Monday, May 26, 2025

Afrikaans Turns 100

 

By Fred Felton | May 26, 2025.

The Pan South African Language Board (PanSALB) recently joined the nation on Thursday, 8 May2025, in commemorating a century since the official recognition and standardisation of Afrikaans as an official language.

Afrikaans language monument in Paarl. | Photo: Supplied. 


This milestone marks the passing of the Official Languages of the Union Act No. 8 of 1925 legislation that formally established Afrikaans, replacing Dutch as an official language of South Africa.

The Afrikaans language emerged during the 18th century in the Dutch Cape Colony, evolving from Dutch dialects into a distinct language. Although the language was marginalised and referred to as ‘’kitchen Dutch’’ (Afrikaans: Kombuistaal), it has since grown into one of South Africa’s most spoken languages, currently the first language of approximately 6.4 million people, or 12.2% of the national population and 60% of the native Afrikaans speakers are black and mostly Coloured.

Around the world, 7.4 million people speak Afrikaans as their mother tongue, with significant communities in Namibia, Botswana, Eswatini, and diasporas in countries like Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom.

‘’As we honour Afrikaans, we do so in line with our constitutional mandate to promote and protect all official languages in South Africa. Afrikaans continues to play a vital role in our social fabric, education system, and economic development. It is spoken in communities that actively contribute to the nation’s progress,’’ said Pan SALB Board Chairperson, Prof Lolie Makhubu-Badenhorst.

The Afrikaans National Language Body (ANLB), a legistlative PanSALB structure, has taken a clear stance on a more inclusive vision for Afrikaans. It acknowledges that the development of Afrikaans occurred within a broader context of systemic exclusion but affirms that today, no single variety of Afrikaans should be regarded as superior. The ANLB is the custodian of all Afrikaans varieties and remains committed to serving the full spectrum of the Afrikaans-speaking community.

PanSALB is encouraged by the inclusive direction of the Afrikaans 100 Roadmap. It notes with appreciation that the campaign recognises Afrikaans as a language that belongs to all its speakers, with roots stretching far beyond 1925. The recognition of contributions from historically marginalised communities such as the Khoi and San and enslaved peoples who shaped the earliest forms of Afrikaans is a step towards healing and unity.

The language of Afrikaans has also evolved over the years. ‘’No language is static. Languages change continually. There is no single version of any language (except ‘’dead’’ languages like Latin). Every individual uses languages a bit differently from the next person. And groups – sometimes geographically removed, sometimes separated by class or other factors, speak different varieties. And over time some forms become more dominant than others. Contact between individuals and groups lead to changes. Contact between different languages also influences languages. The technology we use has an influence. (We all use shorter sentences than a century ago.) Economics and politics play a role. All these factors impact on all languages. Fortunately Afrikaans is also constantly changing – if not it would be a dead language. Currently more of the 43 varieties of Afrikaans exist and some of them have become influential over the last decade or two. The Commission responsible for the spelling and grammar rules (Taalkommissie) is constantly revising these rules to reflect the changes,’’ noted Prof Willie Burger, Professor of Literature and Literary Theory, Head: Afrikaans Department at UP.