LL-L "Language varieties" 2003.01.12 (07) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 12.JAN.2003 (07) * 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: Ian James Parsley <parsleyij at yahoo.com>
Subject:  Language Varieties

Ron,

I agree with all you say re. how one looks at
Afrikaans.

It is to my mind a classic example of how it is so
difficult and indeed meaningless to distinguish
'language' from 'dialect' from 'pidgin'.

Like you, when I read Afrikaans I know I'm not reading
any form of Dutch, and as I mentioned, Afrikaans does
not *sound* remotely similar. That said, Dutch is
clearly by far and away the most closely related major
European language to it, and I find my (albeit
limited) knowledge of it invaluable when trying to
understand (or 'working out') Afrikaans.

If I may add a cultural observation here (and it is
just that, an 'observation' - no offence implied or
meant!), the same applies to the Afrikaners
themselves. They are quite clearly not Dutch. South
Africans of British descent clearly have a closer
relationship in every way - socially, culturally,
politically - to their motherland (the UK) than
Afrikaners have to the Netherlands. That does not mean
there has been an absolutely clear break - clearly
there is a relationship to the Dutch and to the
Netherlands - but it does show a cultural and social
reality which the linguistic situation reflects.

I was, however, approaching the terms 'simplified' or
'tidied up' from a different angle. I would say most
non-linguists would use 'simplified' pejoratively,
meaning that Afrikaans is somehow inferior to 'true'
Dutch. As one whose linguistic speciality is language
change, I would tend towards the latter. I have
nothing against 'simplification' (which really means
'regularization') at all. To me, and this is a
personal opinion, Afrikaans is a joy to read and hear
(and try to 'work out') precisely *because* it has
been so regularized!

Indeed, who needs Esperanto when you've got
Afrikaans?!

mvg,

=====
------------------
Ian James Parsley
www.ianjamesparsley.net
+44 (0)77 2095 1736
JOY - "Jesus, Others, You"

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

Thanks, Ian.  I pretty much agree with you too.

In addition, there is a certain "charm" unique to Afrikaans, partly due to
having discarded the "pretentiousness" of formal Dutch, and partly because
of its courage to be or become African.  (Similarly, the down-to-earth
nature of Yiddish, Scots and Lowlands Saxon make them especially delightful
to me.)

> Indeed, who needs Esperanto when you've got
> Afrikaans?!

Who needs Esperanto -- period?  (Uh-oh, I think I can hear the crunching of
toes ...)

Cheers!
Reinhard/Ron

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