Is Afrikaans really a language, or was it created by mixing Dutch, English, German, French and other languages? I know a bit, and it strikes me as rather odd.
Is Afrikaans 'n taal?
<<Is Afrikaans really a language, or was it created by mixing Dutch, English, German, French and other languages? I know a bit, and it strikes me as rather odd. >>
Of course it's a language--what kind of question is that?
It is a corruption--to use that term nicely--of [Middle] Dutch, but has words of German and French and Malay origin. It is mixed like practically all other languages on earth.
Languages rarely "mix" naturally. One always asserts itself over the other, and emerges as the new base. The other usually ends up only influencing it.
Of course it's a language--what kind of question is that?
It is a corruption--to use that term nicely--of [Middle] Dutch, but has words of German and French and Malay origin. It is mixed like practically all other languages on earth.
Languages rarely "mix" naturally. One always asserts itself over the other, and emerges as the new base. The other usually ends up only influencing it.
<<It just seems unnatural and artificial when I hear / read it. >>
That's not surprising
That's not surprising
Afrikaans is not derived from Middle Dutch, which died out before any Dutchman sailed passed Gibraltar, but from Modern Dutch.
It's a half pidgin/creole. It has much simpler grammar (for easier communication between other language speakers) and foreign loanwords.
Dutch speakers can understand Afrikaans just fine, and the same thing goes for Afrikaans speakers the other way around. If one were to compare it with English it would look like this:
(from a Dutch point of view)
*(Dutch) You went to the supermarket on your bicycle.
*(Afrikaans) You gone to big market on bike.
(From an Afrikaans point of view)
*(Dutch) Thou wentest to the great market on thine velocipede.
*(Afrikaans) You went to the supermarket on your bicycle.
It's a half pidgin/creole. It has much simpler grammar (for easier communication between other language speakers) and foreign loanwords.
Dutch speakers can understand Afrikaans just fine, and the same thing goes for Afrikaans speakers the other way around. If one were to compare it with English it would look like this:
(from a Dutch point of view)
*(Dutch) You went to the supermarket on your bicycle.
*(Afrikaans) You gone to big market on bike.
(From an Afrikaans point of view)
*(Dutch) Thou wentest to the great market on thine velocipede.
*(Afrikaans) You went to the supermarket on your bicycle.
It's a language. Especially when an Afrikaans person speak dialect, a Dutch person cannot understand him. It's mutually intelligible when you use simple and proper language.
That's not true. Even when speaking dialect, when Afrikaans speakers do this they generally go to the language roots, there exist strong intelligibility. Often mutual.
In any case its a language. Just like anything used to talk with others.
In any case its a language. Just like anything used to talk with others.
"from a Dutch point of view)
*(Dutch) You went to the supermarket on your bicycle.
*(Afrikaans) You gone to big market on bike.
(From an Afrikaans point of view)
*(Dutch) Thou wentest to the great market on thine velocipede.
*(Afrikaans) You went to the supermarket on your bicycle"
Very interesting.
*(Dutch) You went to the supermarket on your bicycle.
*(Afrikaans) You gone to big market on bike.
(From an Afrikaans point of view)
*(Dutch) Thou wentest to the great market on thine velocipede.
*(Afrikaans) You went to the supermarket on your bicycle"
Very interesting.
Swiss German is more of a language than Afrikaans.
Even colloquial Brazilian Portuguese has more elements of separate language (like topicalization more similar to Chinese than Continental Portuguese and Syntax more similar to French than to Continental Portuguese) than Afrikaans.
Calling Afrikaans a language and [West] Flemish a dialect is political decision, it has nothing to do with objective linguistics.
Even colloquial Brazilian Portuguese has more elements of separate language (like topicalization more similar to Chinese than Continental Portuguese and Syntax more similar to French than to Continental Portuguese) than Afrikaans.
Calling Afrikaans a language and [West] Flemish a dialect is political decision, it has nothing to do with objective linguistics.
Portuguese: A rapariga estava a beijar o puto.
Brazilian: A garota estava beijando o garoto.
(Rapariga means a whore in Brazil, and puto means queer, fag).
Brazilian: A garota estava beijando o garoto.
(Rapariga means a whore in Brazil, and puto means queer, fag).
Portuguese: A rapariga estava a beijar o puto.
Brazilian: A garota estava beijando o garoto.
''The girl was kissing the boy''
(Rapariga means a whore in Brazil, and puto means queer, fag).
Brazilian: A garota estava beijando o garoto.
''The girl was kissing the boy''
(Rapariga means a whore in Brazil, and puto means queer, fag).