LL-L "Language politics" 2010.11.30 (03) [AF-EN]

Tue Nov 30 21:55:17 UTC 2010

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L O W L A N D S - L - 30 November 2010 - Volume 02
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From: Mark Dreyer <mrdreyer at lantic.net>

Subject: LL-L "Grammar" 2010.11.30 (01) [AF-EN]

Beste At:

Onderwerp: "Language politics" [AF_EN]

Sekondeer al u inset. Maar sal ons nie die tyd afstaan om ook die positiewe
gevolge van Eie-trots uiteen te sit nie?

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.

Die Uwe,

Mark

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From: Marcus Buck <list at marcusbuck.org>

Subject: LL-L "Grammar" 2010.11.30 (01) [AF-EN]

From: dealangeam <atdelange at iburst.co.za>

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.

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.

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]).

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.

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.

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.)

Marcus Buck

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.?

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