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.
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| 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.
