formal research done possibly through he University
of Zimbabwe which did have a faculty of Afrikaans/Nederlands.

John le Grange

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From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Afrikaans

John, Lowlanders,

Now that's the stuff from which "Lowlands Talk" Afrikaans sub-blurbs are
made, stuff even most Afrikaans speakers would love to read about.  ;)

Cheers!
Reinhard/Ron

(http://www.lowlands-l.net)

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