# Dutch/Afrikaans: Historical bilingualism in South Africa?



## heterônimo

(I'm not sure if I'm on the right forum for this type of question)

Today I was reading about South African Law and stumbles across this most interesting article from the 1909 South Africa Act (the first South African constitution):



> 137. Both the English and *Dutch *languages shall be official languages of the Union, and shall be treated on a footing of equality, [...]



Was Dutch officially used in the Boer States and later in the Union of South Africa? What was the relation between Standard Dutch and Afrikaans? There was some kind of bilingualism amongst Afrikaners? How and when Afrikaans became the official standard? 

I'm sorry for the complex questions, maybe someone knows a thing or two about it.


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## sound shift

Afrikaans became an official language of South Africa in 1925.


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## Peterdg

At some point in time, Dutch and Afrikaans were the same language. What is now called Dutch is how that common language evolved in the Netherlands and Belgium. What is now known as Afrikaans, is the evolution of that same common language in South Afrika. Both languages are still closely related and speakers can understand each other without too many difficulties.


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## eno2

wiki about  (the status of) Afrikaans (and Dutch)



> *Recognition*
> Afrikaans was considered a Dutch dialect in South Africa until the early 20th century, when it became recognised as a distinct language under South African law, alongside Standard Dutch, which it eventually replaced as an official language.[37]
> 
> Before the Boer Wars (1880–81 and 1899–1902), "and indeed for some time afterwards, Afrikaans was regarded as inappropriate for educated discourse. Rather, Afrikaans was described derogatorily as ‘a kitchen language’ or as ‘a bastard jargon', suitable for communication mainly between the Boers and their servants."[38] 23 years after the Second Boer War ended in 1902, mostly due to the efforts of the Afrikans Language Movement[38] on 8 May 1925, the Official Languages of the Union Act No 8 of 1925 was passed at a joint sitting of the House of Assembly and the Senate,[39] in which 'Dutch' was "declared to include Afrikaans". The Constitution of 1961 reversed the position of Afrikaans and Dutch, so that English and Afrikaans were the official languages and Afrikaans was deemed to include Dutch. The Constitution of 1983 removed any mention of Dutch altogether.


Afrikaans - Wikipedia
1925:  'Dutch' was "declared to include Afrikaans
1961: Afrikaans was deemed to include Dutch. 

That seems to suggest that Dutch was the official language before Afrikaans, then they came on the same level, and then Afrikaans was on top. 

As for bilingual, I don't know. There was a division between Afrikaans-  and English speaking whites.On the other hand, I can not imagine (educated) Afrikaans speaking whites (and blacks) not having a commanding knowledge of English.


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## heterônimo

Thank you for your kind answers.

Undoubtedly, Dutch and Afrikaans were once the same language. However, what intrigues me the most is that, seemingly, Standard Dutch was used as a language of instruction and official language until the mid-20th century. By then, I assume, Afrikaans was already a well-formed language with its own particular rules, it seems to me that there was an inevitable interaction between both Standard Dutch and Afrikaans. Should I assume that most educated Afrikaans would have some command in Standard Dutch?


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## eno2

> Should I assume that most educated Afrikaans would have some command in Standard Dutch?





Laten we eten en drinken, want morgen zijn we dood
Laat ons eet en drink, more mag ons dood wees!

Jesaja 22:13 
----------------------
*Universele Verklaring van de Rechten van de Mens*
Artikel 1
Alle mensen worden vrij en gelijk in waardigheid en rechten geboren. Zij zijn begiftigd met verstand en geweten, en behoren zich jegens elkander in een geest van broederschap te gedragen.
*Universele Verklaring Van Menseregte*
Artikel 1
Alle menslike wesens word vry, met gelyke waardigheid en regte, gebore. Hulle het rede en gewete en behoort in die gees van broederskap teenoor mekaar op te tree.
Universele Verklaring van de Rechten van de Mens - Talennet Zuid-Afrikaans
-----------------------------
Als Nederlandstalige heb ik daar geen enkele moeite mee. 
As a Dutch speaker, I understand Afrikaans immediatly. 


WR treats Dutch and Afrikaans as different languages, and that corresponds with general consensus. 

So you can treat the subject here, but not post in Afrikaans.


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## heterônimo

eno2 said:


> Als Nederlandstalige heb ik daar geen enkele moeite mee.
> As a Dutch speaker, I understand Afrikaans immediatly.



I'm not sure that you understood my question. I'm not questioning mutual intelligibility here.

EVEN IF they were not formally treated as different languages today, they are (at least) different registers and one clearly needs to make a conscious effort to change register/dialect/language/etc. regardless of mutual intelligibility.

My question is _historical_: Did South African administration used Standard Dutch? If so, did the elite speak/write Standard Dutch (or at least tried to emulate the European register/dialect)? If so, there was some kind of bilingualism/'bidialectalism' during the 19th century/early 20th century South Africa?


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## eno2

'Did South African administration used Standard Dutch?' I think yes. See #4



> Meer dan zeven miljoen inwoners hebben Afrikaans als moedertaal, vooral in de West-Kaap en ook in Namibië (80% van de autochtone bevolking). Daarnaast hanteren nog eens ruim vier miljoen Zuid-Afrikanen Afrikaans als tweede taal. De grondwet van het land bepaalt dat elke gemeenschap recht heeft op onderwijs in de eigen taal, dus ook in het Afrikaans. Daarenboven is taalonderwijs op school, ook aan de universiteit, bepalend voor de ontwikkeling van een gemeenschap en dus de maatschappelijke cohesie.
> Delen
> 
> 'Ook de Afrikaanssprekende gemeenschap heeft recht op universitair onderwijs in de moedertaal'
> 
> De verbanning van Afrikaans van de universitaire campus wordt door drukkingsgroepen, met allerlei UNESCO-rapporten onder arm over het belang van taalonderricht, als ongrondwettelijk aangeklaagd. Onder meer bij het Hooggerechtshof in Kaapstad


'Ook de Afrikaanssprekende gemeenschap heeft recht op universitair onderwijs in de moedertaal'


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## Hitchhiker

heterônimo said:


> Thank you for your kind answers.
> 
> Undoubtedly, Dutch and Afrikaans were once the same language. However, what intrigues me the most is that, seemingly, Standard Dutch was used as a language of instruction and official language until the mid-20th century. By then, I assume, Afrikaans was already a well-formed language with its own particular rules, it seems to me that there was an inevitable interaction between both Standard Dutch and Afrikaans. Should I assume that most educated Afrikaans would have some command in Standard Dutch?



The Afrikaners came to power in South Africa in 1948. Before the English ruled the country. The Afrikaners are the ones that replaced Dutch with Afrikaans as an official language. Dutch has much more complicated verb forms that are not known in Afrikaans. When I was a student in Belgium, Dutch speakers would say that Afrikaans like child-language to them. One reason is, many Afrikaans words end in -ie which sounds funny to them, and the other is the simpler verb forms. I lived in Namibia for 10 years. I was in a mostly German-speaking village, but I stayed with an Afrikaans family and the village had three schools, an English school, an Afrikaans school and a German school. I struggled with Dutch during my years in Belgium, but I found Afrikaans easier for me to pick up. At my university there was a South African student from a Dutch farm family and he spoke perfect Dutch. There was another South African student and she couldn't follow a thing in Belgian Dutch, but she did master French which she studied when she was in school. They were both Afrikaners, but I think the guy's family was Dutch or he had Dutch studies. They both spoke English and came from wealthy families.


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