Afrikaans, should it be preserved?
To many in SA the language is a symbol of an ugly past, and many in SA are preferring to use English because it doesn't have the stigma attached to it that afrikaans does. Some are also calling for afrikaans to be dropped from school curriculums.
http://clivesimpkins.blogs.com/clive_simpkins/2006//its_time_for_ak.html
English is the main language of commerce in SA, and the mother tongue of about half the white populatuion in SA but afrikaans is still spoken in many parts. My question is, should the native afrikaans speakers still try to preserve their language when they already use English in commerce and many institutions are dropping afrikaans in favor of English.
Afrikaans wasn't only the language of the Apartheid (and by the way English was the other one used) but it also symbolises the strength of the "boeren" in a new and harsh land. Afrikaans is a bit like "the Celtic language of SA", always endangered by the big one, but in the SA case it's even more difficult because there are (I guess) 9 other official languages along with it and English.
So don't lose it!
<<should the native afrikaans speakers still try to preserve their language>>
Yes, they definitely should.
Why, you ask, should they?
For sheer, joyous political incorrectness, of course!
And to be more or less bilingual (Afrikaans- and English-speaking), also. Wasn't bilingualism a culturally advanced condition compared to monolingualism?
Pinc,
Achab
Afrikaans people can fluently read Dutch. So it helps them aside from having their identity. Very still SA is going to shit anyway.
There is still a lot of poverty, and hence crime, but the SA economy is apparently growing at 6% right now, so I don't think things are "going to shit". The world cup 2010 will probably give a massive boost as well.
The article isn't totally clear on this point, but I think what they are talking about is having Afrikaans as a compulory SECOND language for everyone. In that case, I'd assume that Afrikaans native speakers are still getting their schooling in Afrikaans.
Can someone from SA confirm/clarify this?
Alright, I might have been a little too blunt in a response above. I just was a little bit shocked at the idea to replace schooling in Afrikaans by English. Afrikaans people do alright in using English as their second language, like any Germanic people do.
Personally I think it's unfair to label it the language of apartheid. It's a slap in the face for Boers who fought against apartheid. People have a right to their own identity.
Why not focus on trying to teach some Bantu language as a compulsory third language, rather than abolish basic education in Afrikaans by replacing it with English. You know Boers won't ever accept the latter?
No one likes chauvinism, whether it be English/French/Spanish/Russian or whatever.
I agree. Afrikaans is still in a strong position and it won't be given up, even if has been marginalized to some extent, post-apartheid.
BTW, the Anglo-Boer wars were over so I thought. You know, that war where British invented the concentration camp and massacred 50% of the Boer population?
English is a language of an ugly past...
Give me a break!
Not disagreeing, there were atrocities committed by all the colonial powers of the time, though apartheid is still a recent memory for many people, ending only 13 years ago.
Afrikaans people all speak English, but Afrikaans children don't. English monoglottery is ignorant though. If it's spoken by few than one might think about replacing their education by English one. But now it's their right to have education in Afrikaans. Don't worry, they also get taught English...
It's not about being "useful", but about identity. Language is not just as boring as a mere tool for communication.
Anyway, South Africa is quite divided on language department. Very still I believe one can start thinking about this when Afrikaans people make up a smaller group. I'm sure some of them send their children to English schools already.
We especially don't need to read arrogance about how English is 'more' useful.
-It's not about being "useful", but about identity-
If you cared about the identity you wouldn't have split all the bonds you had with the Dutch language. Swiss German is a fine example of being both independent (Swiss German) and close (High German is still used in schooling) at the same time.